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THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF SPORT
'HOOT MON' DOES IT AGAIN
Off the coast of Miami, Fla. last week 21 sleek, ocean-going yachts gathered for the most spectacular race of the winter season: the 184-mile thrash to Nassau. They ranged in size from the 80-foot Valiant—52 years old but still fast enough to be scratch-boat in the fleet's complex system of handicaps—down to the likes of the 37-foot yawl Spray, with a time allowance of some nine hours.
The attention of most observers, however, was focused on a low-slung 39-foot yawl, Hoot Mon, the defending champion for this year's race. Last season Hoot Mon came to Miami tabbed by some experts as an unsafe boat because of her radically designed hull that adhered more closely to the fine lines of a racing Star boat than to the more substantial lines of an ocean cruiser. But Hoot Mon won handily.
This year she came to the line a favorite, and in spite of frequent calms that threatened to reduce the dignified old competition to a drifting match, Skipper Lockwood Pirie brought her home a winner. Second by 35 minutes was Carleton Mitchell's Finisterre; third, Bradley Noyes' Tioga; and fourth was Spray, whose fiber-glass deck and hull coating added a radical touch to this year's race. But Spray contributed more to the event than radical touches. During a race that ranged from uneventful to downright dull for most boats, Spray tore her genoa jib three times, pulled out a piece of masthead rigging; and finally, during a two-hour calm on the second night, her crew managed to lasso, bring to boat and cut the tail from a nine-foot shark.
Precarious Perch on plunging bow of yawl Spray is taken by crewman who watches as hastily repaired genoa jib is rehoisted.
Up the mast of Spray, crew member Warren Bailey dangles dizzily from a bosun's chair after making emergency repairs on rigging that had torn out during gusts on first night.
Champion "Hoot Mon," running on abroad reach with all of her sails set, won the 184-mile race for the second successive year, beating a fleet of 20 top ocean racers despite fickle winds and currents. Sails flying on the sleek yawl are, left to right, parachute spinnaker, balloon forestaysail, mainsail (with number), mizzenstaysail and, finally, mizzen sail.
GEORGIA TECH'S RAMBLING WRECKERS
By Kentucky standards the 2,000-seat basketball arena at Georgia Tech is a minor affair—the University of Kentucky gym seats 11,500. Before their game in Atlanta last week, blunt-speaking Coach Adolph Rupp of Kentucky accosted Coach John (Whack) Hyder of Georgia Tech and demanded: "What's your aim in basketball here? What do you expect to accomplish with a place like this to play in?"
Coach Hyder thought for a moment and then clearly stated his aims: "First I want my boys to adjust spiritually. Next I want them to go to school and get an education. Next I want them to give us their basketball time."
Said Rupp: "You can't do that. Boys aren't built that way any more."
That night Tech's boys, who aren't supposed to be built that way, wrecked mighty Kentucky, top college team in the nation, 65-59 for an incredible repeat of the miracle of early January, when lowly Tech beat Kentucky at Lexington to end a 32-game Kentucky winning streak. Capping the surprises was the gracious acceptance of the second defeat by hard loser Rupp, who said: "That shows you what'll happen when a team wants to win bad enough."
DRESSING ROOM DELIRIUM SEIZES GEORGIA TECH TEAM AFTER 65-59 WIN OVER KENTUCKY. COACH HYDER IS FOURTH FROM RIGHT
TENSE HYDER CLAIMS OFFICIALS MISSED FOUL AGAINST TECH
DESPAIRING RUPP HOLDS HIS HEAD JUST BEFORE GAME ENDS
SIX PHOTOS
