Off Newport (Cont.)

Seventy-nine years ago an unlovely $500 flagon with no particular name was to be competed for by 14 vessels of the Royal Yacht Squadron in a free-for-all race off Cowes. America, a rakish Yankee upstart which had crossed the Atlantic with the idea of bullying Englishmen into match races and making its owners some money, was grudgingly permitted to compete. When America came leaning down toward the finish line Queen Victoria asked her signalman who was second. "Your Majesty," he said, "there aren't no second."

Nineteen years later the flagon had been furbished up, called the America's Cup, put in competition for the second time. Jubilee Jim Fiske, arrayed in white & gold as the admiral of his Narragansett Line, watched the challenger--James Ashbury's Cambria--come in tenth in a field of 24. Nothing daunted, James Ashbury sailed to the U. S. the following year in the Livonia and lost four out of seven match races. Later came the Earl of Dunraven in 1893. He challenged and lost with Valkyrie II. Two years later he built Valkyrie III to race against C. Oliver Iselin's Defender. In that unfortunate race Valkyrie's boom struck Defender's upper rigging at the start and although the committee ruled it no contest, Valkyrie finished, won, claimed the victory. Lord Dunraven went home in a huff, accused Defender of being secretly overballasted.

The America's Cup races seemed at an end, for English and American yachtsmen were almost literally at swords' points. But in 1899 came Sir Thomas Lipton, flying the burgee of the Royal Ulster Yacht Club. He has competed for the trophy more than any other man (five times) and the races, which until his participation had never been without acrimony, became graced with the most decorous of seagoing courtesy.

In 1920 his Shamrock IV won the first two of a three-out-of-five series off the Jersey coast. The New York Yacht Club's steamer, crammed with spectators on the first two days, did not even set out to watch the third contest, so sure seemed the result. But Skipper Charles Francis Adams of Boston, sticking close to windward of Shamrock and keeping her canvas almost empty, sailed Resolute home in front, then won the next two races. That is the closest Sir Thomas, or any other challenger, has ever come to winning the 100-guinea flagon.

This year he is sailing four-out-of-seven races off Newport, R. I. against astute Harold Stirling Vanderbilt, skipper of Enterprise, the boat that was picked from four million-dollar, syndicate-owned craft to defend the trophy.

First Race. All morning fog hung over the low swell. Ships bells on scores of pleasure craft and naval vessels clanked off the half hours. Over on the Nourmahal the Astors felt sticky; so did the Morgans on the Corsair, the Manvilles on the Hi-Esmaro, the Jameses on the Aloha. You could not see to Brenton's Reef Lightship, 9 mi. northwest of the starting line; you could hardly see as far as the Committee boat. It looked like a bye-day.

Gently Enterprise's clean white nose splashed at the water. Skipper Vanderbilt looked her over: below, where some of the rigging comes down through the hollow metal mast; on deck, where many new mechanical gadgets are--the "sliding-foot" boom, the instrument for indicating windstrain on the mast--that caused his boat to be called "mechanical" by conservative sea-dogs. Aboard the shiny green Shamrock V Edward ("Ted") Heard, Sir Thomas's professional Captain, looked his boat over. She had not many gadgets, but her aged owner, on his Erin, had a good-luck message from President Cosgrave of the Irish Free State in his pocket.

Then suddenly, as it often does on the New England coast, the fog began to lift under a six-mile north by east wind. The committee boat announced the course: leeward 15 mi. to the tug Thomas F. Moran, 15 mi. back into the wind to Brenton's Reef. Majestically the high-rigged contenders sailed up to the line, broke out their ballooners and the race was on. Enterprise led off, steadily increased her lead to 50 yd. An hour later Captain Heard, taking advantage of a favorable blow, sailed up bow to bow with the defender. Then Enterprise had the luck, drew away again. Shamrock V had crowded on too much canvas, was falling farther astern. Down two lanes of destroyers and pleasure craft following in the wake, the two stately yachts sailed.

The weather freshened up a bit, the wind veering to the east. Both vessels took in their spinnakers for a reach (wind broad abeam). At the halfway mark shirtsleeved Skipper Vanderbilt went wide. Shamrock V, less than three minutes behind, passed close enough to the Thomas F. Moran to pitch a cork aboard. Both boats, breaking out jib, baby jib, topsail and staysail, started on the homeward reach (wind close abeam). From then on the challenger, reputed "ghoster," was no match for the defender. At the 25-mi. mark, Enterprise, her sails taut, her happy crew sprawled along the weather rail, was leading by 1,000 yd. At 4:57 p. m. she crossed the finish line amid a din of whistles and an excited babble of radio announcers over two national networks. Shamrock V arrived 2 min. 52 sec. later.

Second Race. Two days later weather conditions were more favorable, with a fair southwest wind. The Committee boat's little flags announced the course: triangular, 10 mi. to windward, then 10 mi. southeast-by-east, then back to the starting point. Skipper Vanderbilt crossed the line neatly as the starting gun boomed, stepped out in front and to windward of Shamrock V, from which a ton of lead ballast had been removed. Strategically, Enterprise kept her advantage, tacking with Shamrock V, keeping her rival out of the wind and at a disadvantage as a hawk follows a pigeon. Unable to shake off the defender, outraced, outmaneuvred, Shamrock V trailed nearly 6 min. behind at the first marker. At the end of the reach on the second leg she was 10 min. astern the more smartly handled Enterprise. Again the winner, Skipper Vanderbilt sailed his tall white sloop across the finish line 9 min. 49 sec. in front of less resourceful Capt. Ted Heard.

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