The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-08
SIR THOMAS CAN SECURE RACE
CHALLENGE UNDER CLUB RULES
MUST BE ACCEPTED.
Opinion OF George l.. Schuyler. Dine Of the
Original Donors. Given in 1884
% Club Holding Cup a Govern
Anxious for Race with 10 FOOters.

% CIub Holding Cup Must Govern
Anxious for Race with 10 FOOters'
There Il a growing sentiment among mem
bers Of the New York Yacht Club that II that
organization il to continue to hold its posi-
ton IA the leading yachting organization In
this country Il must do something about
the Americas cup that will dispel the idea
no prevalent that the club has placedso many
restrictions aud obstacles in the way OF a
challenge that no one cares to race now be-
cause.-the challenge or has no chance Of success.
Since the last rnce for this trophy the rules
OF measurement and time allowance Of the
club have been changed and II In a matter
OF opinion whether the club would accept
a challenge under the new rule. which calls
for a boat of wholesom e type. or whether
II would insist on the race being sailed undeT
the old water line sail area rule. which has
developed 30 many freaks.
Sir Thomas Upton tried some time ago to
find out what the club would do. but that
organization. or rather Its officers. replied
that it could not tell until a challenge was
received and politely intimated that it did not
cross a bridge until 1t came to one. Since
then Sir Thomas has laid low. Now he Is
here. according TO his own statement. TO find
out Just where he stands and under what
conditions he can challenge. He wants to
know just what TO expect before he under
takes the job of trying 10 lift the cup again,
and every fair minded sportsman IL OF the
opinion that it ia only right that he should
know. He will ask the officials of the club
TO meet him on his return from Chicago and
discuss the Americas Cup affairs. but in all
probability he will know very little more
after the conference than he does now.
Since he has been here the Americas Cup
has been the topic Of conversation generally
among yachtsmen and it is a popular opinion
that a race for next year between boats OF the
80 foot class would furnish some interesting
sport. Til argument used against this size
yacht racing for the Americas Cup il that
the cup has stood so long for yachts Of the
first class that il would be undignified now
TO let II stand for yachts Of a smaller class
Those who make this argument. however.
forget that the sizes Of yachts have changed
since the cup vas first sailed for in 1851. and
that vessels that sailed for il years ago would
not be even second class in size now. The
Puritan in 1885 was a first class yacht. but
nowadays she would not rank with the 20
footers Rainbow and Yankee, because the
science of building large sailing craft has
developed so much.
A vat chsmsn who is prominent in racing
circles and who has been in touch with the
best yatchs men for many years says that
II never WAS the intention of the original
donors that the trophy, should stand, Tor any
thing else than a challenge cup to bring to-
gether the best boats Of different countries
and that size did not enter into their con-
sideration 30 long as the boats were between
20 and 800 tons measuTeme nt, according to
the rules of the club holding the Cup. Ihls
is elnphatiCally stated in the. tPst deed OF
gift drawn by the five men who owned the
yacht America when she won the Cup. II,
was stated in that decd too that the chal-
lengpr and challenged could mutually agree
on the conditions OF the match. so that. this
would seem To indicate that the challenger
might elecU 20 name a small yacht within the
dimensions stated and that the challenged
could accent the conditions and build a boat
Of similar size to meet the challenger.
The yachts that nave sailed for the Cup
in recent wears are big unweildy ra icing ma
chimes. They cost many thousands Of dollars
TO build and run and IL needs a syndicate Of
has said that no would be willing 10 challenge
with 4 20 or 40 fOOter, A boat Of this class
would cost perhaps $500 600. or less than one
quarter OF what the Reliance cost. and as the
speed ~ the yachts built for the match vould
be relatively the same there would be just
as much interest In the contest az II the big
boatS were contestinR for the Cup, and they
would be less dangerous and less costly. A
challenge with 20 Hooters, would mean that
three or four boats would be built on the
other side from which the best would. be
selected and probably half a dozen would be
built here TO meet in the trial races. In fact
two well known ,yachtsmen have already
said that they would be willing 10 build boats
for the defence Of the Cup II the race was for
70 %foOters. such a race would bring out the
best talent on both sides of the Atlantic and
the race would really be for the champion
Another yachtSman who for the present
prefers not TO be named. but who viii do all
in his power 70 get the club 10 dc what il
right when the time comes, said. Sir
Thomas Upton has 10 do Is 10 ha Ee a challenge
sent 70 the New York Yacht Club from his
club asking for a race and naming his COndl-
lions and the size Qf his boat. The club will
then Ia We to take action, and II his conditions
are fair the challenge Will be accepted and a
race arranged. There are many members
of the club who want TO see this thing settled
lust az as Sir Thomas does and they
will turn our TO state Their views on the matter.
Now Sir Thomas says he is willing and ready
10 challenge under the present rules of the
club, and there is no reason in the world why
he should think that such q challenge will not
he accepted Why. the club IL already on
record that the races must be sailed for
under the rules Of the club holding the cup.
In isSL when J. Bea yer webb, who designed
The Genesta and the Galatea, was arranging
for the matches. he asked that the New York
Yacht Club accept a challenge and agree that
the mean Of the British and the New York
Yacht Club rules should be taken in calculating
the time allowance. This question was
referred 10 the late George L. Schuyler. who
was the last survivor Of the original donors,
MIR. schuyler ruled that the New York Yacht
Club method be employed. on the principal
that the rules Of the club in possession Of the
cup should always govern the measurement
for time. II would seem that this ruling would
settle the matter. for no one was in a position
10 know better what the cup was intended to
stand for than he,
There is another record, too. that has
established a precedent which the club cannot
20 back OF. and that is that so far the rule Of
the club has governed in every match that
has been arranged. Until 1881 the measure
ment rule took into consideration the cubic
displacement Of the under body of the yachts.
That rule was, enforced with, the. Cambria
against the whole tieet of the New York
Yacht Club. with the Livonia Columbia match.
with the Count ess of Dun erin and Madeleine
match and with the ATLANTA and Mischief
match. In 1881 the rule was changed to
twice the length. plus tho square root OF the
sail area divided by three. This rule gov
prned the Gen~esta-Puritsn. Cialatea-M May
flower and Thistle Nollnt eer races Then il
WA nhaODnd 0VaiO tn load waite line length
plus sQuare root of sail area divided by two,
and that rule governed all the races until
the last. After the last race the rule was
changed again and now the quarter beam
and displaC emPnt is taken into consideration
This rule has been tried and pr Owed a good
one and. taking the record Of m q club in ar
ranging former matches, II would seem that
all Sir Thomas has 10 do il 10 challenge. Then
II il NJ to the club and ! think that there are
sufficient members of that organization who
are practical y1chtsmPn who would think
as ! do that the club must accept the challenge
or else stultify itself before the yachting
world.