Andrew Spring kept this article because he was good mates with Ben (Bob Miller) Lexcen. They both raced Solings at MHYC, and my mum grew up next door to him in Woolwich, where he lived with his aunt. Dad just kept the clippings. But we had an early inside scoop on the Keel, he drew it for us one night, when the original concept was just inverting the keel to get the ballast lower, he then realised he could get more keel depth when heeled, within the rating, by adding the wings (From son Drew Spring)

123yr-old trophy lured scores to spend millions

THE America's Cup trophy, valued at $1000 in 1851, has cost scores of challengers millions of dollars but no one has succeeded in dislodging it from its perch in the New York Yacht Club's trophy room.

The rather ugly cup, respectfully dubbed "The Auld Mug," by Sir Thomas Lipton, who unsuccessfully competed in five challenges, remains the international symbol of yachting supremacy.

Ironically, the first race for the cup was organised by the British Royal Yacht Squadron to coincide with the first world's fair which was staged by Prince Albert.

The cup, which was then known as the Royal Yacht Squadron's One Hundred Guinea Trophy, was won by an enterprising group of American yachtsmen in their schooner, The America.

Since then it has never been won by a yacht from any other nation.

The America's Cup has become a sporting legend, surrounded by snob appeal, undercurrents of scandal and the sheer beauty of the competing boats.

These elements of wealth, prestige and controversy have lent as much excitement to the event as the actual competition, giving the America's Cup a special place in sailing history.

The original America was a swift yacht built along the lines of an American pilot schooner by George Steers, a U.S. naval architect famous for his designs of all types of vessels from small ships to huge clipper ships.

America and the yachts she faced in the Royal Yacht Squadron race around the Isle of Wight were true seagoing vessels.

America defeated her rivals so handily that when Queen Victoria inquired about the progress of the race and was told the name of the winner, her aide added regretfully, "And there is no second, your Majesty."

The owners of the America, all members of the New York Yacht Club, deeded their trophy to the club in 1857.

It was given over with the condition that the club placed it in international competition forever and that any foreign yacht club could challenge for a match with a vessel of between 30 and 300 tons.

The first challenge was from the British millionaire James Ashbury in 1870 with his schooner Cambria, which later became the first English yacht to sail through the Suez Canal.

Cambria was defeated and the first of many America's Cup tirades poured forth from the indignant Briton who refused to abide by an adverse protest decision.

The following year he challenged again in the yacht Livonia, which was beaten in two races by the U.S. yacht Columbia. Columbia was disabled in the third race and the Americans substituted the yacht Sappho, which won the next two races.

The Americans then claimed they had won four races out of a possible seven and despite threats of legal action from Ashbury, they held on to the cup.

Ashbury sailed home in a rage, still claiming victory. His protests were not in vain however and that was the last race in which challengers had to meet more than one boat.

The Canadians were the next challengers in 1876 and 1881, with the Countess of Dufferin and Atalanta. They too joined the growing list of unsuccessful contenders.

The next two races in 1885 and 1886 against English challengers were sailed in an atmosphere of good sportsmanship, and the British also went home defeated, though pleased with their sailing.

Bad feeling was generated when the Scottish yacht Thistle was defeated by the defender Volunteer in 1887, and the contention between challengers and defenders grew when the Earl of Dunraven challenged in 1893 and 1895 with Valkyrie II and Valkyrie III.

During both races, the verbal complaints bitterly about the tactics used by the American skippers.

His anger reached a peak during the second challenge and he accused the Americans of adding ballast to the defender, thus creating a longer waterline, which makes a yacht go faster.

The Americans investigated and acquitted their yacht. Furious, Dunraven sailed home, his honorary membership of the New York Yacht Club ceremonially withdrawn.

The Dunraven affair shocked sporting yachtsmen around the world and there were no more challenges for several years until the tea millionaire Sir Thomas Lipton took up the cause.

Lipton was determined to win back the cup for England and spared no expense in his efforts.

He was up against the American yacht designer and naval architect Nathaniel Herreshoff however, and his five yachts, each named Shamrock, were defeated in 1899, 1903, 1905, 1920 and 1930.

Sir Thomas Lipton's yachts won only one race out of the 18 they sailed during the five challenges, but he won a reputation in the U.S. for fairness, for being an outstanding sportsman and for being a good loser.

The 1930 race, in which U.S. yacht Enterprise defeated Shamrock V, was the first to be sailed in the massive J-Class racers.

The J-boats, massive 130-foot thoroughbreds, were sailed with professional captains and crews recruited from the fishing fleets and the merchant marine.

U.S. millionaire Harold Vanderbilt, in Rainbow in 1934, and Ranger in 1937 defeated English challenger, aircraft manufacturer T. O. M. Sopwith and his Endeavour and Endeavour II.

Ranger was the last word in J-boats, and the 1937 race was the last in which the magnificent yachts competed. The depression and the war resulted in the beautiful yachts being sold for scrap and broken up.

The war, rising costs and higher taxes halted further cup challenges until 1958.

The original deed of gift of the America's Cup was altered by the Supreme Court of New York State to allow subsequent challenges to be raced in 12-metre yachts.

Beside the giant J-boats, the 12-metres looked puny.

But the yachts were considered classics of the day and the New York Yacht Club thought it fitting that they should be chosen to carry on the fine traditions of the cup.

The first challenge in the new class came from the British and was raced in 1958 between the English yacht Sceptre and the U.S. yacht Columbia. The British again went home defeated.

