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1933 International Championship - Long Beach, CA

1933 International Championship - Long Beach, CA, USA

The following results are from George Elder's book "Forty Years Among The Stars". In common with the early Logs it is interesting to note that in his results Elder does not give the yacht numbers of the boats which participated in the World's, but only just their names. It was not until the 1950 Log that yacht numbers were included in the results. From 1950 through 1976 both yacht numbers and names were given, but starting with 1977 frequently only yacht numbers were given. The last time both yacht numbers and yacht names were given was 1989.

In later years sometimes fleet designations were omitted. In these cases some of the more obvious fleet designations were supplied. Also from time to time only last names were supplied. First names, where known, were added.

Abbreviations etc: Dsa - Disabled. Dsq - Disqualified. Dns - Did Not Start.
Wdr - Withdrew. Ch - Chairman. B - Builder. * - Defending Fleet. 0 - No points, reason not given.

1933 - OFF LONG BEACH HARBOR

Skipper Crew Yacht Fleet
Race 1
Race 2
Race 3
Race 4
Race 5
Pts.
G. Waterhouse W. Metcalf Three Star San Francisco
3
4
7
3
1
67
E. Thorne L. Thorne Mist Great South Bay
2
13
2
2
3
63
H. Dowsett Jr H. White Chip Hawaiian Islands
5
12
4
5
2
57
J. Arms M. Sykes Andiamo II C. Long Island Sound
12
6
3
4
4
56
A. Iselin E. Willis Ace W. Long Island Sound
10
1
6
10
5
53
H. Besrdslee T. Webster Moira Newport Harbor
8
3
5
9
9
51
E. Fink J. Hayes Movie Star II *Long Beach
1
Dsq
1
Dsq
1
48
N. Martin T. Cram Phar Lap Santa Barbara
9
5
Wdr
7
6
41
J. Rockwell W. Lyon Vega II Philippines
11
14
8
6
7
39
P. Shields L. Bainbridge Gull Peconic-Gardiners
7
10
9
12
8
39
R. Smith J. Winterbotham Neried Galveston Bay
4
2
10
15
Dns
37
Patsy Raskob M. Shehan Ripple Eastern Shore
6
8
12
11
11
37
C. Kelley R. Summer Seaward San Diego Bay
15
7
Dns
13
12
23
J. Cleary H. Graham Sparkler II New Orleans
14
9
14
8
Dns
23
C. Ross G. Horder Cene Puget Sound
13
15
13
14
12
18
Mrs. Balken J. Norwood LaTortue Villefranche
16
11
11
16
Dns
14

Winning yacht No. 946. B - Dittmar, Newport California 1932. Ch. I.R.C. - H. M. Dowsett. Ch. Meeting - H. M. Worcester.

Regatta Report from the 1934 Log

The 1933 International Championship

Anyone who has ever taken part in one of the Star Class annual series will understand the stir and excitement which pervaded the atmosphere in the vicinity of Long Beach harbor for the week or ten days prior to August 25th. Rumors concerning possible entries from various parts of the world were rife, and local followers of the Star class had hardly recovered from the excitement of the Long Beach fleet elimination series which Movie Star Il had captured by a narrow margin over Zoa and Patriot. Early in August the exciting Southern California Regatta at Santa Barbara had given four of the International contenders a chance to try their wings against each other. Moira, of the Newport Harbor fleet, won the series by a close margin over Vega II, chartered to Rockwell of the Philippine fleet. Phar Lap of Santa Barbara and Three-Star-Too of San Francisco Bay. Mrs. Bailey Balken of the Ville Franche fleet had been on the Pacific Coast since June and had recently chartered La Tortue of the Newport Harbor fleet. 

Herb Dowsett, who, as ranking member of the I.E.C., was to act as chairman of the race committee had arrived from Hawaii. Young Herbert, alias "Puck," was putting the finishing touches on Chin at Wilmington. A crew of men with a pile driver was hastening to complete the new haul-out facilities which were the contribution of the City of Long Beach to the festivities. There was much speculation as to how many Atlantic Coast fleets would be represented; and would Bradley who had so nearly won in 1932 be able to compete? No one knew. And then the entry blanks were received and in quick succession the sleek boats arrived and were made ready for action.

The blue Andiamo il from Central Long Island Sound lay alongside of the beautiful gray Gull of Peconic-Gardiners Bay feet and these two were eagerly compared with the two graceful white boats-Ripple from the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Mist from Great South Bay. New York. These seemed fully able to uphold the fame or the cast, but there was real disappointment when it was found that Atwater and Lawton would not be present to work any of their black magic with the Atlantic champion Moonshine from Narragansett Bay.

