Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-29
WILL Upton
COME AGAIN?
IRISH SPORTSMAN TO ALTER
CHALLENGE
Many Conditions Favor the Chances OF
Another Race Next Year-Re-
View of Past Con-
tests

Every one in the yachting world is now
!. interested in the challenge for the Ameri-
. cas- cup which was recently rejected by
the N. Y. Y. c., and in the prospects OF
the challenge being renewed in a modi-
, fled form.
While II was unfortunate that the chal-
. lenge could not be accepted in Its pres
ent form, 1t is hoped 1t will be changed
to conform to the rules of the deed OF
gift which govern all Americas cup con-
. tests and are explicit and binding. HAD
. Sir Thomas Upton sent the measure
ments of his challenging craft, 1t Is hKeiy
. the New Workers would have given serl-
Gus thought to racing with smaller
Yacht than one of ninety feet In length.
The questions at issue, In the decision
! of the rules to govern the contest, IN
lyolve much more than technical conol-
tions. The trophy in the sentimental re-
gard of the American people, Is held IN
peculiar veneration. The American peo-
pie would brook no unsportsmanlike atti-
tude respecting It. AS a trophy 1t repre-
sents In the American mind the acme OF
speed in yachts Nothing that would
hedge about contest for 1t with limita-
/ tions that would render the race an un-
fair and improper test of ability wouio
be tolerated. The American people want
i to meet challengers on an equality ana TO
defeat them in fair, STRAIGHTFORWARD and
honest contest. They want no ricKery
or deceit.
Time Allowance New
Time has been allowed in the last eight
races for the cup upon the basis OF wa
ter line length and sail area. Tne reai
determining factor has been the wafer
line length. Designers building yachts TO
: compete for the cup have been restricted
1only in that the water line shall not ex-
ceed a given length for single-masted
yachts
There is nothing IN the conditions gov
! erning Americas cup that provides Tor
! time allowance. The conditions or the
race call merely for yachts OF given
length of water line. and require that the
challenger shall sail across the ocean on
it's own bottom.
| Time allowance has been matter OF
mutual agreement, but the inalienable
| right will always exist for any nation TO
build the fastest yacht It can build ana
race for the cup without time allowance
| Of any kind the fastest boat to win, ire
spectiye of conditions or restrictions.
This right can never be taken away.
| Sir Thomas Upton can always ran pack
on this right in event of any disagree
roent between the clubs and so he Will
| he assured a fair and even race, the best
| boat to win.
1 He asks something else, however He
| declares that in the ingenious develop
ment of racing craft under the FORMER
| rules of the New York Yacht tlup, unoer
which all Americas club races nave peen
| sailed. there has been turned out racing
| craft to compete for Americas cup wnlcn
has developed phenomenal speed. put
| which with it's tremendous overnanSs
and enormous sail spread, is untitled for
any other use than racing for the cup.
Llpton Knows the Game
Sir Thomas Upton is a shrewd individ-
nal His reasons for asking the accept
ance of the present rules of measurement
| sound thoroughly plausible ana goou.
| Even were 1t not SO, he well KNOWS the
ldisposition of the American people Is 10
say: Certainly, bring along your cnai-
lenger and we will race you on any con
ditions, no matter what they are we
can beat you on any lines you say
And no doubt they can
Rut with the Americas cup there is a
little different question at issue. Inc cup
was won by the America in 1901 against
a fleet of boats without any time allow
ance or conditions. America simply went
in and sailed and won and prougnt the
cup back to America, proud OF It's VIC
tory and confident that 1t could repeat IL
whenever called upon to do so.
The American people were proud OF tne
!, victory of America and backed up the
sentiment that prompted the owners OF
the boat to donate the trophy to the New
York Yacht club, to be held as perpet-
ual challenge cup for the fastest yacnts
/ atioat that might care to come across the
ocean to compete for 1t. They hedged 1t
about with no conditions or restrictions.
1t was an absolutely open contest they
wanted, and such 1t has been.
The thirteen different races that have
sailed for it, in all of which 1t has been
successfully defended and in which only
a single one of the contests of any series
has been lost, has raised the cup to a
position second to no other trophy in the
world. 1t is venerated and loved as no
other trophy ever could be in America.
Time allowance was later invention,
and freak racing boats were later in
vention, but the cup has stood through 1t
all as typifying the highest speed, and
never yet has the question of shape of
this hull or that entered into the condi-
tions of any contest for it. While the new
rules of measurement may develop an
admirable boat as to type of hull and
while a fast boat may be built under it,
no boat can be built to its restrictions
that is as fast as the unrestricted boat.
All boats not conforming to it's stand
ards are handicapped under 1T not be-
cause they may not be suitable for the
very purposes for which the rules were
devised, but because they do not happen
to fill its conditions.
Deed of Gift Governs
One concerns the requirement of the
deed of gift governing cup races that
boat shall be sailed across the Atlantic.
When Sir Thomas first challenged for the
cup with Shamrock he had the misfor-
tune to have the boat dismasted in tun-
Il ing up.
I The accident necessitated considerable
delays in preparing the boat for her trip
across and Sir Thomas wrote to the New
York Yacht club lamenting the fact and
asking that in view of the circumstances
the club permit him TO tow in calms, so
that no unnecessary time be lost in cross
ing the ocean. The request violated one of
the conditions Of the deed of gift and the
club hesitated about granting it.
Then a letter was finally written to Sir
Thomas which said.