THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 4, 1937.
Fage 21
RANGER RETAINS AMERICA'S CUP
BRILLIANT SAILING
BY AMERICAN YACHT IN FOURTH CLASH
ENDEAVOUR II MAKES SEVERAL MISTAKES
BUT SECONDS REGAINED BY GOOD SAILING
(By MAJOR B. HECKSTALL-SMITH)
Newport (Rhode Island), August 6. MR. Vanderbilt's yacht Ranger to-day won her fourth consecutive race, and as a result the America's Cup remains in America's possession. Ranger to-day sailed the 30-mile triangular course in the fastest time ever recorded in the history of the America's Cup. The previous fastest time was made by Endeavour I. on September 18, 1934 3hrs 9mins 1sec but to-day I made Ranger's time for completing the course to be 3hrs 8 mins
MR. SOPWITH'S ENDEAVOUR IL, THE ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON'S REPRESENTATIVE, HAS BEEN SEVERELY DE- FEATED, BY A YACHT OF UNQUESTIONABLY FASTER DE- SIGN, BUT THE DECREASING MARGINS SHOW THAT SUP- ERIOR HANDLING AND STEERING HAS IN THIS SERIES COUNTED FOR A MAXIMUM PROPORTION OF THE DEFEAT.
For instance, to-day, boat for boat Endeavour sailed faster whan reaching and probably was as good as Ranger to windward in a smart breeze without much real strength or weight. The wind gauges gave a wind speed of 15, increasing to 16 miles an hour. From the starting signal, however, Endeavour's chance was lost. She misjudged her start, was over the line too soon, and was recalled.
RANGER'S FOUR WINS
Owing to this error she not; wmmal only lost 1min 10sec, but began the windward work with an op- ponent able to place herself lei- surely upon her weather bow and thus backwind her mile after mile exactly as she pleased. I consider that in this unfortun ate start Mr. Sopwith gave Mr. Vanderbilt three minutes, if not four.
For the remainder of the race here was little or nothing to" in- dicate that Rangers was any better a boat than Endeavour.
Ranger defeated Endeavour by the following margins:
First race Second race Third race "Fourth race
17min 5sec 18min 32sec 4min 27sec 3min 36sec
The America's Cup is won or retained by the yacht winning four races out of seven.
When kept full to windward, as she was to-day, Endeavour is all days, but not for the first two races. right. When she is starved, as in The presence of the designer, who the earlier races, Hanger can beat is also such an experienced sailor, her out of sight.
contributed to the improvement
BREEZE OF 16 MPH.
Defender and Challenger
Most of the America's Cup races have found the American "Ranger" and British "Endeavour II" so far apart that photograph- ing them together became a feat. Here they are at the start of the fourth race off Newport, Rhode Island, which Harold Vanderbilt's defender took with ease.
the brim of a hat, is liable to be a was utterly hopeless. She was un- matter of uncertainty, and to-day der Ranger's lee, and Mr. Sopwith the result was unfortunate for Mr. tried several short tacks to try to Sopwith. One minute before the get his head out of chancery, but start Endeavour was in the middle each time Mr. Vanderbilt weather- of the starting line, but only just bowed him with the accuracy of on the right side of it.”
complete master of this cld-fashion-
She was heading south-east, with fed manoeuvring. the wind abeam on her starboard However, to give. Mr. Sopwith side, Ranger was following close credit, his position was impossible. behind her in the same direction. Having got into it no one in the
ENDEAVOUR'S PROBLEM Both were sading fast, and with and sailed his boat well enough
world could get out. He did his best only half a minute to go before the They bore away round, the wea- start Ranger was placed so that if ther mark, Ranger at 157 p.m., the she luffed for the line she might English yacht being 4min 5sec as- just have space enough to cross it term: after the starting whistle.
Endeavour if she luffed sharply for the line, would not have suff cient space. She would cross too soon. On the other hand, if she did not luff sharply for it she would pass the wrong side of the buoy.
In other words, Mr. Sopwith had got himself into a tangle. He was between the devil and deep sea.
w
In the next leg the wind was on the starboard beam. Ranger broke out her now famous quadrilateral Genoa jib, made of artificial silk.
which, with a fairly fresh wind now blowing, rose much higher in the foot than Ranger's, and did not cover such
a large area as the American's.
HOPELESS TASK: Each yacht also carried a fore
Endeavour set her Genoa jib,
The starting whistle blew. Ran- ger crossed on the starboard tack with a perfectly timed start, but sail nothing to spare
I am also convinced that Ranger shown has used larger and more effective head sails throughout the series. To-day's race started at This could be observed when for pm, the first leg of the course, 12.40 lowing the yachts in a steamer. south-west, being dead to wind-
p.m. they had sailed and the third north-north-west-ably over the line, and had to bear this leg in the second race, that ward, the second leg east by south bow but clear ahead, was consider ond leg of the triangle. It was on Endeavour, under Ranger's lee about half the distance on the sec half-west
ybe round the boundary Endeavour lost minutes, but to- day she ap
be
ing as deavour, when recross-
In fact
CREW'S GOOD WORK
The English crew of paid hands deserve the greatest credit. They have not been beaten or outclassed by Mr. Vanderbilt's men. Our fel lows were just as smart
There was the best breeze we buo
away and have had, in fact, a good smart breeze of about 16 miles an hour. To-day and yesterday, as the Both yachts carried the same can
Ing times show, Endeavour was a great-vas, but Ranger had slightly large ly improved boat. If this is ac-headsails, her double-clewed. counted for by the removal of two being lower in the foot than En or three tons of lumber and ballast deavour a
out of the vessel, the obvious ques- The starting ma tion is: Why was not this correctkeener and were ed during the tuning up trials in-minutes before the stead of after two races had been company than on any Lost?
casion. Both yachts made Whatever the causes, no challen-circles to leeward of the
the cup has suffered such vessel, Ranger following Ead
defeat
Sa half a cen- as they kept up a succession
ByDes
The outcome of ound cir
By
ILTS
shev
ond knots
over the sec
the triangle was 10.4 so well did Endeavour sail that she gained 28 seconds upon
now a plain reach. 10-mile leg on the
to
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