The Cup That Cheers

As a former “rag-sailor” and yacht racer on Lake Superior, I very much enjoyed John Rousmaniere’s story “The America’s Cup” (February). As a writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer back in the 1950s, I did some research then on that race and discovered a nice story about Sir Thomas Lipton (mentioned in Rousmaniere’s story as the challenger and loser of five America’s Cup races). After Lipton’s fifth and final defeat in 1930, as I recall, a sympathizer tried to console the venerable British yachtsman by telling him that it was obvious that the Americans were “putting something in the water.” Wearily, the gallant sportsman replied, “Yes, madam, they are. It’s a better boat.”