The boys from the new Puget Sound fleet had some tough luck as well as unlooked for excitement when the Cene was dropped about twenty feet into the water at Oakland harbor on the way down. The skeg and rudder were split, but they were able to make some excellent emergency repairs and were ready on time. The south was well represented by the former champion Sparkler 11 from New Orleans and the new Nereid from Galveston Bay.

Moira and La Tortue were sailed up from Newport and at the last moment, Seaward arrived from San Diego making sixteen entries, signed, sealed and delivered for the opening.

First Race
Long Beach Harbor presented a busy picture on this Friday morning. Last minute touches with extra-fine sandpaper removed many an imaginary blemish and applications of "bear-oil" and "go-fast" compounds were applied with much fervor. Boats went overboard as fast as the crane could operate. Excitement increased as the starting time drew near and the sixteen boats stood out of the harbor with a light and variable breeze towards the approxi mate starting line beyond the anchored battleships.

Movie Star 11, the defending champion, proudly carried a new suit of sails with the gold star of 1932 as she left the harbor; but near the starting line an incident transpired which as things turned out, was apparently filled with por tent. Three Star Too of the San Francisco Bay fleet arrived early also and the two boats engaged in a few friendly tuning-up brushes. These were evidently not to the liking oi Movie's skipper, as in a few moments he hove to and changed canvas, and the gold star did not reappear during the entire series. Soon all of the boats were on hand and anxiously waiting for display of the course signal which the committee set as a windward-leeward affair, twice around.

Eddie Fink, the defending champion, got a way to an excellent start, came about on a port tack and headed inshore with list and the rest of the fleet close behind. The light south west breeze was tricky and full of soft spots and hauled around so that the course lid not provide any true wind ward work and but one real run. Movie Star II led list at the windward mark by a comfortable margin after brilliant sailing in the light breeze. Ice was third but lost this position to Three Star Too at the end of the first round.

As they rounded the lower mark, some held the starboard tack out to sea and about half the fleet elected to hold closer towards the shore. Then a most surprising thing happened. The windward mark started moving out to sea in tow oi a Coast Guard cutter, which maneuver considerably favored those who had held the starboard course. Eventually it resumed a fixed position and the battle continued with spirited contests all down the line. Movie Star and Mist maintained their advantage and Eddie finished the race 36 seconds ahead of the Great South Bay boat in which he had won the gold star of 1932, now sailed by Edwin Thorne-his former crew.

The real feature of the second round was the brilliant work of Patsey Raskob and her crew William Sheehan in bringing Ripple from fifteenth past eight boats to finish in sixth place. The wind had dropped to six miles an hour and Patsey showed that Ripple is a ghost in light airs.

It was a great race in which the defending champion definitely showed his superiority over the balance of the fleet and his almost uncanny knowledge of local conditions. As the boats were moored for the night and the contestants repaired to the delightful Spanish barbecue and entertainment at the Virginia Country Club there were many predictions that Eddie Fink would sweep the series to retain his championship for another year.

Second Race
While the defending champion had everything his own way the first day, the second race brought difficulties which proved his undoing. The wind was extremely light and flukey, probably averaging from three to five miles an hour. The long ground-swell bothered a lot of the boats in the light going, but Ace of the parent star boat fleet at Western Long Island lived up to her reputation and came home with the laurels. Today the gentle breeze was much to her liking and Adrian Iselin made the most of it by gaining the lead through a beautifully timed start. This start, by the way, was said by observers to have been the most beautiful evolution by a fleet of yachts ever seen in these waters; every boat crossed the line within a few seconds after the gun.

The course was twice around a triangle with all marks to starboard and it looked for a time as if there would not be enough wind to permit a finish within the time limit. On this first leg, Movie Star II and Gull were in close quarters under the eyes of the Regatta Committee and the ensuing tangle resulted in eventual disqualification of the defending champion.

After his excellent start, Iselin clung tenaciously to the lead and brought Ace all the way around without being headed. Nereid II fought hard all of the way however and finished only 12 seconds behind the winner. Beardslee sailed a clever race bringing Moira across the line in third place, winning out over Three Star Too by 32 seconds while Dr. Martin brought Phar Lar in fifth place one minute and 36 seconds ahead oi Movie Star. On the basis of early returns Nereid Il led the series with 28 points, Movie Star II and Three Star Too were tied for second with 27 points each while Ace and Moira tied for fourth with 23 points each. After the disqualification of Movie Star II which came as a surprise to most of the contestants who had not seen the incident, the lower boats all moved up one point, Three Star Too advanced to second place with Ace and Moira tied for third.

Bowling home under a fine late afternoon breeze the boats were soon stowed away for the night and the sailors and their ladies were whisked away to New port. Here the Newport Harbor Yacht Club soon made them forget the trials and exasperations of the race by entertaining with a delightful dinner dance. The daily trophies were duly presented to Iselin and Willis, Smith and Winterbotham and Beardslee and Webster and the crew of the Nereid Il were toasted for their prowess in leading the series through consistent and hard sailing.

