THE AMERICA CUP

Hokitika Guardian, 24 August 1921, Page 3

THE AMERICA CUP

.MR t. ai. wilfiui)S si (i(;Ksrm.\ A suggestion :u first thought per Imps startling, but ut second feasible, has been made by Mr T. Al. Wilford, M.P., who recently returned from a Lour of the States, that Australia and New Zealand might combine in a successful effort to wrest the America Cup, the most famous oi all yachting trophies, from the Americans. “1 have come back from America." he said to a "Post” representative on Saturday, ‘‘with the idea that it i; possible for Australia and New Zenhun to combine and challenge America foi the cup which Sir Thomas l.ipton has failed to lift. This seems a big proposition on account of the distance which siimrates the countries, hut let us look at it quietly, and see where file diflioulties lie. T have been on board the Shamrock ffl on the Cl dye, and khow generally the type of yacht that is w Ml ed to sail from England; (to America to compete, it being one of the conditions that the yacht must sail on her own Isittom from the challenging corntry to New York. The jontney aero;? the Atlantic has required from Sir Thomas Tipton an extraordinary strong boat of enormous dimensions. "I believe flint such a yacht as would he required to sail from New Zealand to America could he built at Auckland, could the money be found, there is no doubt that as a commercial proposition this would he a sound one, for every New Zealand firm will i('cognise that the challenge would afford publicity of the cheapest and most effective type. New Zealand could easily find a crew for such a, boat, and what a sensation would he caused if the hero of Jutland, T/ord .Tellicoe, could he persuaded to take command! As to sailing to Now York. The Panama Canal is open, the yacht could go from New Zealand to Tahiti, reach the Canal with the trades and then lmg the Atlantic r oast to New York. Two yachts I have so on at Papeete', one last year, which had been sailed from Ran Francisco, and the second this year which had - come from England. The owner of the first yacht came aboard our boat-ho was an Australian, and he told :no that he and his wife and a cook had come that journey in the tiny boat with ease. For five days they had simply sailed along with the trades with the tiller lashed. “T have talked this question over with sea contains,” said Mr Wilford, “for T h■'••o been thinking it over since t-ef year's visit to \morion without savin" anything about it. As a matter i ■" fact T a i'f submit a proposal to the editor of a lending newspaper in l.ns Angelo-: Ho was very much taken up with the idea, and asked me, to put the suggestion in writing, so that, in the event of anything coming? of it in New Zealand, he could start American press work right away. “Australia and New- Zealand are not