Evening star., 1930-09-11
CHALLENGER MUCH
LIKE CUP DEFENDER
Sweet Boat to Look at, but
Difficult to Distinguish
From Enterprise.
BY JAMES b. CONNOLLY.

n 7 EXPORT, r. l., September
M 11.-This latest Shamrock
looks pretty much like any
other cup racer. Paint her
white. anchor her near the United
States defender, the Enterprise,
and few of us, even after a pre-
viouS Squint at them both in some
other spot, but would be troubled
to pick one from the other at a
quarter mile distance.
They are pretty much of a size, and
the most noticeable item in this sea-
Son- cup races, the altitudinous mast.
Is common to both.
A seagoing yachtman or any old
seafaring man would notice slight diff
ferences at a glance-the snub nose of
the Britisher, the higher rigged struts
of the Yankee yacht. A second glance
would disclose other slight differences,
but no radical ones.
Shamrock v is a sweet boat to look
at, and a view of her out there in the
stream should tempt any true-born
Briton to risk a few shillings on her.
British designed and British built she
is, yes, but mostly on American lines.
The challengers for 40 years now have
been designed on pretty much American
lines.
Have Different Ideas.
The ancient British notion of fast
sailing craft was something narrow
and deep and straight stemmed, with
her greatest beam we'll forward. The
now immortal America came sailing
by--clipper bow, wide and shoal, with
the greatest beam much farther aft
and cleaned 'em all up.
Not Immediately, but in proper time,
the British were trying to win back the
cup with American models, and now Sir
Thomas Upton is here with boat that,
paint ner white-she is now green
set her among the American group of
four trial contenders and few of us
could say which one she was or wasn't;
except. of course, that we would not mis-
take her for the double-ended Whirl-
wind.
Yacht designers, like many other pro-
fesSional men, borrow ideas from each
other. bunch of big knockabout
brothers Is what these challengers and
defenders look like. When the designer
of the Shamrock boarded the Enter
prise the other day he took most notice
of her mechanical aspects and not of
her hull-the hollow mast through
which the halyards led, the machine
for measuring the train on the cloud
reaching mast.
He spoke of these devices as if he
feared they might figure against him
in the race, and possibly they will,
although whoever knows Lipton's old
habits wouldn't be at all surprised to
see the Shamrock swinging across the
starting line with few new gadgets of
her own.
Studies U. S. Yachts.
That cagey old bird has been studying
Yankee yachting models for 80 odd
years now, and probably not for intel
lectual exercise alone. He was the first
cup challenger to copy American
abandonment of oyer-heavy gear for
racing yachts He even went further
than the Yankees did.
American yachtsmen have been hand
ing themselves much favorable COM
ment on the lighter-than-wood metallic
mast on the Enterprise. More than 80
years ago Upton showed q Shamrock
with lighter-than-w metal spars.
They proved too light TO be of use. One
was hollow metal gaff which, when
the wind made bit. buckled SO badly
as to spoil the set of the mainsail. His
hollow metal spars got him nowhere
that year.
Iipton's Shamrock II and this back
In 1901, carried lighter gear than any
American defender whatever light
Summer squall hit her. this in pre-
paratory race on the other side, and
tumbling down on deck came her top
mast.
Sir Thomas old sporting pal, King
Edward, was his guest that day. Moth
ing happened; that is, nobody was hurt,
but the King and the baronet must
have decided that yacht racing was too
dangerous pastime for important men