The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-07-14
First Yacht Cup Race
I'm / Wears Tomorrow
Americas Cup Not An International Trophy at
First-Had No Significance Other Than a
Prize Offer by Royal Yacht Squadron fol
Race Around Isle of Wight.

cohbesl1ng boats being the cup de-
fender Resolute, and the challenger
Sir Thomas S. Lipton's Shamrock ".
1t may be. interesting at this time
both to yachtsmen and to a great
many who are not acquainted with
thls form of sport to read a few facts
IN connection with this b historic Yacht
ing trophy.
To begin with the Americas cup at
hrst was not an interna tional trophy.
IN TACT 1t had no significance other
than being a prize offered by the
Royal Yacht Squadron for a race
around the Isle of Wight, Eng,
which was open to all nations. In
August 1851, the schooner yacht
America, owned by Commodore John
L. Stevens and four other members
of the New York Yacht club, won
this race and the cup became their
property. Six years later, Commodore
Stevens and his associates conveyed
| the prize to the New York Yacht
| Club in trust a perpetual inter-
| national trophy which has since been
known as the Americas cup, taking
| its name from the schooner yacht
| which won it in British waters.
First Race for Prize.
The first race for the Americas
| cup, as an international prize, was
held on August 8, 1870, over the
regular course of the New York
Yacht Club in New York's lower bay.
| The challenging boat was Cambria,
owned by James Ashbury, of the
Royal Yacht Squadron, Eng, and the
cup was defended by practically the
| whole fleet of the New York Yacht
Club. That, however, was the only
| race in which the challenger ever
had to sail against fleet and the
/ only contest in which the issue was
| decided by single race. Cambria,
| by the way finished tenth in that
| event while the old America finished
| fourth, the race being won by Magic,
| the yacht Idler finishing second.
| In all there have been twelve con-
/ tests for the cup, in the second of
! the schooner Livonia and the New
York Yacht Club agreed to defend
the trophy with only one boat in the
! race. The 1871 contest was the best
! four out of seven races.
Livonia a single race OWNS
to the steering gear of the defender
| Columbia breaking down. Only twice
since that day, October 10, 1871,
| has a challenging yacht crossed the
finish line ahead of the defending
boat. On September 10, 1895, Valky-
| RE III. after following the defender
finished 1 minute and 16 seconds
ahead of the American boat and on
| October 4, 1901, Shamrock II finished
| two seconds ahead of Columbia but
| lost to the defender by virtue of
conceding AZ seconds time allow
ance.
Best Two in Three.
1886 and 1887, the contests were de-
cided on the basis of the best two
out of three races. From 1898 to the
last race in 1903 the agreement was
for tIe best three out of five races.
On only three occasions has one
of the competing yachts for the
Americas Cup failed to finish In
the last race of the 1895 contest,
Valkyrie III withdrew Immediately
after crossing the starting line. On
| October IT, 1899, Shamrock lost her
| topmast and withdrew in the second
race of that year and on September
3, 1903, Shamrock III did not finish
| in the final race of the series as she
was already beaten and had nothing
| to gain by continuing.
Just once in the history of the cup
races has a. competing yacht been
disqualified. This was in the second
race of the series of 1895 when Lord
Dunraven's Valsyrie III was dis
qualified for fouling Defender.
Columbia Holds Record.
The fastest time ever made in a
race for the Americas cup is credited
to the old schooner Columbia On
:, October IS, 1871, the day before she
was defeated by Livonia, she sailed
J 20 miles 1eeward and windward 40
miles in all in 3 hours, 1 minute and
80 seconds. It must not be inferred
however, that the Colu mbia was the
fastest yacht that ever sailed for the
cup. There is no method of determ-
ming the relative speed of two or
more boats other than by the re-
suits of a race in which they sail to-
gether. When Columbia made the
fast time referred to undoubtedly the
conditions of wind, weather and sea
were most favorab BILE.
)! The fastest time ever made on q
Is mile course straight away and
return, 80 miles in ALL is credited TO
the. defender Vigilant. In a race on
october IS, 1898, she covered the
course in 8 hours, "a minutes and 20
seconds
The fastest time in a triangular
race for the cup was made by Co
1unbia on October 8, 1891, the time
flor the distance, thirty miles, being
3:30:1S.
In the first three contests for the
cup the challenging boats were
schooners and the defenders for the
Second ana tn1rd also were ScnOOnerS.
In all other contests, however, the
yachts have been sloops or cutters.
Atlanta, the Smallest.
The smallest challenger in the his
tory of the cup race was Atlanta,
which was built at Bellvil1e, On
tario, Can, in 1881. She measured
"a feet on the water line and was
the first sloop to appear in a con-
test.
The first yacht ever built especially
/ 20 defend the trophy was Pocahontas.
This was in 1881. Prior to that year
the New York Yacht club had Sc
i 1ected from its fleet the yacht con-
sidered to be best suited for the pur-
pose. Pocahontas did not come up
to expectations and was rejected in
favor of Mischief, one Of the finest
sloops of the fleet. Since that year,
| however, new defenders have been