A Brief History of the America’s Cup.
The original contest for the One Hundred Guinea Cup took place off England's Isle of Wight in 1851. The contest was won by the yacht America, against 18 British challengers. Aboard, was Commodore John Cox Stevens, who later presented the trophy to the New York Yacht Club in 1857.
America dominated the event to such an extent, that Queen Victoria was said to ask, "Who's in second?” In which she was told, "You’re Majesty, there is no second!"
The first race for the “America's Cup” was in 1870 off of Staten Island, in New York as the schooner Magic won a fleet race against the British challenger Cambria. In an act of conveyance, the original members of the America syndicate, placed the ‘Cup in a charitable trust as a perpetual challenger’s trophy.
The deed of gift, which is the bylaw that governs the race, was amended by the last surviving member George Schuyler in 1887. The defense of the “Auld Mug” for the most part, takes place every few years. It attracted such luminaries as legendary yacht designer Nathanial Herreshoff, Captain Charles Barr and tea baron Sir Thomas Lipton.
The NYYC moved the regatta to the exclusive resort community of Newport, Rhode Island in 1930. The America’s Cup was graced in the 1930’s by the magnificent J-boat class. Led by railroad and banking blueblood Harold Vanderbilt, he matched up victoriously against the aeronautical wizard T.O.M. Sopwith, from over the pond in England.
After World War ll, the races were revived in 1958 with the 12-Meter Class boat. These 60 ft. yachts provided challenging matches in Newport's moderate and shifty wind conditions. Throughout the next three decades, the NYYC conducted defense trials served up most of the drama, with CNN cable mogul Ted Turner, France’s Baron Marcel Bich (the Bic pen) and avid fan Walter Cronkite providing most of the star power.
That was until 1983, when the controversial winged keel yacht Australia 2, won the America’s Cup in the best of seven races over Dennis Conner's Liberty. The men from the land “downunder" unbolted the trophy and took it back to the picturesque fishing port of Fremantle, Western Australia, to defend it against all comers.
In one of the greatest sports comebacks of all time Conner, challenging under the burgee of the San Diego Yacht Club went down to Australia in 1987 and brought the 'Cup back to America, crushing the Australian yacht Kookaburra in the process 4 to 0.
Enter New Zealand, who through the efforts of banker Michael Fay was able to challenge for the "Cup in 1988 by forcing the SDYC to run the races under a strict interpretation of the original race rules. Again, Dennis Conner countered with a brilliant defense, this time in a fixed wing-sail catamaran.
The America's Cup recycles its event about every 4 years or so. It has changed hands several times between America, New Zealand and now, Switzerland. The Swiss yacht Alinghi, representing the Geneva Yacht Squadron won the ‘Cup in 2003. The team defended it this past year in Valencia, Spain, against many challengers from all over the globe, including teams from South Africa and China.
Since Fay's surprise challenge, the Deed has generally been usurped of its authoritative grip on the rules by mutual agreement provisions called the America's Cup Protocol. The protocol's enabling resolutions allow the Challenger of Record to establish the rules and regatta format to determine who will challenge the defending boat for the America's Cup.
The matches feature the yachts sailing against each other on a windward/leeward course, approximately twenty miles in length. A series of elimination round robins, between all the challengers race for the Louis Vuitton Cup. Each round is worth more points than the last, and the highest scoring two yachts face off against each other to determine who race the defender for the America’s Cup. The Italian fashion design store Louis Vuitton has sponsored the challenger trials since 1970.
Copyright Mark Reid 2007
