Evening star., 1935-01-16
SOPW|TH H|NTED
OUT OF PICTURE
Not Backed, as Expected, at
Home in Attitude Taken
Over "a Series.
RY LAWRENCE PERRY.

"A VIEW YORK, January 16.-Eng-
M land is likely to challenge fol-
v the Americas Cup this year
the series to be held off New
port in 1886. Advices to this writer
from London to the above effect hint
that T. o. NJ. Sopwith will not be the
challenger.
Just why he will not figure in the
challenge and who will are not sci
forth in the information received TO-
day, 1t is, however, stated that the
fact that Endeavour established her-
self as a swifter sloop than RAINBOW
in popular opinion here and abroad
has given English yachtsmen a aellhlte
idea that the cup can be won ana
that an effort will be made every TWO
years to this end.
American yachtsmen with whom 1
talked today, men who have been In
England since the cup series last
wear, were not surprised at this state
ment. 1t comedies. they say, with
what they heard while they were
abroad. They fully expect that Eng
land will now keep trying until sooner
or later the worlds greatest sporting
trophy ends its visit OF elghty-ooo
years in this country
English Shippers Undaunted.
~ S FOR Mr.. Sopwith. it is felt that
n if he yields to another challenger
it will be because Of reported
feeling in England that challenging
Yacht superior in almost every way tc
the defending craft failed to win the
trophy because of inadequate naviga-
tion and general handling. Mr.. Sop
with NAV have gained lot of racing
experience in the late series, propaol!
he did. but there is SO much to learn
in the game of tooling big wind
hammer in a high pressure series ol
races that rival shippers such as Mike
Vanderbilt, Sherman Hoyt. or any one
of half dozen American big beat
racing navigators would still hold
decided edge.
But there are racing men on the
British Isles who would ask no odds
of any American helmsman and II and
when another challenge comes, some
one of them, it is not unlikely, Will be
found at the stick of the challenger.
There is another reason why Mr.
Sopwith might not challenge and that
IS a-well, a lack of comradely feel
ing between him and the New YORK
Yacht Club. The members OF the
American club 90 not look back upon
the 1884 cup series with those emo
tions of pleasure which sportsmen
winning or losing, should feel after an
event has been decided.
Sopwith Guessed Wrong.
IN OTHER words, Mr.. Sopwith's at
titude during and Immediately
after the series was not of a sort
to establish friendly bonds between
him and those of the New York Yacht
Club who were associated in the de-
fense of the cup.
While no one would be justified in
saying that. in event of another chal-
lenge from Mr. Sopwith, the New York
Yacht Club would seek ways and
means of evading the issue, it seems
certain that the bid would not be &C
C6pC6o WIFI HIcdSuI dOlC CliiOIioAAo- AAA
fact when last years series was ended
the club was pretty well fed up with
the whole idea of Americas cup rae
ing, the feeling being that the ele-
ment of sport had been pretty CONF
pletely swallowed in bad feeling.
How the English feel about Mr.. Sop
with's charges never has been made
clear; but an impression prevails that
yachtsmen on the other side as a
whole do not have strong feeling
that the challenging party was tricked
and bulldozed out Of victory. Just be-
fore he sailed for England Mr.. Sop
with advised this writer to hold him.
self in readiness for the blasts which
English yachting critics who attended
the series off Newport would discharge
as soon as they reached their native
shores. AS it happened, no detona-
tions ever have been heard.