The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1907-09-09
AH ~EXOEkLERT JTAR7

That another struggle Tor the
Americas cup will come next year is
now tacitly admitted by the New York
Yacht club. the custodians Of the
trophy, and it Is further conceded that
this coming battle will bring about the
most important change In the con
struction Of oversee c%hallengors and
home defenders that the yachting
world has seen since the fin-keel type
replaced the skimming dish.
Mr.. Irving Cox, the w~ell-known de-
slgner, neatly summed up the situa-
tion. 1T is recognized" he said, that
a race is to be held next year. 1t is
also recognized that It must be sailed
under the new rules Of the New York
Yacht club. This brings Americas
Cup affairs back to the time when the
English, challenging with the Genes
Ia, were defeated by the Puritan. That
was in 1886. Year by year there has
been developed since her a type of
racing machine that eventually found
its extreme expression in the Reliance.
Now, at one stride, when we go
back % years-not re~trogrcssion,
rather reversion from Il racing ma
chine which had reached the limit of
refinement-a reversion from this to
what may be called a normal yacht.
The defender, under the new rules.
D.. will compare with the Reliance just
about as the AVenger now compares
with the Humma. The essential differ
ence will be that the new defenders,
aFfar fhau h,p. gorvnI thafr ft,rv, Of
defending the cup, will not be relegat-
ed to the scrap heap, but will be able
and comfortable cruisers. No n
needs to b. reminded that the Puri-
tan, the Maylower, and the Volunteer
are still ailoat, and that since their
victories over the Genesta, the Gala
tea, and Thistle they have been al
most constantly in service as cruis-
ing yachts. II you want to know about
the later defenders, the Reliance and
the Columbia, go to City Island and
have n look at them. All of the rest
have been broken up, and these prob
ably will soon follow them to the
scrap heap. They were created mere
ly for racing I'm defense of the cup.
and their races won in one direction
can be considered to have been run
out in the other.
The situation which the custodlans
of the cup may oon be called upon to
face Is one far more interesting than
any that has come about In many
years. BY this revcrsion to n more
normal type-one made absolutely
rna,r,nwr 49, A.. ..,,. ,nI,- -...tu.
r%elinquishes the point of vantage
which 1t held over England for so long
IA time. This advantage was in the fact
that we had developed Il faster type
ON a given water line. Now, having
run to the extreme in that direction
we nave got TO evolve another type,
and one on a more normal model.
This type, | should say, will be long
on the water line, %fne-ended, heavy
displacement, with comparatively
short oyerhang, and with lofty. but not
excessive sail power.
"One other important feature. We
have nothing Of this type built. Ever
since the Puritan-Genesta race our de
tenders have always had a trial
horse and by having such craft il has
been possible TO compare the perform
ance OF the defender and her trial
mate. and, with an approximate esti-
mate OF what the challenger is ca
pable Of, this has hitherto given a
more nr less accurate line on the ulti.
mate result. But with the reverslon
back to the older type, we have moth
ing now built that could be raced with
any new defender built under the new
rules for purposes of comparison.
Therefore 1t is quite clear that at
least two. and perhaps three, boats
must be contracted for when the chal.
lenge comes"
The challenge has not come yet, but
It is well understood that Sir Thomas
Upton means to issue one at the end
of the present racing season; also that
his challenge will stipulate that the
race be under the new rules.
Although no canvass OF the New
York Yacht club-custOdians of the
cup-has been made, yet it is quite
certain that a defense OF the cup under
the present rules will be more wei
come than m under the old, For this
matter % cup keeping, when its 10