America's Cup
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The America's Cup is the most famous and most prestigious regatta in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the FA Cup by two decades and the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The sport attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its long history and prestige as the "Holy Grail" of yachting. Although the most salient aspect of the regatta is its yacht races, it is also a test of boat design, sail design, fundraising, and managing people. The cup, originally offered as the Royal Yacht Squadron cup, is now named after the first yacht to win the trophy, the schooner America. The trophy remained in the hands of the New York Yacht Club of the United States from 1852 or 1857 (when the syndicate that won the Cup donated the trophy to the club) until 1983 when the Cup was won by the challenger, Australia II of Australia, ending the longest winning streak in the history of sport. For the first time in 132 years, America had lost the "cup" to another country. The skipper of Australia II, John Bertrand, was quoted in saying, "This puts yacht racing back on the map!"
The America's Cup regatta is a challenge-driven yacht series that currently involves a best-of-nine series of match racing (a duel between two boats). Since the 1992 match, the regatta has been sailed with the International America's Cup Class (IACC) sloop, a monohull boat that has an average length of about 75 feet (23 m). Any challenger who meets the requirements specified in the Deed of Gift, which governs the regatta, has the right to challenge the yacht club that holds the Cup. Since 1983, Louis Vuitton has sponsored the Louis Vuitton Cup as a prize for the winner of the challenger selection series (which was inaugurated for the 1970 match). The America's Cup is a race between the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup and the current holder. If the challenging team wins the cup, the cup's ownership is transferred from the defender's yacht club to the winning team's yacht club.
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[edit] History
The Cup itself is an ornate silver-plated Britannia metal bottomless ewer, crafted in 1848 by Garrard & Co. The trophy is inscribed with names of the yachts that competed in the regatta's matches. Bases matching the silver cup were added in 1958 and 2003 to accommodate more names. The cup is one of three or six that were made as off-the-shelf trophies. Sir Henry Paget, the Marquess of Anglesey bought one and donated it for the Royal Yacht Squadron's 1851 Annual Regatta around the Isle of Wight. It was originally known by the Squadron as the "Royal Yacht Squadron Cup" or the "RYS Cup for One Hundred Sovereigns". The Cup subsequently became known as the "One Hundred Guinea(s) Cup", by the American syndicate that won it. As time went by, the Cup was also referred to as the "Queen's Cup", the "America Cup", and the "America's Cup". Today, the trophy is officially known as the America's Cup and affectionately called the "Auld Mug" by the sailing community.
The regatta's origins date back to August 22, 1851 when the 30.86 m schooner-yacht America, owned by a syndicate that represented the New York Yacht Club, raced 15 yachts representing the Royal Yacht Squadron around the Isle of Wight. America won by 20 minutes. Apocryphally, Queen Victoria asked who was second; the answer famously was: "There is no second, your Majesty."
The surviving members of the syndicate which owned the America donated the Cup through a Deed of Gift (written in 1852) to the New York Yacht Club on July 8, 1857. The trophy would be held in trust as a "challenge" trophy to promote friendly competition among nations.
Stung by this blow to contemporary perceptions of invincible British sea power, a succession of British syndicates attempted to win back the cup, but the New York Yacht Club remained unbeaten for 25 challenges over 113 years, the longest winning streak in the history of sport. Matches were held in the vicinity of New York City from 1870 and 1920, which includes the "Herreshoff Period" between 1893 and 1920, when cup defenders were designed by Nathanael Herreshoff. From 1930 to 1983, the races were sailed off Newport, Rhode Island for the rest of the NYYC's reign.
One of the most famous and determined challengers was Scottish tea baron Sir Thomas Lipton. Between 1899 and 1930 he mounted five challenges, all in yachts named Shamrock, two of which were designed by William Fife. One of Lipton's motivations for making so many challenges was the publicity that racing generated for his Lipton Tea company, though his original entry was at the personal request of the Prince of Wales in hopes of repairing trans-Atlantic ill-will generated by the contentious earlier challenger, Lord Dunraven. Lipton was preparing for his sixth challenge when he died in 1931. The yachts used during the Lipton era were very large sailing sloops; for example, Shamrock V, which is still sailing today, measures 120 feet (36 m) long.
