New-York tribune., 1920-06-22
Next Few Days Should
Determine Superiority
of Resolute or Vanitie
By Jack Lawrence

Hs r'soiouS euHiH6 up over
the historic cup course off Sandy Hook
and the American defending sloops
nearing the end of their protracted
struggle to decide which is the
worthler opponent for the challenger,
the great international marine classic
will this week usurp a large share of
the sporting spotlight.
Before next Sunday the country
should know definitely whether Nat
Herreshotf's Resolute or William Gard
ner's Vanltie is to be the boat on whose
slender hull is to fall the responsibility
of turning back the invasion Of the
fourth Shamrock
Certain rumors emanating from
Newport, where the Vanitie and Reso-
lutte have been engaged in the most
interesting elimination trials ever
staged between American cup yachts,
indicate that the selection of the de-
fender has already been made by the
Americas Cup Committee One most
persistent rumor is to tine effect that
this decision was reached in 1915, the
Resolute being the boat selected This
has been specifically denied by mem
bers of the committee.
Expected an Easy Task
If, as has also been reported, a de-
cislon has been reached at Newport
within the last few days, the COM
mlttee has not seen fit to make it
public. 1t is fact that the America S
Cup Committee went to Newport be-
llevlng that the selection of the Amer
lcan defender would be the easiest and
most perfunctory of duties.
| Past performances dating back to
the early summer of 1914, in which
the Resolute had demonstrated clean
cut and indisputable boat-f for boat
superiority over her Tobn bronze
rival, gave the committeeman COM
Portable fundation on which to base
the belief that, so far as the present
elimination trials were concerned
there was nothing to do but pin the
blue ribbon the Resolute and sing the
"StarSpangled Banner"
Ever the wisest of the Yachting
sharps held to the opinion that the
Newport trials were merely strenuous
work outs for the Resolute, with Just
a little official red tape tied to them tG
give them color.
The complacent confidence of the
comm ittee in the Resolutes incompar
able speed was paraleled by that ui
the Herresh group, which still be
lleves that no other yacht can sue
cessfully defend the Americas trophy
The committees faith in the Resout
appears to have been somewhat sha!l r
by recent events, but the Herreshon
allegiance is steadfast, which is nat.
!, ural inasmuch as she is a Herresho1
CT cation from her keel to her club TOP
!, sail.
Committee at Sea
Well informed circles in the New
: York Yacht Club are now convince
that the Americas Cup committee ha
lost its bearings and is at this no
ment completely at sea as to the Iec'
sion that looked SO easy month ago
This is due to the splendid showing cl
the Vanitie in the trials now in prog
ress and to certain structural weaH-
nesses ir the Resolute which have mad
a tendency to shake the great conf
dence her hackers have had in her unit
this week
The most seasoned and experienced
of Newport's yachting experts, men wEc
have made a study of cup challenger;
and defenders since the distant day;
of the Nalkyrie invasion, are now com
ing out openly and declaring that the
Vantie is to-day a more able sloor
than the Resolute and should be So
lected to meet Sir Thomas Lipton's
latest challenge. Many of these sharp:
are New Englanders in whom tradi-
tion and sentiment have created rat
ural leaning toward the defender that
was built at Bristol.
Thirty days ago these men could see
no hope whatever for the Nanile
They admitted her lines were exquisite
and that as a thing OF beauty she was
incompatible, it they said she lacked
that magic Herreshotf touch thal
makes a winner In New England gh~
name Herreshof and the word victory
mean the same thing. The Nanite
they said, was a fine boat and all that
sort of thing, but she wasn't Herresholf
so her fate was settled matter IN
their minds.
These sharps were then reaching
their conclusions via 1914 comparisons
and it wasn't until Mr.. Gardeners crea-
ton proved at Newport within the last
two weeks that she could outfoot the
Rcsolute in any point Of sailing, assum-
ing weather conditions to be equal, that
they would admit even to themselves
that the Herreshof speed queen could
be mastered.
Jinx Pursues Resolute
Although the Resolute has had
many accidents, beginning with the
loss of her mast at New Haven, and
seems to be pursued by relentless
INK, the anllle mas Hdu Hioie thAl llN l
share of hard luck in the actual con-
tests between the two boats. In adj
dition to this, she has had lot of
very scratchy handling and mediocre
navigating, and to this combination
can be attributed the fact that the
score in the present elimination trials
stands FIVE to three against her at this
writing.
Of the nine elimination races sailed
should be discounted, although they
so officially into the record IN the
Resolutes favor. One is the contes st
held on June when the cup rivals had
no wind and the Vanitie was becalmed
while the Herrshoff sleop managed to
i drift over the line with her elapsed
time just under six hours.
The other fluke was that Of last Tues
day. when the Vanitie, after getting off
in the leeward berth and then accom-
plishng what was believed to be an
impossible feat in recapturing the
weather position from the Resalute,
finally foued a fleet OF lobster pots
with her long Gn keel and lost The
commanding lead she had Won On
this occasion the tangled lines from
the lobster pots jammed her center
board so that it could not be raised
during the remainder of the race.
That night divers had to be sent down
to remove the mess.
In these races it can be said that the
! Resolute defeated the Nanite boat-for-