Imperial Valley press., 1930-09-12
BY MORRIS DE HAVEN TRACY
United Press Staff Correspondent

NEWPORT, r. l., Sept. -. UP
Two slender yachts, borne by white
! sails bellying from towering mastS
start out on Saturday to sail until
! once again the question of interna
tional yachting supremacy is settled
The America s Cup. won by the
Yacht America from England in
1851. will be the trophy. The yachts
will be the Enterprise, CARRYING the
hopes of the United States as cup
defender. a yacht built by the Van
derbilts and Aldriches, and backed
by Morgans and Astors. and the
Shamrock V. fifth of the Shamrock
line which Sir Thomas Upton has
sent to American waters.
It is the 18th race for the cup.
The last race was in 1920 when
Charles Francis Adams. now secre'
tarv of the navy, sailed the Resolute
to a hard victory.
For the first time since competi-
tion for the cup began. the races
this year will be sailed off Newport,
r. l.. the seat of the social-eleet and
Of the wealthy. Always before the
traditional course has been off San
dy Hook. A desire to avoid conges-
ton of small boat traffic which in
the past has hampered races and the
hope of fairer winds caused the
change to the Newport course.
All week society has been gather
ing for the premier event of a de
cade. Every villa is filled with
guests. For weeks hotel reserva-
tions have been unobtainable. Pri-
vate houses are renting rooms at no.
tel rates. Beginning with the first
race Saturday and on until one yacht
or the other proves the best, New
port v1ll be brilliant scene.
Both yachts have been taken from
the water in the last few days, po:.
ished and shined and trimmed and
fitted. The morning of the race will
find them ready.
Never before have challenger and
defender been 50 evenly matched.
The challenge which Sir Thomas
sent more than year ago under
the auspices of the Royal Ulster
Yacht Club, called for a race be
tween boats of the - foot class.
Official measurements of the yachts
showed the Enterprise forty-tWo
e-hundredths of an inch longer
than the Shamrock overall; the
Shamrock an inch and 43 hundredths
longer than the Enterprise at the
waterline. The sail area Of the En-
terprise is Is square feet greater
than that Of the Shamrock. The
Shamrock has displacement OF
4,779 cubic feet; the Enterprise OF
4.494.
So. for the first time in the his
tory of the competition, neither boat
will be required to give the other
time allowance. They will start
together and the first to finish, wins.
The program for the series calls
for the first race on Saturday over
q course beginning nine miles south.
east Of Brenton's Reef, r.. l., and
running u miles to windWard ana
return-a distance of 30 nautical
made to vary greatly, being depen-
dent entirely upon the winds.
The Yachts will be followed by a
fleet of destrOyers, official boats,
private yachts of the wealthy, eN-
cursion boats and small boats, while
news of the progress OF the race VIII
be transmitted ashore by radio.
Yacht owners are making il the oc-
casion for entertainment Of guests
on a large scale.
But back Of all the tinsel and the
gaiefv which goes with the race, VIII
rest the story of the ships and a
test of seamanship which has, III
times gone by, tried mems courage.
A racing skipper in heavy sea,
with competitor close ON his quar-
ter, is driven 10 the full test OF
men and ships. The crOwding on Of
sail and the plunge of the ship, lee
rail awash and scuppers full, which
comes at such times, is not the work
for the weak. Harold s. Vanderbilt,
as head of the afterguard, Will sail
Tie Enterprise, as he has sailed
Yachts almost since childhood. The
boat was built for his syndicate at
the Herreshoff shipyards, Bristol, X.
l.. founded by j.. Francis HERES
hoff. the famed "Wizard of 'Bris'
toI.' Her designer is Startling Bur
CESS. son Of the famous Edward Bur
CESS. designer of the old cup defend
ers Puritan, Mayflower and Nolun'
teer. All the skill Of years Of de
signing and building by famous fam
lies Herreshoff, Burgess, Wander
bilt-thus went into this slender
The result of their work is l20
foot boat with a mast towering sky
ward l5O feet and from it hanging
some 1900 square feet Of sail. A
special, tunnel like house was built