The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-07-16
Challenger Is Declared Winner
Giving British First Lead In
Forty-Nine Years.
RESOLUTE IS TASTE r
nofander Out-Sailed Sir Thomas
Iint0n's Boat Until Almost
Half Race Was Over.

Candy Hook, n. J., July 15.-Great
p,itain gained her first toe hold In
,.,..,,-pine wears on hte Americas cup
..a.., when Sir Thomas Lipton's
challenger Shamrock ~ won the tlrst
rara Of the 1920 regatta after the ue-
fonder Resolute had been forced out
by an accident to her rigging. The
next race is Saturday.
Tbs challenger must win two more
races cut of a possible maximum OF
fnpr if she is to achieve Sir Thomas
droan, Of CARRYING back the bottom
,css pewter trophy which the New
York Yacht Club has held since 1851.
i Resolute had taken the lead at the
start and held it with an ever WIDEN
ing margin when a sudden gust snap
ned her throat halyards and with them
the laws of her gaff, near the turning
point. with half of the thirty mile race
almost over 1t was said Sir Thomas
first decided to halt the Shamrock
and call off the race but friends per-
su8Jed him to finish, saying the con-
structior and sturdiness of the con-
tended should be taken into account
as we'll as the skill of the rival crews.
It was an unsatisfactory day for the
race the sky was heavily overcast
and what little breeze appeared was
stirring and fitful Sheets of rain fell
soon after the start and there were
squalls throughout.
The official starting time given from
the race committee boat were:
Resoute, 12:00:40 h a m 70 k,
12:0l:3S
1t also was officially announced that
the time allowance would be six min
utcS and forty seconds due to a change
in measuring the ShamrOcks sail
Forging ahead on the starboard
sack, the yachts carried. mainsaiIs,
Staysails foresails and baby jib top
sails. Three minutes after crossing,
Resolute tackled to port and headed
toward the Jersey shore, while. the
challenger stood seaward on the
starboard tack.
At 1;O5 p. m. with both yachts
sanding off shore yon starboard
tack, Resolute was more than half a
mile in the lead and slightly to wind
ward. The wind breezed up again to
SIX knots at this point.
AT 1880 o'clock the sloops had COW
r'NN oIA ulllGS anu were a. nlIle anu
haIt off Seabright, N J.
The American sloop slowly but
steadily increased her lead at 1:45 p.
m when Shamrock went about on the
tack and headed in shore, while
4 hssa,ute continued on the star
&4fe seei. 1t was nothing more than
4fij'a match in which both skip
ts +se1 reaching jibs to catch the
a%etii1 air.
attsf having broken out their baby
5'o 0 1aiis, both shippers in a hunt
etter breeze took them in again
ana oke out larger topsails in their
urned out to be a typical cup
St lay after all with a flat sea and
ar. In the handling of the head
80 hesoIute's crew showed to ad-
rage over the challenger's sail
ne Resolute did not take in her
Jlo until about 80 seconds after
shamrock had done so, but the
ncIlcan sqipper was able to break
Lss MS larger Jib nearly a minute
.Io'e the British crew could get
theirs up
a. -" miles covered, the race was lit
Nv more than a drifting match with
G'' advantage lying with the defen-
ns rms caused a surprise to yachts
1F because of Shamrock's reputa-
fo. o" IS ghost in light air. Boat
W. W. ooat the American footed faster
"'an the challenger.
g.. =" passing Shrewsbury buoy miles
t ,'o'n the start and six from the turn
IS "la'N Resolute was minutes and
n:.S 'coNds ahead. Both yachts passed
." half mile of the buoy with
,n'p'troek ,a'p a trifle. to leeward. The
n ns taken by the Shamrock inshore
w. her fully half a mile.
,. ~, Long Branch the yachts encoun-
nn,, ga mother rain ,squall and in the
rsa !S oI air they heeled over on their
,1s"g lines, the American still hold
,os s smart advantage over the Lip
sot, mere and there on the flat sea were
ab. spots, but with the American out
og V"o she had an added advantage
v,1 picking up first every new puff of
~u from the southwest. An ebb tide
a-cnntinued On Page z.