Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-10-02
|S|R THOMAS Wilt:
Challenge ANYHOW

SINCE RE CAN'T RACE WITH So.
FOOT BOAT, HE WILL BUILD
so-FooT ONE.
Upton, HOWEVER, IS
SORELY DISAPPOINTED
Will Conform to Rules Of New York
Club, But Regrets the Restriction
Says It Will Necessitate Build
ing More Freaks.
London, Sept. 27.-Sir Thomas Lip
ton, although bitterly disappointed at
the failure of the New York Yacht
club to accept his recent challenge,
Thursday authorized the announce
ment that he was prepared to chal-
lenge with a ninety-foot boat under
the New York Yacht club rules.
Sir Thomas has called Designer
William Fife to London for a confer
ence, and will challenge with a ninety
foot boat under N. Y. Y. c. rules, al.
though he thinks the rules will neces-
state even greater freak than those
which have gone to defeat.
In sending the challenge" said Sir
Thomas, Il conformed with the deed
Of gift of the Americas cup, which
says that sloops must be over sixty.
five feet on the water line and under
ninety feet. adhered in this respect
to size, inasmuch as the boat 1 chal.
lenged with would have been about
seventy-six feet on the water line.
This also conforms with the New York
Yacht clubs rules for the class J.
boats.
Explains His Action.
Il am prepared, now that they have
declined to accept my challenge for
this class of boat, to enter a ninety.
footer under the New York Yacht
club rules. There is no class express,
ly defining such a boat, but the next
class, H. providing for boats Of eigh.
ty-two foot rating, is capable of pro.
ducing a boat up to about ninety-four
feet on the water line"
In explanation of his action in chal.
longing the New York Yacht clubs
new rules, Sir Thomas said:
''The international rule which ap.
plies to Great Britain, France, Ger.
many, Spain and Portugal, is different
from the rule now existing in the
United States, which is known as the
universal rule, and which has been
in use in America for three or four
years, and under which dozens OF
boats have been built. Some of the
most famous, such as the Queen, Eff
fort, Avenger, Istalena, Winsome and
Nicola, are we'll known to yachting
men.
ION the other hand a boat has new.
er been built in Great Britain under
the universal rule so that in making
my challenge I had no pull and was
not asking any advantage. 1t is quite
the other way. The American de.
signers and builders with their expert.
ence in building boats under the uni.
versal rule have all the best of it.
Rule Not Now in Existence.
freaks, such as the three Sham.
rocks which l have been racing with
eight or nine years, were built under
a measurement rule which does not
now exist in any part of the world
and to prevent such freaks from being
raced in America the universal rule
was adopted. So, naturally, I con
cluded that by challenging under the
universal rule I was meeting all the
wishes of those interested in sport.
After a race, win or lose, a boat
built under such a rule is of some
use, the winning boat being an ex
ample to naval and marine architects
whereas in the other case the boat is
only fit for the rubbish heap and the
education of designers.
II was prepared to build two boats
and take the faster of the two to the
starting line, had the New York Yacht
ing club given me permission to dc
so."
Yachtsmen Charge Antagonism.
New York, Sept. 27.-Yachtsmer
here in discussing the rejection of Si1
Thomas Lipton's latest challenge fol-
the Americas cup, think that in nom
mating a boat to rate in the sixty
eight foot class, that is to say class
smaller than the one which has hither
to always prevailed in the races fol-
the Americas cup, and in not comply
ing with the deed of gift with it's slip
ulations as to statements of the water
line and other dimensions of thu
challenging boat, Sir Thomas antag
onized two distinct classes of the New
York Yacht club.
He antagonized the class which be
lieves the trophy is offered for speed
only and there should be no restric
tons to limit boats, and he antagon
lied the element which, though favor
able to the race under the new rules
wants to see the cup raced for with
nothing but the largest class of boats
permitted by the deed of gift. Bott
Of these parties feel that to race will
small boats under either new rule
or old would lower the cup from thu
high position it has always held, and
would rob it of all significance.
There are those who believe thai
Sir Thomas purpose in challengina
as he did was nothing else than tt
have the conditions under which thu
club would race for the cup clearly
defined. If this was his end he sue
ceeded.