[edit] After World War II
After World War II, the huge and expensive J-class yachts were replaced by the much smaller 12-metre class yachts, which measure from approximately 65 feet to 75 feet (20 to 23 m) overall. The NYYC's unbeaten streak continued in eight more defences, running from 1958 to 1980. The inventor of the cunningham sail control device to increase performance, Briggs Cunningham, skippered the Columbia during its 1958 victory in the first challenge after 1937. Alan Bond, a flamboyant and controversial Australian businessman made three challenges for the cup between 1974 and 1980, failing all three times, including a loss to Ted Turner in 1977, who skippered Courageous. He returned in 1983 with a golden spanner which he claimed would be used to unbolt the cup from its plinth, so he could take it home.
In 1983 there were six foreign challengers for the cup. Bond's campaign, representing the Royal Perth Yacht Club, won the elimination series for the "right to challenge" the NYYC, the prize for which was the Louis Vuitton Cup. In the challenger series, Bond's Australia II, skippered by John Bertrand and designed by Ben Lexcen won easily. The Australians recovered from a bad start to win the America's Cup 4-3 in a best-of-seven format and break the 132-year winning streak.
Beaten skipper Dennis Conner won the Cup back four years later, with the yacht Stars & Stripes representing the San Diego Yacht Club, but had to fend off an unprecedented 13 challenger syndicates to do it. Bond's syndicate lost the Defender series and did not race in the final.
[edit] 1983
The 1983 match for the America's Cup would become one of the most significant turning points in the history of the cup and was the beginning of a change in Cup competition. Alan Bond arrived at Newport with Australia II, already billed as one of the biggest threats to American 12 Metre dominance. The revolutionary keel sported by the Australian Yacht caused controversy with the Cup's reputation for being as much a courtroom battle as a series of yacht races coming to show in full force. Numerous challenges could not stop the Australian team from racing and, after surviving tests at sea and in the courtroom, the series proceeded with heightened media attention. Australia II suffered equipment failure in the first two races against the American defender Liberty but came back from 3-1 down to win the last three races and the America's Cup. In winning the seventh and deciding race on 26th of September, Australia II became the first successful challenger in 132 years.
[edit] The changing face of the Cup
Technology was now playing an increasing role in the yacht design. The 1983 winner, Australia II, had sported its innovative winged keel, and the New Zealand boat that Conner had beaten in the Louis Vuitton final in Fremantle was the first 12-metre class to have a fibreglass hull construction rather than aluminium. The New Zealand syndicate had to fight off legal challenges from Conner's team who were demanding that "core samples" be taken from the plastic hull to prove that it met class specifications (requiring damaging the yacht hull by drilling holes in it). "Why would you build a plastic yacht unless you wanted to cheat?" said Conner at a press conference. The legal challenge, apparently a successful attempt to unsettle the New Zealand challenger, created a legacy of bitterness between Team New Zealand and Conner.
[edit] The end of the 12-metre era
In 1988, soon after Stars and Stripes' victory had redeemed Dennis Conner's reputation but before the San Diego Yacht Club had publicly issued terms for the next regatta, a New Zealand syndicate, led by merchant banker Michael Fay, lodged a surprise "big boat" challenge under the original rules of the cup trust deed. The challenge, which was said to be a return to the tradition of the J-boat, used a gigantic yacht named New Zealand (KZ1) or the Big Boat, giving the defenders little time to prepare. Fay had challenged using the maximum size yacht possible — even larger than a J-class yacht - which was swiftly built and presented for the contest. Conner's syndicate, however, recognised that a catamaran was not expressly prohibited under the rules. Catamarans, due to less water friction, are vastly quicker than monohulls as a rule. Conner did not leave anything to chance, however, and commissioned a cutting-edge design with a wing sail, also named Stars and Stripes. A legal battle ensued over whether Conner or Fay had broken the rules or merely skirted the edges of them. The teams were directed by one American court to compete in a farcical race which New Zealand predictably lost by a huge margin. A second court then awarded New Zealand the cup, only to have a third court decide the San Diego Yacht Club should hold the cup. The New Zealanders asked the court to look to the spirit of the deed — their position was based on the fact that the deed provided for a "match" between two yachts, and a multihull against a monohull could not be called a "match" in any sporting sense. The Americans' black letter argument — that there was nothing expressly prohibiting a multihull in the Cup deed — prevailed in the third court.
In the wake of the 1988 challenge, the International America's Cup Class (IACC) of yachts was introduced, replacing the 12-metre class that had been used since 1958. First raced in 1992, the IACC yachts are the ones used today.
