Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-09-14

NEWPORT, r. l., Sept. Is
(AP)-Sceptre. a white-hulled
sloop embracing the best of
British sailing brains and mus
Gle, will try next week TO wrest
the famed Americas Cup from
United States shores where 1t
has resided LOT years.
The sleek invader. built in
super-secrecy and its racing
prowess still a mystery. will OPP
pose Columbia. Americas race
tested defender, in a best-of-
seven race series, starting nine
miles of Brenton Reef Light
ship.
The first race is scheduled at
ll:l0 AM. (EDT) Saturday.
The two 12-meter yachts, the
present-day heavyweights Of
the sea, then will match speed
and skill daily. except Sunday,
until one of them has scored
four victories.
Tradition and apparently
design and equipment favor the
Americans, but the experience
and the logged determination
of the British sailors strengthen
the possibilities of an upset.
IT believe our chances are
about even," says the Sceptre's
helmsman, 1t. Comdr. Graham
Mann, a 34-year-old career line
officer in the Royal Navy. "The
owners wouldn't have sent this
boat acrosssif they didn't think
we had a reasonable chance OF
winning"
First Won in 1851
Should the Sceptre succeed,
she will accomplish a feat no
other British vessel has been
able to perform since the Amer
ica's Cup, once known as the
Hundred Guineas Cup, was won
by the schooner America in q
race around the Isle of Wight
in 1851.
The unimposing trophy, prob
ably worth no more than 5000
in actual value. was brought to
the United States. The New
York Yacht Club told the world
the cup was open to COMPETE
ton.
Since then there have been 16
challenges and SO races, with
Britain spending $50 million
and the Americans $40 million
in the endeavors. But to the
chagrin of the British, proud of
their history of seamanship, the
cup was never budged.
The most relentless challenger
was Sir Thomas Upton. the tea
magnate, who sent a succession
of five Shamrocks across the
Atlantic in five vain but dra-
matte bids. He was succeeded
by T. o. M. Sopwith. English
shipping tycoon. whose En-
deavor II was shut out, 40, by
Harold S. Vanderbilt's Ranger
in the last race in 1897.
At that time the millionaire
Sportsmen raced majestic j
boats. about twice the size Of
the present l2-meter craft
which measure 10 feet overall
and have a 45-foot waterline
IA change in the deed Of gift
Of the Americas Cup was nee
eSsary to resume the compete
ton on smaller scale.
Boat of Destiny
The trim Columbia, the
fourth of that name to defend
the trophy, was a boat Of des-
tiny from the moment it took
shape in the mind of Henry
Sears, commodore Of the New
York Yacht Club and promi-
nent New England financier.
Sears resigned his yacht club
post to head a syndicate build
ing the boat. olin Stephens,
who had built Vanderbilt'S
superb Ranger, was picked as
designer. Briggs Cunningham,
"a 50-year-old racer of sports
cars and international yachts
man, became the skipper, shar-
ing the job with Cornelius
Shields, a 63-year-old stock
broker with a cardiac condition,
In a summer-long series OF
trials, Columbia had to prove
her worth against three other
would-be observation-disclosures
and Weatherly, two new yachts
like herself, and the 19-year-
DID,. refurbished Vim, one OF