New-York tribune., 1920-05-09

expected TO hit the skids on Friday
begin Immediately.
The delay in getting Shamrock "
ready for her tuning up spins with the
twenty-th three-metre Shamrock III, now
on her way here, has puzzled Amer
lean yachtsmen The challenger has
been III drydock here since t. sum-
mer of 1914. and it is difficult to un
dcrstand why the work of preparing
her for racing was put off so long.
While some secrecy seems to prevail
81 City Island as to the exact condition
OF the Upton boat, the impression in
yachting circles is that the rather
radical alterations in her design were
not decided upon until the last minute,
and this made it necessary to postpone
the date OF her launching.
The 75-foot Shamrock, which will be
used as a trial horse" in tuning up
the challenger for the international
classic. is somewhere on the high seas
headed for the Port of New York and
is expected to drop anchor off Quar-
antIne about the time Shamrock ~
is ready for her first workout. The
trial boat is coming under the same
rig that was used by Shamrock " in
her exciting overseas dash in 1914. She
Is following southerly course and it
is understood will head directly for
New York instead of calling at Ber-
muda. as did the challenger.
The trial yacht was built in 1908 for
European racing and is said to be one
of the fastest boats Sir Thomas Upton
ever owned. In their trial spins abroad
before Shamrock " started for this
country the challenger's running mate
is said to have crossed the finish line
first on more than one occasion. If
Shamrock III shows the way to the
challenger in the trials the two yachts
are to have over the regular Sandy
Hook cup course next month a peculiar
and somewhat humorous situation Will
be created as it would be impossible
under the rules of the game for Sham
rock HI to assume the role of chal-
longer herself.
Indications at City Island yesterday
were that the competition which will
decide whether the Vanitie or Resolute,
shall defend the Americas Cup will be
we'll under way before the two Sham
rocks are ready for their first brush
The Upton yachts will have about two
weeks of sail stretching on Long Island
Sound before they begin their actual
ttials. The. Britishers will make their
headquarters at City Island during the
Sound workouts. the crews living on the
houseboat Killarney.
The alterations in the design of Sham
rock " are calculated to reduce very
materially the time allowance she will
concede to the American defender, and
It with with this end in view that Mich
olson. her designer, and Sir Thomas
Upton decided upon them. The altera-
tions are expected to cut down the al
lcWGnce of seven or eight minutes to
less than five. This will be accomplished
through changes in the yachts bow that
viii reduce her quarter beam length.
While these alterations. according to
experts, Will remove a part of the heavy
handicap under which the Shamrock "
will sail, they are not expected to prove
detrimental to her speed or handling.
Not a few followers of yacht racing are
predicting that Nicholson's alterations
will prove disastrous, but the ajority
of the experts agree that the designer
is justified and we'll advised in etfecting G
changes that will diminish the handi-
cap.
Ii the hackers of the Shamrock "
should decide on q smaller sail area, a
matter they are now seriously consider
ing, the time allowance eXacted from
the challenger would be reduced still
more. The alterations in the bow OF
the baronet's entry have removed that
sQuatty, scowlike appearance that
caused her to be regarded as a racing
freak when she made her first appear
pnce in American waters. Her bow has
taken on a V-shaped form, and now
outside of the odd appearance of her
outriggers, she looks little different
from the conventional racing craft Of
her length.
With a view to giving her greater
speed in the light breezes that are
likely to prevail off Sandy Hook dur
ing the month of July, the fine keel
of Shamrock " has been cut down
and certain other changes made in her
wetted surface. From his three prevl-
Gus appearances in attempting to re-
move the coveted cup from our midst
Sir Thomas knows that the result of
the big classic may depend entirely
on the ability of his pet to develop
speed in light airs.
If the international race had not
been interfered with by the outbreak
OF war in 1914 Shamrock " would
have met the American defender as
she was originally designed.
The postponcment of the contest
gave the boats owner and designer
four years in which to mediate on the
conditions under which the race will
be sailed. and provided them with an
opportunity to study the lines of the
Nanitie and the Resolute at their lei
sure. This is the first time in the his
tory of the Americas Cup that a chal-
lenger has been materially altered
| after being completed.
The changes in the challenger have
had the effect of making her much
lighter. and in following this course
her des signer has taken advantage of g
precedent established by the owners OF
both the Vanitie and the Resolute
Challenger and defender Will go to the
starting line in the big race the light
est yachts that ever contested for the