The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-06-18
Additional Sport
INTEREST TN THE COMING
YACHT RACES INCREASING

doubt comment clearly showed that
there existed a widespread belief that
the handicap which a vessel incurs in
crossing the Atlantic would be very
materially reduced II allowed to tow,
This Is altogether wrong. The one ad-
vantage of towing is that, in case OF
light winds, and Gains, the TINA occu-
pied on the passage is shortened. II lie
permission to tow enables a vessel to
be more lightly constructed. To begin
with, the permission only applies to
calm weather n no one responsible
for the vessel woul desire to tow
when there Is anything of a breeze,
Under certain conditions a vessel OF
light construction Is submitted to
greater strain in towing than in sail
ing. and it is by no means a comfor-
table means of progression excepting
in fine weather.
THE reason for this is that in tow
ing 1T is not one continuous strain. 1t
Is absolutely necessary to have a very
long tow-line, otherwise there would be
the probability Of the vessel in tow
running up on the tug. Progress then
is nothing more than a series OF
jerks. When the hawser tautens the
vessel receives a sudden impetus which
carries her along faster than her tug
Is travelling. The hawser then slack
ems until the vessel loses her momen-
UNI, when it tautens again and another
Jerk gives the vessel a plunge forward
49, SAiN So II pa OSSCNo
With the slightest swell matters
are made much worse, and to attempt
TO tow a vessel against a head sea is
70 submit her to a much more serious
oureting than h would receive in
sailing.
Mr.. Nicholson, speaking on the sub
1ect, said the question of towing had
not troubled him at all. Any vessel so
make the passage under sail would
stand a poor chance Of arriving on the
other side in tow
Another feature of the CUP rules
which does not appeal to the average
Englishman is that which permits the
defender to increase ner waterline but
does not extend the same privilege to
the challenger. On this point another
writer states:
apart from the troublesome delay
and attendant risk of crossing the At
lantic under sail there is a further
point in the conditions of the race
framed by the New York Yacht club
committee which apears to US most un-
fair to the challenging yacht. We do
not say that the point is unfair in the
sense that the New York Yacht club
has not the legal right to insist upon 1t.
because as that club holds the cup n
frames the rules 1t is obvious that 1t
can attach to 1t any conditions it pleas
es. If the party contemplating chal-
longing does not like the conditions of
course he need not compete. We con-
tend, however, that the following con
dition is unfair, inasmuch as it gives a
better nance to the defender than It
allows the challenger. The challeng-
er's water1line length must not exceed
10 feet. The defending yacht is not
bound by this condition; therefore, If 1t
Is found that she would do better with
q little more ballast, she is allowed to
add the weight and increase her water
line to a certain percentage more than
rs feet.
Every yachtsman knows that in GER
tain cases If this privilege Is allowed
to the American yacht and withheld
from the British yacht 1t may be inn