Third Race
During the morning the sky was overcast with a light fog and the lazy air scarcely fluttered the gay flags on the yachts. As the Stars left the harbor for the starting line the wind was still low and weather conditions similar to those of the second race seemed probable. Thus most of the skippers were unprepared for the piping breeze which came up from the south-west shortly before the start and held throughout the afternoon. The committee announced a windward-leeward, twice-around course for a total of ten miles. The breeze soon kicked up some short whitecaps which combined with the huge ground swells added materially to the difficulties facing the visiting crews.

The start was another close one and nicely timed by most of the boats. Movie Star Il crossed in second place and quickly took an inshore tack which paid big dividends. It seemed that the defending champion, nettled by his defeat and subsequent disqualification in the second race was determined to show the world his real skill; and he succeeded admirably. Movie Star II led the fleet by 30 seconds at the wind ward mark and increased this margin on each leg of the course. Eddie Fink's knowledge of his home waters was demonstrated in the second beat to Windward when he took advantage of a slight shift in the wind to lay a course dead for the mark after one short hitch. Edwin Thorne maintained second position all around by consistently good sailing and brought Mist home just ten seconds ahead of Andiamo II but a full 2 minutes and 41 seconds astern of the winner. The Hawaiian entry was fourth 57 seconds later leading Moira by a minute and 55 seconds.

Then came the most exciting finish of the day. Ace and Three Star Too rounded the windward mark almost together, set their whisker poles and with the breeze now blowing about fifteen miles an hour, came sliding down the big rollers neck and neck. The San Francisco Bay entry had been back in tenth place, but had pulled up and was doing her level best to lose out the Western Long Island Sound boat for sixth. Three Star Too was on the port tack, but had the advantage of the short end of the line and with a jibe intended to force Ace with a luff at the last moment. The maneuver was started but the starboard backstay was jammed in the spreader and could not be completed. Ace covered immediately, caught a puff and a big roller and scooted across the finish line to take sixth place by two seconds.

The showing of Nereid was a disappointment in this race as the Galveston entry finished tenth behind Vega II and Gull and thereby dropped from first in the series to a tie for second with Moira while Three Star Too went into the lead by two points and Ace and Mist tied for fourth with 34 each. Mrs. Bailey Balken sailed her best race of the series bringing La Tortue in eleventh just 37 seconds ahead of Ripple. This was the only race in which the Villefranche entry was able to best her feminine rival.

Fourth Race
The morning dawned bright and clear and as finishing touches were given to the boats the wind freshened to about ten miles an hour and held pretty steadily there throughout the afternoon. The I.R.C. announced a triangular course of 10 1/2 miles; twice around and all marks to starboard. With the favorable breeze and pleasant sailing conditions, each of the skippers, with the experience of three races behind him figured to do much better than in the previous contests, but it turned out that the leaders would not be denied. After another beautiful start in which the entire fleet crossed the line in a huddle on the starboard tack, Moxie Star Il followed her usual tactics and was first to come about on the inshore tack. Free from the encumbering pack struggling for position and splitting tacks off the battle fleet, she pointed like a witch for the windward mark and rounded it more than a minute in advance oi Mist. The Great South Bay boat finally staved off a desperate effort of Three Star Too on the run to the finish line to take second place by 31 seconds. This was the third time Mist took this place in the series and everyone began to feel that Edwin Thorne had about established a perpetual claim on second position. Neither boat could get very close to the defending champion however who increased his lead on each leg of the course and swept across the line 2 minutes and 2 seconds ahead of Mist. Eddie Fink thus established a new record by crossing the line first in three races of an International series,

The second division of the fleet staged a thrilling battle for position all the way from the windward mark the second time around. Chin climbed from 7th to 4th at that mark and then engaged in a series of spirited luffing matches with Three Star Too and Andiamo. She finally was forced to be content with fifth place by 12 seconds behind Audio which in turn was 15 seconds astern of the San Francisco Bay boat. In the excitement. Rockwell who was sailing his best race of the series for the Manila Bay fleet, almost stole that 5th place and put Vega II over the line just 3 seconds after Chip. Forty-nine seconds later came the green-hulled Phar Lap and then a keen contest between Sparkler Il and Moira. Cleary had some rather tough luck during the series but did his best on this occasion and put the New Orleans boat over four seconds ahead of Beardslee. The next five boats staged a pretty finish with Patsey crowding Ace by 35 seconds and beating Gull by 25 seconds. Rufus Smith was still unable to pull the Galveston boat out of the mud finishing after Seaward and Cene and only beating La Tortue which again held down the cellar place.

