Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-11
CARRIES HOPES OF
IS YACHTMEN WITH
CAPTAIN HOWELLOF
N. J. In COMMAND

one of the three yachts which will
seek the honor of defending the Amer
ica's cup in the races against Sir Thos.
Lipton's challenger next fall will be
launched from her builders yard here
tomorrow, probably at o'clock in the
afternoon. She will be launched bow
first instead Of stern first, as is Gus
tomary.
This will be the second of the three
beats to get into the water. The Res
dilute, owned by a syndicate of New
plunge at Bristol r. l.. two weeks ago,
while the Vanitie, which is being built
at Boston for Alexander Smith Coch-
ran, is ON her ways.
The Defiance carries the aspirations
of Is yachtsmen. II is called the Tri-
city yacht. since the syndicate of own
ers is made up of eight men from Bos-
ton, six from New York and one from
Philadelphia. George NJ. Pynchon of
New York, F. Walter Clark of Phila-
delphia and Henry Taggard of Bos-
ton, were the prime movers, although
Mr.. Taggard is acting as agent for
another Boston yachtsman who does
not desire his identity made known.
Mr.. Pynchon is the manager and Mr..
Clark the treasurer of the syndicate.
The other members are George Lau-
der, George d. Barron, James b. Ford,
e. Trowbridge Hall and Thomas c.
Durham of New York Oliver Ames,
]. C. Cobb, F. C. Fletcher. Charles
Hayden, f. E. Peabody. Eliot Wads-
worth and E. S. Webster of Boston.
George Owen of Newton, Mass. not
ed for his success in turning out rae
ing boats. was selected as designer and
for the first time in the history of the
Americas cup the State OF Maine was
given an opportunity to regain the
supremacy of the seas once held by
Bath clippers the contract of con-
struction for the Defiance being
awarded to the Bath Iron Works.
1t was decided to make the boat
OF composite construction, with steel
frames, and a double wooden skin. the
inner of Douglas fir and the outer of
Gaboon mahogany. The lead keel was
run on January 3.
To those unfamiliar with yachts and
yachting the Defiance appears to differ
but little from her two competitors
for cup defending honors. She is
distinctly modern yacht, with a mod
erately long body, and overhangs,
slack bilges, full garboards and keel
which resembles the old fin type, but
is considerably thicker. with some go
tons of lead on the bottom. She is
longer, and wider than the Resolute.
but her draught is practically the
same.
The feature of the Defiance is IN
her rig. The mast is well forward for
the center, in fact about half way be-
tween the center of the lead and the
bow. She will, therefore, set single
lower jib, while her mainsail will be
the largest of the three boats. Her rig
is also very lofty and for the races
scheduled off Sandy Hook in mid-June
the Defiance will have to douse her
topuast in passing under the East riv-
err bridges at New York in her passage
from sound to sea. The exact dimen-
sioris of the Defiance are withheld 1or
the present but it has been stated that
her general measurements are approx
imately lis feet overall 749 feet on
tn water line, 22.6 feet beam, 1873 rect
draught and that she will carry about
$500 square feet of canvas. 1t is eX-
pected she will. have to allow the Res-
olute several minutes in S0-mile race.
Theoretically the Defiance should pom.
higher and foot faster than her rivals
but in doing so she will probably prove
TO be a difficult boat to steer
Little effort will be made to put the
Defiance into condition in either Maine
or Massachusetts, waters although she
may have a trial or two off the mouth
of the Kennebec or at Marolenead.
Bringing the yacht to form Will De
accomplished in the smooth waters OF
upper Long Island sound, probably OH
Mr.. Pynchon's summer residence al
Greenwich, Conn, with City Island, as
repair base.
Capt. Selah B. Howell of Highland
N. j., one of the ablest shippers on
the coast. will be in charge of the De-
fiance, but Mr.. Pynchon expects to hold
the wheel in the races, assisted by Mr..
Clark and other members of the syn
dictate. The mates and crew were for
merly on the sloop Istalena which Mr..
Pynchon has raced very successfully
for six years. while Mr.. Clark has re-