The sun., 1903-08-20
CUP YACHTS READY TO START
RELIANCE AND SHAMROCK MEET
IN FIRST RACE TO-DAY.
Both Boats out Sailing Vest ertiay Morning
Shamrock Remeasured and Now
Gets 4 Minute 81 Seconds Tine--Sir

| The Shamrock I'LL, representing the
Royal Ulster Yacht Club, and the Reliance,
representing the New York Yacht Club,
will meet to-day in the first race of the
series for the Americas Cup. 1t will be
the thirteenth time that the ownership
Of that celebrated trophy has been in dis
pute, and in all the former races the Amer-
| can boat won.
The yachts will be started as near to
| II o'clock as practicable. but il there Ia no
wind at that time, or IL anything should
have happened to delay the start, the
preparatory signal will be made on some
even quarter of an hour after that time;
but it has been agreed by both sides that
no race shall be started after l:3O O'Clock.
The start ia to be made from of the Sandy
Hook lightship il possible, but il the wind
is from some quarter that makes it impossi-
BILE to lay a windward or leeward courpe
from the Sandy Hook lightship, then the
starting point will be shifted further out
to sea.
To-day's race is to he fifteen miles 70
windward or leeward and return. If the
wind holds true it will be a fair test of the
two boats, and, as it is conceded that Sham
rock III. = best point Of sailing is turning
to windward, it ia fair to assume that as
to-day's race will 60 so the series will
go.
The preparatory signal will be made at
II o'clock The tugboat Navigator. on
which will be the Regatta Committee, will
be anchored at the starting point, making
line at right angles to the course. The
preparatory signal will be the hoisting Of
the blue peter cone and a gun will be fired
to call attention to it. From that moment
the two yachts will be in the hands Of the
Regatta Committee and they will manoeuvre
for the favorable position. They will be
amenable to all the rules from the time
Of the preparatory gun Ten minutes after
the preparatory signal warning gun will
be fired and a red ball will be hoisted.
Five minutes after the warning the blue
peter cone will be run down. second red
ball hoisted and a gun fired. This is the
starting signal, and the yachts will then have
two minutes in which to cross the line.
Each yacht must cross after the starting
gun is fred and before the expiration Of
the two minutes, when a handicap gun is
to be fred in order to have the actual time
of crossing the line taken. II either boat
it is timed as having crossed when the
handicap signal is made. When the yachts
have started five and half hours is allowed
them In which to get over the course.
There will be an immense fleet of ex-
cursion steamers, tugs and yachts outside
Sandy Hook to-day. 1t has been reported
that more than hundred excursion
steau,ecs and tugs have been chartered
by clubs and private parties, and many
public excursions are TO be run. Nearly
all the steam yachts that are in commits
sion will be at the race, and many OF them
were anchored inside the Horseshoe last
night in order to be on hand to start out
with the racing boats. Another fleet OF
steamers was at anchor off the Atlantic
Yacht Club house at Sea Gate. More
were of Tompkinsville, where the revenue
cutters that are to have charge Of the course
were at anchor. There were many OF the
larger boats at anchor of Communipaw.
Bay Ridge and of Twenty-third street in
the East River.
Tho committee boat to-day will be the
tug Navigator On this boat will be tho
Regatta Committee, s. Nicholson Kane.
chairman; Newbury ID. Lawton and Edward
II. Wales There will be a fleet Of tugs
to assist in the Regatta Committees work.
The Jorn q. Scully, in charge Of Lieutenant
Commander w. j. Sears. U. s. N, will log
off the course; the Coastwise, in charge OF
Lieutenant Commander II. G. Poundstone,
u s. N, will be the guide vessel, and the
Unique, in charge OF Commander Henry
Morrell, U. S. NJ, will be the emergency
vessel, and should the starting line be
shifted the Unique will be the stakeboat.
The members of the Committee on Cup
Challenge will be the guests Of ex-Commo-
dore ]. pierpont Morgan on the steam
yacht Corsair, and the members Of the
New York Yacht Club and their guests
will witness the races from the steamer
Monmouth. The members of tho Larch-
mont Yacht Club will be on board the big
Sound steamer Plymouth. The Atlantic
Yacht Club members and members Of the
Crescent Athletic Club will be on the steamer
Taurus. The Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht
Club members will watch the contest
from the steamer Gay Head.
After the Shamrock had been measured
on Tuesday afternoon, Designer Fife, in
looking over the measurements and study
ing the rules found that by changing the
position Of the throat halliard block he
could reduce the racing length of the Sham
rock, which would entitle that yacht to
more allowance and at the same time make
no difference in the actual sail spread. The
length of the topmast is taken from the
throat ballard block TO the topmast ballard
block; then 80 per cent. Of this length is
figured and the difference between the
80 per cent. and the length Of the gaff is
added to the base line in calculating the
measurement BY lowering the throat
halliard block three feet the length OF the
measurement Of the topmast was increased,
and naturally the 80 per cent. measurement
was increased. so that the difference be-
tween the 80 per cent. of the topmast and
the length OF the gatY was reduced,
Under the original measuring the racing
length Of the Shamrock was lO4 H. but,
with the three feet difference in the top
mast length the racing length is now
lO4 81, and Shamrock's allowance IL in
creased from l minute IS seconds to
minute 81 seconds. In "a race that IL
sailed in about four hours this means that
Shamrock will have about quarter Of n
mile the better of it. In race that il
sailed near record time she will have still
more advantage.
Measurer Charles d. Mower went down
to the HORSE shoe Yesterday afternoon and
made the new measurement, and the figures