New-York tribune., 1920-07-21
Skipper, Conference.-The
Previous Race, His Sails
Tangled at Start, Comes
Back in Light Breeze
One More Victory :,
Will Get the Cup
Languid Contest for Two
Legs Is Stimulated ON
Final Stretch, Challeng-
er Taking More Canvas
By w. O. Mcclellan

The blunt nose of Shamrock ~
pushed past the red and white Am
brose Lightship Relief yesterday in
a light breeze minutes and 27 Sec
onds by actual time before the trim
prov of the defender Resolute came
by the mark, winning the second
race of the series for the Americas
Cup. With all time allowances de-
Quoted, Shamrock won the race by 2
minutes and 26 seconds.
Once before, in the early seven
ties, when Livonia was the challen-
ger, the British boat won a race in
the series, but Sir Thomas Upton,
the most persistent challenger of
them all, now has two races to his
credit. One more race and the his
toric cup that was lifted by the
America in 1851 will go hack to
England.
The yachts will race again to-day,
and the Americas Cup may pass
from its place in the New York
Yacht Club.
Captain William P. Burton. the ANA
teur skipper Of Shamrock. whose sea-
manship was derided by all the experts
after Saturdays race, sailed the British
sloop to victory yesterday. His wife sat
beside him in the cockpit and shared
- <r;, = lor
Der of the crew Sir Thomas Upton,
owner Of Shamrock, whose hearts de-
sire is the winning of the cup, gambled
upon the ability of his skipper IN spite
of the fact that the experts to man
had challenged his competency, and
Lipton's luck won. Or was it Lipton's
shrewd judgment Of men?
Challenger Gets Poor Start
Immediately after the start Sham
rock seemed to be in trouble. A bal
loon jib, raised as the sloop went by
the starting mark, refused to break and
the canvas of the challenger was tan
gled up like twisted and knotted
clothesline. The balloon jib was
dropped and thin spinnaker was shot
up. This dragged and tapped about in
futile fashion.
Shamrock had crossed the line first,
but, while the crew was juggling the
confused canvas Resolute came up and
passed her. The experts again began
to chuckle over the plight of Captain
Burton. They declared that the race
was over, that there could be no fair
test of the sloops under the circum-
stances.
But when the two twisted pieces Of
canvas had been dropped to the deck
of Shamrock new sail was hoisted
that puzzled the experts. It filled and
it held and Shamrock began to pick up
Immediately. 1t was agreed that thia
quaint, triangular piece of canvas was
fddler's jib. 1t was the first time
sail of this sort ever had been tried
in a cup race. But this canvas. the
very name of which sounded ridiculous.
carried Shamrock steadily along in the
lightest of breezes.
Drama in Shamrock's Cockpit
The race was lacking in any dramatic
elements externally. 1t looked like no
race from the start, for the wind was
almost as light as it was Saturday.
All of the drama was in the cockpit Of
Shamrock, where CAPTAIN Burton stood
at the wheel of the challenger, while
his wife sat with a stop watch in her
hand Burton had given his word to
Sir Thomas that he would bring Sham
rock through to victory, and his repupa-
tion was at the mercy of the same fret
full sort Of winds that had tricked him
Saturday
On the second leg, with a lead that
seemed to mean the race if it could be
held, Shamrock was in trouble again.
They shot out that balloon lib again
and it ripped near the corner, tearing
gaping triangular hole. With fresh
ening breeze the canvas might have
| ripped through entirely.
But Captain Burton gambled on the
strength OF the canvas and the chance
that the wind would not rise. Glasses
were set on the green sloop and they
watched for that sail to come down.
But it stayed up, and Shamrock con-
| tinued to gain slowly and steadily. with
her canvas wallowing and shapeless ss
the weeks wash on a line, while the
trim little defender became a faint out
line behind.
Languid Race for Two Legs
Through the first and second legs it
seemed a languid contest. Starting
south southeast from the red and white
| lightship. there was a reach for the
drst leg but in such q faint breeza