The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-10-07

RELIANCE, PEER Of
Any CRAFT AFLOAI

The abrupt ending OF negotiations re-
garding the proposed races for the Am
erica's cup next year as far as the New
york Yacht club and Sir Thomas Upton
were concerned, summed up as IL Is in
Bristol. places the Reliance. the defend
Ing sloop in the races for the America 8
cup In 1903. the peer OF any craft afioat.
and one dangerous TO the challenging in
terests, inasmuch as there Is no indica-
ton OF those who have the defence of the
cup In hand departing at present from the
the Reliance.
The opinion prevails among the fore
most yachtsmen that should a freak
yacht be designed for Sir Thomas Lin
ton the question of running the gauntlet
or danger from the perils OF the sea in
crossing the Atlantic ort1her own bottom
would be but small part OF the diff
Guilty TO be encountered, because IL is a.
well-known fact that freak could not
be fast on all points of sailing, as evil
denced in the Independence, built for
THOMAS Lawson which boat came
nearer the freak type than anything of
tle Kind In the past ten years.
Experience has taught designers as
we'll as the racing yachtsmen that freak
cannot be provisioned with hardly more
than one feature OF excelling in speed
Is that while freak yacht would, or
could be made, TO show up strong for in
stance. in reaching. that OF going into the
wind could not be equally as good and
for that matter running before the wind
might handicap the craft also II is well
known that both Reliance and Columbia
were faultless on every point OF sailing
as shown conclusively in all their races,
due In a great measure TO the feet that
Herreshoff e2cly ded all freak features.
Which he well knew would hS .,dicap mis-
boat 80 all-roGnd sailing
ESTIMATE OF MODELS.
A fair estimate OF models when put to
the test of speed in such a way, is that
OF the contest between the Columbia and
Independence over the Brenton's Reef
course in 1901, when the first leg OF the
course was TO windward. Independence,
which sailed her last race that day, sag
ged to leeward like Dutch galleon on
the way to the first mark, when she
could not point near as high as Column
bia, but when II came to reaching on the
other two legs, she picked up on the
Columbia, and had she answered the
helm that day in reaching, which latter
was the boats best hold. the craft would
have stood chance of finishing on even
terms with the Columbia, instead of the
latter beating the Lawson boat AZ Sec
onds.
That Columbia and Reliance are OF the
extreme type as far as sail areas.
draughts and overhangs go. is without
argument, but they cannot be considered
freaks. and In fact they are. as far as
their forms go. more of a wholesome
type of boat than the first Valkyrie and
Vigflant. The older yachts. with a slant
of the long keels rising from the line OF
the rudder post to the forefoot, instead
OF the base being parallel with the water
line plane. as shown in the Columbia and
Reliance, did not furnish the fine balance
TO the eve and as beautiful curves in the
mfd-section as the latter cup boats.
The proposed challenge OF the Royal
Swedish Yacht club attracts no kttle at
tention, In view of the fact that these in
terests are ready TO race with any kind
of type of yacht for the noted trophy, not
excepting the extreme type OF boat 1t is
very likely. from what is learned i'm Bris-
tol, that even II the Swedes began work
at once on a challenger. for a series OF
races In 1909. the Herreshoffs. IL COM
msstoned TO build a defender, would
think IL unnecessary to lay down the
lines of the boat until year-from the
present time. and Nat Herreshoff would
thereby be equipped with advanced data
for model and also for the character OF