New-York tribune., 1921-02-06
Record Entry
I'm Yacht Race
For Kings g Cup
Al Least Twenty-Five Vessels
Expected TO Start in Trans
atlantic Contest to Ostend
By Jack Lawrence


on the first race for the gold cup
offered by the King Of Belgium for 4
Transatlantic contest.
Present indications are that the race.
which is to be sailed froa Sandy IfooE
to 0stead, will be by far the greatez
maritime sporting event eves attea,at-
ed. The contest viii be in the nature
Of q free-for-all affair, the only etiDu-
latlon thus far made by the royal
oonor Of the cup being that ali the
entries shall be wind-propelIed vessels.
Many of the boats to start will be
auXlharies, but their engines will re-
main sealed until after they have
crossed the finish line of OstenG. No
other restrictions have been placed on
cha entries and ii is expected tha. INC
great sporting event will be siugular.y
free from red tape. No nandicaps or
time allowances, based on complicated
measurement figures, viii De allowed
and all the confusing and technical de-
tails that puzzled the laymen in tho
recent races for the Americas Gun will
No Handicapping System
The race will be sailed on straight
ooat-for-boat basis and the first Yacht
to cross the line off the Belgian coast
will be the winner. The International
races last summer between Sir Thomas
Llpton.s Shamrock " and the New
York Yacht Clubs Resolute demon
strated rather painfully that the pub
tic IS not interested in contests based
on an involved handicapping system
which not infrequently makes a loser
out Of the vessel finishing first.
The Tribune was informed vester-
day that King Albert will appoint q
committee to come here early in the
summer and cooperate with local
y.achtsmen in arranging details and
checking up the official entries. The
writer also learned that owners Of
Canadian and American fishing
schooners Of the type that engaged in
an international contest in the north
Atlantic last fall have taken steps TO
ind out whether vessels used in com
merclal pursuits viii be barred from
the transatlantic struggle.
Word from Brussels will probably
settle the poiat within { week. and if
tAe Hshlng schoouers. are not barred
lt IS expected thai a least six of these
hardy vessels will be entered. The
Down East ishermea beIieve that in
q race OF 5000 miles they could show
their heels to the yachts commanded
by amateur sauormen.
Another question in connection With
the gold cup contest that must be set
tied N the near future is the date for
starting. This has already been ten
ratjvely se. for July 1, but local yachts
men, part. cularly those who figure on
entering heavily rugged craft, such as
the famous Atlantic and the Aloha, de-
clare that if the race is sailed in July
t viii probably develop into a drifting
match.
To Protest Against Date
Owners Of the larger boats are Ger
IAN to protest against holding the
event in July, when soft southerly
creezes are almost sure 10 prevail and
"hen there IS seldom sufficient wind 10
rufde the surface of the sea.
This sort of weather would suit a
yacht like Sir Thomas LiD-or's 23
meter Shamrock, now in DRY dock ut
City Island, and would enable ,uch u
craft 10 walk away with boats like the
Aloha, Atlantic or Siesta, which re-
qulre 4 real sailing breeze,
For this reason a determined effort
viii be made TO have King Albert's
transatlantic championship sailed in
May or late in the summer, when pre-
vailing winds are likely t3 provide
better sport A race in July would
probably attract 4 larger number of
small craft, but at the sam2 time il
might cause many OF the BIG fellows
to withdraw.
A friend o. Sir Thomas Linton told
the writer last week tbAt the Ulster
sportsman might dec.Hc TO enter a
yacht in the Belgian race and might
possibly start one OF ris Shamrocks in
the event that neither boat Is been
sold by next spring. A contest held
in July would rot be too much for
these racing machines, both of which
crossed to this side under their own
canvas. 1t would probably be neces-
sary only to cut down their rig and
make certain minor alterations in
their hulls,
The 23meter Shamrock is a stanch
craft, with ample crew accommodation
FOR a long race. Shamrock " had
here in 1911, but they were torl out
when she was making ready Tor her
struggle with Resolute. 1t was ru-
mored recently that the 23-meter hoat
had been sold 10 well-known New
7 orker. but this has been denied at
City Island, where both yacht are
stored.
May Become Annual Fixture
Local yachtsmen seem to have taken
the view that the race for King Al
ber5's Cup is 30 become an annual
fixture and the opinion prevails that ii
this should be so it would probably
mean the end of the historic Americas S
Cup contests. 1t has been pointed out
that as q sporting event the transatlan-
tic struggle would have much wider
appeal and would com pletely over
shadow races between highly spe-
,ialized machines built only to be
sailed in fair weather
With excellent prospects Of at least
twenty-five entries in the gold cup
classic il is probable that the contest
will nave distinctly international
1avor. Is is considered certain bv
local yachtsmen that King Alfonso. Of
Spain, who has been & yachting en-
thusiast for years, will enter boat.
and it is reported that King George
OF England will send over his famous
Rrittania. 1t is possible that the
Prince Of Wales may be in command.
The first American entry for King
Albert'a cup was the Siesta, owned bv
Professor Walter f. Clayton, OF ST.
Johns College, Annapolis, Nd. The
Siesta is a 71-foot auxiliary and was
built in Maine two years ago for Matt
land Alexander. She is fitted with 8
-hree-cyinder eighteen horsepower
motor, which would be sealed during
the race.