THE GREAT YACHT RACE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1754, 20 May 1913, Page 3

THE GREAT YACHT RACE.

.£1,000,000 FOR A .£SO CUP. Sir Thomas Lipton's threo pas: attempts to win the America Cup have cust him about .6100,01)0 for yaclits alone (Shamrock I and II JtUO.OuO each, and Shamrock' 111 it'3S,UUU), and altogether he has spent on the efforts nearly iiuu.OU'J. Since the Americans won tho cup in tne race round the isto of Wight in ISol, twelve attempts havo been made to recover it, at a total cost of about £"1,000,OUO. Tile cup itself is worth barely JtiO.

It is stated that when Shamrock 111 was beaten Sir Thomas vowed that he would never race for the trophy again, but a most successful yachting season last year—his Shamrock won 25 firsts in 30 races in home waters, and six races out of eight at Kiel international races—spurred hiin on to yet another attempt. So Sir Thomas dispatched his challenge to the New York Yacht Club, and Mr. Nicholson, of Ctosport, a most succesful designer and builder of racing craft, is already at work on tho hull of Shamrock IV.

It was ill 1901 that Sir Thomas Lipton's Shamrock 111 was beaten by the Reliance, and the next race does not take place till September, 1914. About sis years ago Sir Thomas issued a challenge un<l«r

"Universal Rules," which encourage a more wholesome type of boat, but the officials of the Now York Club declined it. This time Sir Thomas has decided to race under the original rules laid down by the donor of the Cup, thus seeking no favours with regard to the construction of his boat, despite the fact tliat it will have to cross the Atlantic.

Sir Thomas is very hopeful of tho pros: pacts of realising what lias been ono of tho ambitions of his life. "I have a strong feeling," he said, "that I shall have a good reasonablo chance of success. I felt that if I were, going to win the Cup I should prefer to win by challenging on the old terms, rather than 100 under any favour or obligations to anyone, and by challenging under the deed of gift I lineiv there could bo 110 refusal. lam looking forward with great pleasure to meeting my rivals again, and I am n great believer in the luck of the four-leaved Shamrock."

Either Captain Sycamore or Captain. Wring will sail the new boat, which will cross the Atlantic on its own bottom, but for reasons of safety it will be under the escort of Sir Thomas's steam yacht Erin, or some specially-chartered steam craft.