- In 1992, America3, raced by billionaire Bill Koch and sailing legend Harry "Buddy" Melges, defeated the Italian challenger Il Moro, owned by billionaire Raul Gardini's Il Moro di Venezia. (Team New Zealand had led the challengers going into the Louis Vuitton final but the Italians and Americans had forced removal of the New Zealand yacht's bow sprit in the court room.)
- In 1995, The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron syndicate Team New Zealand, skippered by Russell Coutts, first won the challenger series in NZL 32, dubbed Black Magic because of its black hull and uncanny speed, then defeated the Stars & Stripes team who were sailing the Young America yacht, with Dennis Conner at the helm, 5–0, to win the cup.
The 1995 Cup was notable for the televised sinking of oneAustralia during its opening round with Team New Zealand (her crew were rescued by a New Zealand support boat).
- In March 1997, a person entered the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's clubroom and damaged the America's Cup with a sledgehammer. The attacker, a recidivist petty criminal, claimed the attack was politically motivated, though that did not stop him going to jail. The damage was so severe that it was feared that the cup was irreparable. London's Garrards silversmiths, who had manufactured the cup in 1848, painstakingly restored the trophy to its original condition over three months, free of charge, simply because it was the America's Cup.
- At Auckland in 1999–2000, Team New Zealand, led by Peter Blake, and again skippered by Russell Coutts, defeated Challenger Italy’s Prada Challenge from the Yacht Club Punta Ala. The Italians had previously beaten the AmericaOne syndicate from the St Francis Yacht Club in the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals. This was the first America's Cup to be contested without an American challenger or defender.
[edit] 2003 America's Cup
The 2002–2003 Louis Vuitton Cup, held in the Hauraki Gulf in Auckland, New Zealand saw nine teams from six countries staging 120 races over five months to select a challenger for the America's Cup.
- On January 19, 2003 the Swiss challenger Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi, skippered by Russell Coutts, won the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals by defeating the American challenger, Larry Ellison's Oracle BMW Racing, 4–1, once again eliminating the United States from the America's Cup competition.
- On February 15, 2003, racing for the Cup itself began. In a stiff breeze, Alinghi won the first race easily after New Zealand, skippered throughout the series by Dean Barker, withdrew due to multiple gear failures in the rigging and the low cockpit unexpectedly taking onboard large quantities of water. Race 2, on February 16, 2003, was won by Alinghi by a margin of only seven seconds. It was one of the closest, most exciting races seen for years, with the lead changing several times and a duel of 33 tacking manoeuvres on the fifth leg. Then on February 18, in Race 3, Alinghi won the critical start, after receiving last minute advice about a wind shift, and led throughout the race, winning with a 23 second margin. After nine days without being able to race, first due to a lack of wind, then with high winds and rough seas making it too dangerous to race, February 28, originally a planned lay-day, was chosen as a race day. Race 4 was again sailed in strong winds and rough seas and New Zealand's difficulties continued, when her mast snapped on the third leg. The next day, March 1, 2003, was again a frustratingly calm day, the race finally being called off after the yachts had again spent over two hours waiting for a start in the light air. Alinghi skipper Russell Coutts was unable to celebrate his 41st birthday with a cup win, but was in a commanding position in the series to do so on March 2. Race 5 started on time in a good breeze. Alinghi again won the start and kept ahead. On the third leg, New Zealand broke a spinnaker pole during a manoeuvre. Although it was put overboard and replaced with a spare pole, New Zealand was unable to recover, losing the race and the cup.
The win by Alinghi meant Coutts, who had previously sailed for New Zealand, had won every one of the last 14 America's Cup races he had competed in as skipper, the most by any America's Cup skipper. This meant he had won an America's Cup regatta twice as challenger, as well as having been a successful defender.
[edit] 2007 America's Cup
The Alinghi team will defend the America's Cup in 2007, according to announcements made following their victory. It was announced on November 27, 2003 that the venue would be Valencia, Spain. This will be the first time in over 150 years that the America's Cup has been held in Europe. The deadline to challenge for the 32nd America's Cup was April 29, 2005, by which time 11 challengers from 9 countries had submitted formal entries.
