Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-03-26
The Saturday ''News'' Special T0reign Service,

utter a harsh criticism against Fife
not al least where Il would ind It's
way into print-but II ever man had
just cause OF complaint against a,yacht
designer Sir Thomas has against File.
such an egregious olunder as he com
mitted-deslgnlng a yacht that In rae
ing trim WAS over a foot longer than
her stipula,gd water line length--was
ineXcusabie In designer OF his wide
experience. The result was that SO
much ballast had to be taken out 0t
her TO make her float within the 30 foot
limit that she could not stand up under
her canvas. Poor Sir Thomas chucke /
away q fortune on her and di5tnot even
get a decent run for his mpney, lie
has not said much about it, ,but he has
done heap OF thinking and It viii
snow Ink before he places another or
der with Fife. II would De very inter-
esting to see what Shamrock ia IN her
best trim would do against the Rell-
ance, but she win 80 to the scrap heap
before she gets that chance"
SOUR GRAPES.
While racing for the cup, because Of
the appeals they make TO patriotic teel'
ing, undoubtedly arouse more enthusi-
assn among the masses here than any
other international sporting comped-
lions, it IL a fact that British yachts
men generally are not now enthusiaS-
tic over them. From conversations had
with some OF the most prominent
among them this summary Of their
reasons for their apathetic attitude Is
condensed.
The cost and equipment OF a single
stlcker, 90-ioot racing machine con-
structed Of aluminium and Manganese or
botln bronze Is so high that only multi
millionaires, or syndlcates OF multi
milllonaires can afford the expense,
They are utterly valuelcss except for
one series OF races for the cup, and per-
haps serving as trial boats for later
competitors. Aside from the cup races
themselves they furnish hardly any
stimulus to yacht racing They are too
costly TO be maintained as a perma-
nent racing class. They draw too much
water to be OF any service as cruisers,
No yachtsman has any use for them.
All that can be done with them
after they have fulfilled their mission
as cup challengers or defenders and
perhaps trial boats, Is to lay them up TO
be sold some day as old junk.
II was not the purpose OF the original
donors Of the cup to the New York
Yacht club merely to provide a trophy
for international competition. AS stat
ed in the deed Of gift II was their OBJ
ject also to encourage yacht designing,
yacht building and yacht racing.
BY the policy they have adopted Of
restricting competition for the cup to
9O.footers as now developed. the New
York Yacht club, say the British
yachtsmen. places the narrowest pos
sible limits on both yacht designing,
yacht building and consequently yacht
racing. When challenge Is re-
ceved instead Of three, four or half a
dozen boats being built, and the fastest
Of the batch selected to defend the cup,
as rule only one yacht Is built, only
two designers, one on the challenging
and one on the challenged side have
chance 70 show what they can accom-
plIsh
PLEA FOR SMALLER BOATS.
Yacht racing as sport would gain
vastly more than these contests for the
cup II they We're thrown open to yachts
of smaller dimensions than these So
footers-say OF between 65 and IS feet
on the water line, Being much cheaper
IL Is reasonable 10 assume that more
Of them would be built. They would
no longer represent contests between
purses. Genuine yachtsmen, as apart
from financial magnates, would again
be able To take hand in the game.
Races for the cup between boats OF this
size would be every whit as exciting
and arouse Just AS much enthusiasm
and International rivalry as races be-
tween the bigger boats, And when the
cup was won or lost these boats would
no longer remain mere useless hulks
each representing large fortune They
would provide the nucleus Of a perman-
ent racing class that might furnish the
keenest kind Of racing on both sides Of
the Atlantic,
From a British yachtsmans point Of
view every argument that can be adj
Vanced in favor Of opening competition
for the emblem Of yachting suprem-
acy,' as our American cousins call II,
TO smaller boats The donors Of the
cup stipulated merely that the COM
pCtlng yachts should be over 30 tons
and should not exceed 30 feet on the
water line Il sloops OF. cutters and 10
feet II scbooners,
AS matters now stand boats Of the
size suggested are eligible 10 challenge
for the cup, provided they cross the
Atlantic ON their own bottoms. But
the defenders OF tho cup, the New
York Yacht club, under the terms OF
the thrice revised deed Of gift could
oppose a challenger with a boat built
up tn the limit, and in such a contest,
even with time allowance the smaller
boat would not stand the ghost of a
chance.
Until the New York Yacht club takes
such action as win enable some at US
to challenge for the cup without run
ming the risk Of being bankupte1, and
have something left for our money
worth having when II X all over said
one yachtman, British yachtsmep
viii stand aside and let multl-millon-
aires play the game out unLIl they arc
tired Of it.
There may be something in this, that
the Custodlans OF the cup, the New
York Yacht club, may ponder over
Anyhow, AS representing the views Of
British yachtmen ON the subject II
win certainly be of interest TO Amen'
can yachlsmen generally.
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