With but one race to sail the coveted gold star might still be won by any of the leading six or seven boats as the point score was very close. Three Star Too had a slender lead of two points with 51 over Mist with 49. Movie Star II trailed by one point with 48. While Andiamo and Moira followed with 43 each, Chip had 42 and Ace 41.

Fifth Race
A booming breeze of 15 to 18 knots blew from the southwest, providing ideal sailing conditions with plenty of action for the contestants. Two postponements were necessary for emergency repairs. Movie Star had to replace a couple of broken batters and list carried away her jib halyard on which Edwin Thorne did a clever piece of emergency repair work in the rolling seas. The I.R.C. had announced a windward-leeward course, three times around.

The fleet got away to a close start in the rail-down breeze but Movie Star II and Three Star Too Soon pulled out ahead of the others and proceeded to stage one of the most spectacular duels of this or any other series. On the first beat to wind ward the defending champion appeared to again have a decided edge and rounded the weather mark with a minute and three seconds lead. Third and fourth came Chip and Mist just 16 seconds apart and fighting every inch of the way for the precious series points.

From the first windward mark Three Star Too commenced the giant's job of cutting down that lead. She gained 13 seconds on the first rum, 10 seconds on the second beat, and had made up all but a scant 15 seconds when the boats, smothered in spray, reached the lower marker at the end of the second round. Fink was showing signs of nervousness and elected to stay on the starboard tack to begin the last beat while Waterhouse came about quickly and footed to leeward to avoid the bunched fleet bearing down on the mark. Movie Star was pointing higher, but the Three Star Too with slightly eased sheets was travelling like a hooked swordfish as the two rivals flew along on the port tack. Then occurred the most dramatic incident in the series.

About the middle of the heat Three Star Too came about quickly to the starboard tack and passed just under Movie Star II's stern. Eddie came about to cover and at the same instant Three Star Too was over on the port tack and away. Again they split tacks and this time Movie Star could not make it and attempted to take the safe leeward position. The San Francisco boat was pointing too high and travelling too fast however and gradually crawled ahead until the defender was in the hopeless position. Fink was too eager at the windward stake boat and put Movie Star extremely close to the mark preparatory to a quick jibe to save time. A swell raised the stake boat as a gust of wind bellied out the leech of the sail. The contact was evident to those on the nearby committee boat and the race was officially over as far as Movie Star II was concerned. However, she remained in the race and the two boats surged down on the line with Three Star Too a shade ahead and Movie covering all of the way. Three Star Too carried her boom on the starboard side and as they approached the short end of the line it seemed evident that the closely following boat might force her into a possible foul with the committee boat. It was a case of everything to lose and nothing to gain for the Three Star Too which had the series safely in the bag by three points anyway, so she jibed and gave plenty of room to the other boat to cross a shade ahead.

Chip had been coming down wind all this time with the speed of a frightened tern and crossed the finish line 1 minute and 5 seconds behind the new champion to take second and a well earned third in the series. Mist came in third a minute later closely followed by Andiamo, Ace and Phar Lap in that order, and then Vega II and Gull staged another oi their thrilling finishes, just 10 seconds apart. Moira, Seaward and Ripple were minutes later and Cene finally dragged in with her broken wing to win the first challenge trophy. A serio-comic incident of the day was provided when Rufus Smith on a port tack drove Nereid full speed into Mrs. Balken's La Tortue, knocking that attractive lady overboard and very effectively putting both boats out of the race. In view of the speed at which the craft were travelling it was fortunate that no one was seriously hurt and that no major damage was done to either boat.

The hauling out and measuring of the three leading boats the next day was just an incident prior to the big annual banquet that night at the ballroom of the Breakers Hotel. Commodore Soiland of the Pacific Coast Yachting Association gave a graceful message of greeting to the yachtsmen, and Commodore Smith of the San Francisco Yacht Club urged everyone present to come to San Francisco for the big series in 1934. The series trophies were duly presented to Waterhouse and Metcalf of Three Star Too, Edwin Thorne and Landon K. Thorne of Mist and "Puck" Dowsett and "Hod" White of Chip. Rockwell took the invaders trophy home to the Philippines and the two ladies were awarded special prizes for the part they played in the enjoyable series. Ross and Horder were somewhat appeased over some of the hard luck they had with Cene during the week when they received the first challenge trophy.

The charming daughter of chairman Dowsett of the I.R.C. added greatly to the enjoyment of the evening by her graceful presentation of several native Hawaiian dances. And so the great series ended. The big cup stays on the Pacific Coast for another year with prospects of plenty of thrills and excitement on San Fran cisco Bay next fall. No matter where they finished, the contestants had a mighty good time at Long Beach and plenty of things to talk about and enjoy in retrospect during the long winter evenings.

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