Defenders

The Yankee left her berth at Lawly's Yard at Neponset, Mass., and with two tenders Doodle and Dandy risked thick fog to join the other America's Cup Defenders at the western end of Long Island Sound last week. While she stood by during three races, George Ratsey looked over her sails, which he had built at his City Island lofts. (He also made the sails for the other defenders.) Fortunately for the Yankee, she rode quite a distance away from the Robert Jacob shipyard on City Island. Fire damaged that yard's pier. It destroyed about $200,000 worth of trophies, guns, silver, sails and equipment owned by Otto H. Kahn, William G. Vanderbilt, Walter P. Chrysler and others. Their vessels were absent. The fire also destroyed the winter home of the Vanitie, one of the cup defenders.

First Race. On a 23-mi. triangular course started: Whirlwind, owned by Paul L. Hammond's and Langdon Ketchum Thome's syndicate, a beamy, heavy boat with a white hull and green underbody, a pointed stern and "No. 3" on her sails; Enterprise, No. 4, owned by the Vice Commodore Winthrop W. Aldrich and Harold Stirling ("Mike") Vanderbilt syndicate, with Mr. Vanderbilt sailing her; Weetamoe, owned by Rear Commodore Junius Spencer Morgan's and George Nichols' syndicate, white and bronze, No. i; and the old boats, Gerard Barnes Lambert's Vanitie, and E. Walter Clark's Resolute, both sailed by their owners. There was only one interesting moment--the comparison between Enterprise and Whrlwind on the second tack, the first pointing closer into the wind but Whirlwind showing a fuller mainsail. Enterprise had slipped away in the low breeze like a bird and, running far in the lead, hung over her taffrail in mockery her harbor sign, "Please Keep Astern." She beat Vanitie by 6 min. 29 sec.; the rest trailed in well-beaten.

Second Race. The five big yachts swept down on the starting line in a bunch, their sails snapping in the smart breeze. Weetamoe and Enterprise kept over toward the Long Island shore where the tide was beginning to ebb and help them along. The race was between them, but Vanitie decided it. Gerard Lambert, at Vanitie's wheel, is a member of the Weetamoe syndicate. Vanitie is Weetamoe's trial horse. So whenever he could in the long thrash on the wind, Lambert slipped up and took Enterprise's wind, letting Weetamoe slip ahead to win by 1 min. 31 sec.

Third Race. Again five big sets of sails grouped; spread along the course, now off Oyster Bay. Weetamoe, handled by Skipper Nichols, again first crossed the finish line. Whirlwind, running close behind, split her mainsail, forced Skipper Langdon Thorne to allow the Enterprise to slip past into second place at the very end of the race. Third: Whirlwind. Fourth: Resolute. Fifth: Vanitie.

Until August the "J" boats will race like this again and again. These trial races are useful for tuning up the rigging, getting the crews spry and smart, are important as indications of form, but meaningless so far as the America's Cup races are concerned. In August at Newport the elimination races will be held and one boat chosen to sail for the U. S. against Sir Thomas Lipton's Shamrock V. Each yacht costs about $200,000 to build, $150,000 to equip, $200,000 to run for a summer. Already Enterprise has five suits of sails. Sails for all the "J" boats are made at City Island by Ratsey & Lapthorn, Inc. Each boat has a crew of 36 big-eating seamen and a fleet of satellites -- a towing tender, a mothership or houseboat with quarters on it for the crew, launches for the owners. When they lie off Newport each will have a shore telephone connection.

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