Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-07-13
GREAT YACHT RACES
DATE BACK TO 1851
America Won the Cup Outright
in English Waters; Now Per-
petual Trophy.

In nearly every branch OF sport some
particular trophy looms up as the one
above all Others To encourage keen COM
petition. These trophies usually are em-
| blematic of worlds championships, as,
for instance, the Davis cup in tennis,
the Harrnswortb trophy in motor boat
ing, the Stanley Cup in hockey, the IIur--
lingham Cup in polo and the Diamond
| Scrils in rowing Far exceeding aIl 9TH
ers in Importance as we'll as in historic
| interest and in money spent to defend
and challenge is the Americas Cup, en-
blematic Of the yachting championship
Of the world.
That same Americas Cup, which has
been the cause Of so many thrilling ma
rine contests and has done so much to
encourage and improve the design oil
yachts is again 10 be raced for off San
DIV Hook. starting on Thursday OF
this week u is To be contest between
two yachts built to contend IN 1914, but
prevented from doing 80 because OF the
World War, which started that year.
One of the two Yachts is the Shamrock
", Sir Thomas Lpton's fourth yacht
10 contend for the trophy, and the other
is the Resolute, one Of three yachts built
in this country to defend the cup.
The three defense candidate were the
Defiance, the Vanitie and the Resolute.
The Defiance did not come up TO the
expectations of those who ordered and
built her. and she was withdrawn and
scrnppcd Thereafter came long Sc
riea Of races between the Resolute ana
ynnitie. i'm 1914 and 1918, during which
Resolute had all the better OF il. Then
this country entered the war, and yacht
ing was forgotten. Early this year
Vanitie was turned over 10 the Amer
icas Cup CoUmittee by Alexander
Smith Cochran, her owner, and, alter
extensive alterations, she was raced
against Reeolutc during the last couple
Of months to determine which should
defend Vanitie had TO allow Resoiute
one minute and forty-two seconds over
a thirty-mile course, and again Resolufe
won majority Of the races and was
selected although Vanitie proved ~ be
IN. speedier in q majority Of the races,
boat for boat.
THIS rs THE THIRTEENTH CHALLENGE.
Resolute and Shamrock " meet this
week in tho thirteenth contest for the
old trophy, which was won originally
in 1851 by the schooner yacht America
in a race around the Isle of Wight. IL
is expected 10 be an affair Of lnforrf-
tional interest. IL v one m the Dig
sporting events Of the year.
In the beginning the cup now known
as the Americas Cup was not an inter-
national trophy and was Of no slgnihcance
Whatever other than as prize offered
by tho Royal Yacht Squadron for q race
around the Isle Of Wight and open 70 ail
nations. When it WAS won by the sehoon-
or yacht America, owned oy 1ofnino,-
IL. evrt~
dore John l.. Stevens OF the NoW fork
Yacht Club and four associates, 1t became
their personal property free from All
strings That was IN August, 1891, ana
IL was not until six years later, Whefl
Commodore Stevens and his associates
tranaferred Il 10 the New York Yacht
Club. in trust, that Il became perpetual
international chaIlenRe trophy.
The first race for the cup as an inter-
national trophy under the auspices Of
the New York Yacht Club, was held on
Aug. & 1870, over what was then the |
New York Yacht Club regular course |
in the lower BAY. The challenger was |
James Ashbury's Cambria Of the Royal /
Yacht Squadron of England and the /
trophy was defended by practically the
entire feet Of the New York Yacht CIuD,
twenty-four yachts in all. That was the
onlv race in which challenger ever
sailed against a feet and the only con-
test in which the issue was decided by
single contest.
Cambria was tenth TO finish, and even
the old America, then attached 70 the
navy and manned by crew from the
Naval Academy at Annapolis, was fourth.
To make up for the great odds against
ner, the committee IN charge OF the race
gave the Cambria what was the weather
md of the line shortly before the start
,,lt. at the time of the start as the result !
If sudden change in the direction OF the
wind, that proved to be the leewaTd END
NO CHALLENGE HAS WON SINCE 1871
There have been twelve contests N all !
or the cup. The second was in 1871, /
md the challenger was Mr.. Ashbury's /
new schooner Livonia The New York /
Yacht Club agreed TO defend with only /
Dne Yacht and it was decided that the |
sinner must take four out OF seven |
races. The Livonla had one race 70 |
her credit and that is the only race IN |
which challenger ever won duung the |
many contests for the o d cup. Ihat |
happened on Oct 10, 1871, and the de I
lender for the day, the schooner CollIn- |
bla, broke her steering gear. At that |
time it was permissible to nominate
any yacht for the defense, the restric- |
ton being that of having only one yacht. |
Only twice since that day has chai- |
Iencer crossed the finish line ahead OF
the defender. On Sept. 10, 1895, Nalky- |
rie III, after having fouled the De-
fender, finished the race one minute and
sixteen seconds ahead of the American |
craft. and on Oct. 4, 1901, Shamrock (
III. crossed the line two seconds ahead |
Of Columbia but lost because of handi- |
cap of forty-two seconds she had to allow |
the American yacht.
In the races from 1876 to 1887 the |
contests were decided on basis of the |
best two out of three races, while from !
1898 TO the last race the rule has been |
the best three out of five. In 1886 the /
Countess of Dufferin was the challenger |
and the Madeleine the defender, and |
the American yacht won both races by !
a comforta BILE margin. In 1881 the !
Mischief defeated the Atalanta IN two |
straight races by wide margin. Plri- |
tan and Genesta were the contenders |
in 1885 and once more the American |
yacht Puritan upheld this eountry's |
supremacy on the seas. Mayhower and
Galatea met off Sandy Hook in 1887 |
and it proved to be another repetition |
Of this country having produced the |
speedier craft, the same being true in |
j = IL