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The Detroit Gold Cup and Sweepstake Races |
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Rainbow IV Wins Gold Cup |
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An Error in Our Gold Cup Story |
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The Gold Cup Class Revisited : 1924 |
1924 APBA Gold Cup
An Error in Our Gold Cup Story
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From W. D. Edenburn, of the Detroit Y. C., comes a letter advising us that our Gold Cup story, crediting Rainbow IV with winning the historic trophy, is in error, as the protest which was filed against the boat was not withdrawn as we stated in the last issue. The conditions surrounding this matter are so peculiar that we believe it well to call particular attention to them.
THE RUDDER had two representatives at the Detroit races. Both of these representatives were told that the protest had been withdrawn and that the cup was to go to Rainbow. As further proof of the prevalence of this opinion, three of our contemporaries printed stories to the effect that the protest had been withdrawn, and the fourth had such a story in type when the editor heard another rumor and called Detroit on the telephone to get the truth. He was then told that the race was still protested and changed his story. It doesn't seem possible that the various representatives of all these publications could have made the same mistake without some reason for the error.
It is acknowledged that the very excellent summary sheets which were sent to all publications by Mr. Edenburn did have scrawled across them a note to the effect that a protest had been filed, but most of us took this to mean that the official unravelling of the red tape had not been accomplished, but that the protest would eventually be discarded. We neither know, nor care, why the false information was given out, but we do wish our readers to understand that it was not the result of sloppy editorial arrangements.
As the above was being written, word came that the protest has been decided against Rainbow IV on the grounds that her underbody was that of a hydroplane and not that of a runabout. The claim certainly has a basis, for Rainbow IV was lapped-straked with the laps of the underbody running in a general athwartships direction. Now the rules distinctly state that a Gold Cup boat may have lapped-strake planking, and it seems that the rule makers should have seen the obvious method of planking. We do know that directly after the A. P. B. A. meeting when the lapped-strake rule was passed, that several of the speed enthusiasts got together and discussed exactly such a boat, as far as the underbody planking was concerned, as Crouch turned out for Greening.
One of the delicate points in connection with the decision to allow the protest was the fact that, according to information given out at Detroit, the official measurer of the Gold Cup Committee went to Canada by request while Rainbow was building and passed her as eligible. It was also said that he again passed her when he made his official inspection just previous to the race. If this is true, it puts the measurer in a most embarrassing position and sets a precedent which means that designers and builders can never know whether or not the boats they plan are eligible until after the race. In any event, let us hope that New York can run this race next year without technicalities and bickering.
(Reprinted from The Rudder, November 1924, p.40)
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