The sun., 1906-12-05
TALK ABOUT CUP CHALLENGES.
BRITISH THINK HERRESHOFF
mas ADVANTAGE.
Experience Or Two Wears Under the Ne"
RuIe Likely 10 Tell in Favor or the
Bristol DccIgncr -SuEg estiOn That the
Time or Naming BOat re Delay ed.

Bs,ttsh yachtsmer who have discussed
the plans made by Sir Thomas Upton for an
other RAJ for he Americas s Cup seem TO think
that even under the new rules the challenger
will he at a disadvantage. In some ways
they may be right. because American de-
-lgners will have had more experience with
the rule than those who will design the Cup
challenger. 4 yacht, though, as soon as II
makes its appearance in n race is TO large
extent public property and the British de-
signers will be ahe to see Just how the Ameri-
cans have gone 70 work with the rule.
Tho Boston HCTdH in an article from Glas-
gov says: The statements OF Sir Thomas
Lipton as to the plans which he Is reported
TO cherish for the rcopenng Of the America $
Cup contest made at the close of his American
tour serve TO siren gthen the belief not only
that he still has hopes of entering again into
this historic contest hut that the reopening
will be made under those conditions which
British Yachting men agree in regarding
as the only possible footing on which 1t can
be continued II the latest statements on
the position may be accepted as reliable.
the measurement rule to be applied to the
contest promised for 1908 will be that which
is now recognized by the New York Yacht
Club and one of the British yachting weeklies
points out that under this arrangement
Herreshof will start with the initial ad-
vantage accruing from the opportunity OF
with the rule before he is called upon TO apply
ii to the production of Cup challenger
Before the question OF rating rule came
to be recognized as the heayiest disadvantage
under which the British cha engers had to
lenger In the Cup contest should be relieved Of
the disability of having to name his vessel
ten mont las tn advance, and that he should be
left a. free to get the best boat he could for
challenging as the defenders were to pick
among their fleet for the selection of a de-
fender Al the time this claim WIS put for
ward the tendency on bot sides OF the At
lantiC was to regard il as emnentiy reason
able and had il been pushed then there is
liltlc doubt that il would have been adopted
wit q minimum of opDoSition
1t was not pushed, for the simple reason
was little likelihood of the p"rinI--Ion ever
being any use to us. Americas CUP racers
were built for America Cup racing alone. and
as we were never in the post ion OF having
more than one bOat Of this kind at n time II
was clear that We were not likely TO profit
much from the libert? 10 pick and choose
among them.
Nov, however. the position is changed.
I nder the new arrangement the yachts TO be
built for the Americas Cup racing Will, pre-
sumably he available also for the usual run
Of the sport, and this iustihes the hope that
are now promised on this side of the Atlantic,
We might easily find ourselves In possession
OF two or three yachts equally suitable for Cup
racing purposes. and capable OF making the
best of sport in a series OF genuine trials to
decide which should have the honor of fgur-
ing in the international contest.
For these reasons there II a probability
that the request will be revived. and for the
same reason il Is hoped here that the de-
tenders OF the Cup will receive II in the same
sportinG spirit that in which they have
dealt with the last request.