The Knife & the Scow

Still wearing his racing dungarees, Peter Scott, helmsman of Britain's Sovereign, sat in Newport's Ann Street Armory answering reporters' questions. Why was Sovereign's mainsail flapping like a sheet on a clothesline? "I'm afraid," smiled Scott, "that's its normal behavior." Well, what was the most encouraging thing about Sovereign's initial performance? Scott sighed. "The most encouraging thing was that Constellation didn't beat us by more."

If ever a stiff upper lip was called for, this was it. In the first test of the best of-seven series, Constellation had trounced Sovereign by 5 min. 34 sec., leading every foot of the way around the 24.3-mile triangular course. It could hardly get any worse--but it did. In the second race, with crashing seas and a stiff, 20-knot breeze, Connie went out and humiliated Sovereign, winning by the widest margin in modern America's Cup history.

Seamanship was never an issue; the battle had been won and lost long months before on the designers' drawing boards. Sovereign's Scott actually put his boat across the starting line five lengths ahead. But Rival Helmsman Bob Bavier simply sailed Constellation through Sovereign's lee, within 15 minutes had a ten-length lead as Designer Olin Stephens' powerful hull knifed smoothly through the buffeting swells, while Sovereign pounded like a flat-bottomed scow. When Constellation swept across the finish line, Sovereign was 21 miles and more than 20 minutes behind. Aboard the British tender, Sovereign's designer, David Boyd, hid his face in his hands.

The third race was more of the same: Constellation winning by 6 min. 33 sec. Only a miracle could help Sovereign now--and Scott was a realist. "What do I think of Sovereign's chances?" he answered reporters. "I expect pretty much the same as you."

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