The next challenge in 1962 saw the Australians enter for the first time, with Gretel pitted against Weatherly.

THIS year's America's Cup battle will be the first in which aluminium 12-metre yachts will sail.

There are three aluminium-hulled yachts contending, Southern Cross, the Australian syndicate's yacht, and Mariner and Courageous, both potential U.S. defenders.

Intrepid and France are both wooden yachts, but they have their share of staunch traditionalist fans who keep the lively with a new-against-old argument and wood-against-aluminium stand.

Southern Cross, a lean, hungry-looking yacht, is a most impressive sight on the water and is a tribute to her designer, Bob Miller, of Sydney.

The yacht was built for the Australian syndicate by Sydney boat-builder Trygve Halvorsen, in a plant tucked away from the view of the world's press at Terrey Hills, north of Sydney.

Miller designed her with a deep, well-shaped bosom, quite unlike anything seen on a 12-metre yacht before.

In trials off Newport, Southern Cross has shown great promise as a down-wind racer. She has also had a new flexible rudder fitted which will enable her to turn without creating drag and losing boat speed.

Since coming to Newport, Southern Cross also has had an extra 228.6 millimetres (9 inches) added to her keel and has been given more lead which has improved her windward ability markedly.

She has received and successfully used her new Kevlar mainsail, a new mast, the most refined spar yet seen on an Australian 12-metre yacht, and has been tuned to perfection.

Courageous, one of the new U.S. aluminium yachts, is a more traditionally designed boat.

Photo caption: The Southern Cross is fitted out at Newport for the clash with France.

Designed by Olin Stephens, who has designed all but one of the post-war defenders, Courageous is undoubtedly a fast boat.

France, the French syndicate's four-year-old entry, has been redesigned but nothing startling has been added.

She has a new mast and new sails and her hull has been altered giving her a sharper line from bow to keel. But for all practical purposes she is the same boat that Gretel II beat 4-0 in 1970.

Intrepid, the twice-successful defender, is also an Olin Stephens-designed yacht.

She beat Dame Pattie in 1967 4-0, and Gretel II in 1970 4-1, after some redesigning by Britton Chance.

Currently she is almost back to the original design intended by Stephens and has shown surprising speed off Newport.

Mariner, the third U.S. boat contending for the title of defender, has become a bit of an embarrassment to her crew and certainly to designer Britton Chance.

The red-hulled yacht laid an egg in her Newport trials.

The sharply chopped stern, which has become a trademark of Chance-designed yachts, sat firmly in the water and held Mariner back.

But she has been redesigned and is still in the running.

THERE will be an international jury this year to decide all protests and interpretations of racing rules for the first time in cup history.

The members of the jury are Dr Beppe Croce, of Genoa, Italy, the president of the International Yacht Racing Union, Arthur Barron, of Wimbledon, England, and Livius Sherwood, of Ottawa, Canada.

William Foulk will be the chairman of the New York Yacht Club's race committee, and there are five other members. There is also an auxiliary race committee with 12 members.

NO EARLY decision can be expected in the choice of a U.S. defender for The America's Cup.

A close elimination series is being conducted between the three boats vying for the honor by the New York Yacht Club's race committee.

Intrepid, the twice-successful wooden-hulled defender, is the favorite with the armchair admirals, but the New York Yacht Club's favorite is Courageous.

Mariner, billed as the million dollar mistake, is overcoming earlier shortcomings.

After a thorough change of design from the midships aft, and a new skipper - Dennis Conner - Mariner now appears to have a chance to get up.

The New York Yacht Club is racing the boats in pairs now on The America's Cup course.

The club need not name a defender until September 3.

SYDNEY TV stations will screen only seven-minute film reports that will be several days old of each of the races in the Australia-France America's Cup elimination series.

By MALCOLM FORSYTH

The reports will be shown in the station's evening news sessions.

A spokesman for the ABC said there would be no satellite reports unless the elimination series against France reached a crucial stage.

The reports will be provided by the Australian news-gathering organisation Visnews - which will film for the four national networks - ABC-TV, 0-10, Nine and Seven.

But each network will have its own reporter on the scene to provide commentaries for the series.

The ABC spokesman said yesterday there would be several days' delay in getting the films to Sydney, as each would be edited in America before being flown here.

"The races start at 2 a.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time, so it may take up to three days before viewers see the actual films on their screens here," he said.

"Direct telecasts by satellite of the main challenge against America - if the Aussies beat the French - will depend on whether the American networks can be talked into doing it.

"So far, they have shown limited interest in the challenge, and even less interest in the elimination series.

"We are using all possible pressures to convince them to provide a direct telecast."

ABC-TV will screen each race report during its National News at 7 p.m. with Ray Martin, of its New York office, giving a longer report as films arrive.

TEN newsman Peter Hannrahan is expected to cover the challenge for the 0-10 Network if Southern Cross beats France.

Only two are able to race

THE RULES of The America's Cup race are such that only two boats can ever compete for the trophy.

For the past 123 years, the defender has always been an American boat, with challengers coming from England, Scotland, Canada, France and Australia.

The foreign contenders are required to race first.

The foreign contender and the New York Yacht Club defender will then meet in the first cup race on September 10.

YOUR GUIDE TO THE COURSE...

The course and number of races for the series against the French is the same as for the America's Cup match, a best of seven races series sailed over the triangular course, about 24.3 nautical miles in length and comprising six legs. This gives the boats three windward legs, two reaching legs and one square run.