To keep public interest high between matches before the 2007 America's Cup championship, the Louis Vuitton Acts were created with 13 regattas, called "Acts". In 2004, there were three acts: Act 1 held in September 2004 in Marseille, France; Act 2 held in October 2004 in Valencia, Spain); and Act 3 held in October 2004, also in Valencia. Some of the Acts featured fleet racing, with all the boats racing at the same time, and some featured match racing, with only two boats in each race. The Acts were restricted to America's Cup class yachts representing the syndicates that will be vying for the Cup in 2007. Points are awarded for each Act (excluding the first three), and the team with the highest score at the end of the Louis Vuitton Cup will be declared the ACC (America's Cup Class) Champion, and the challenger for the America's Cup. In 2004, Emirates Team New Zealand narrowly won over second place American challenger BMW Oracle Racing and third place Swiss defender Team Alinghi.
The schedule of Acts in 2005 included Acts 4 and 5 in Valencia (June 16–June 26), Acts 6 and 7 in Malmö, Sweden (August 25–September 4), and Acts 8 and 9 in Trapani, Italy (September 29–October 9).
In 2006 Acts 10, 11, and 12 were held in Valencia. Act 10 from May 11 to May 18 was match racing. Act 11 from May 19 to May 21 was fleet racing. Act 12 from June 22 to July 2 was match racing.
Act 13 will be fleet racing in Valencia between April 3 and April 7, 2007.
The challenger selection series , which is called the Louis Vuitton Cup will take place in Valencia from April 16 to June 12, 2007. The 2007 America's Cup match will take place in Valencia between June 23 and July 7, 2007.
[edit] Competing Teams
| Team name | Yacht club | Nationality | External link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Defender: Alinghi | Société Nautique de Genève |  Switzerland |
[1] |
| BMW Oracle Racing | Golden Gate Yacht Club |  United States |
[2] |
| +39 Challenge | Circolo Vela Gargnano |  Italy |
[3] |
| Team Shosholoza | Royal Cape Yacht Club |  South Africa |
[4] |
| Emirates Team New Zealand | Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron |  New Zealand |
[5] |
| Luna Rossa Challenge | Yacht Club Italiano | Italy |
[6] |
| Areva Challenge | Cercle de la Voile de Paris |  France |
[7] |
| Victory Challenge | Gamla Stans Yacht Sällskap |  Sweden |
[8] |
| Desafío Español 2007 | Real Federación Española de Vela |  Spain |
[9] |
| Mascalzone Latino - Capitalia Team | Reale Yacht Club Canottieri Savoia | Italy |
[10] |
| United Internet Team Germany | Deutscher Challenger Yacht Club |  Germany |
[11] |
| China Team | Qingdao International Yacht Club |  China |
[12] |
[edit] America's Cup challengers and defenders
[edit] General classification
| Year | Winning vessel | Opponent | Match | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Valencia, Spain | |||
| 2003 | Alinghi, Switzerland (challenger) | Team New Zealand, New Zealand | 5–0 | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 2000 | Team New Zealand, New Zealand (defender) | Luna Rossa, Italy | 5–0 | Auckland, New Zealand |
| 1995 | Black Magic, New Zealand (challenger) | Young America, United States | 5–0 | San Diego, United States |
| 1992 | America³, United States (defender) | Il Moro di Venezia, Italy | 4–1 | San Diego, United States |
| 1988 | Stars and Stripes '88, United States (defender) | KZ1, New Zealand | 2–0 | San Diego, United States |
| 1987 | Stars and Stripes '87, United States (challenger) | Kookaburra III, Australia | 4–0 | Fremantle, Australia |
| 1983 | Australia II, Australia (challenger) | Liberty, United States | 4–3 | Newport, United States |
| 1980 | Freedom, United States (defender) | Australia, Australia | 4–1 | Newport |
| 1977 | Courageous, United States (defender) | Australia, Australia | 4–0 | Newport |
| 1974 | Courageous, United States (defender) | Southern Cross, Australia | 4–0 | Newport |
| 1970 | Intrepid, United States (defender) | Gretel II, Australia | 4–1 | Newport |
| 1967 | Intrepid, United States (defender) | Dame Pattie, Australia | 4–0 | Newport |
| 1964 | Constellation, United States (defender) | Sovereign, England | 3–1 | Newport |
| 1962 | Weatherly, United States (defender) | Gretel, Australia | 4–1 | Newport |
| 1958 | Columbia, United States (defender) | Sceptre, England | 3–1 | Newport |
| 1937 | Ranger, United States (defender) | Endeavour II, England | 4–0 | Newport |
| 1934 | Rainbow, United States (defender) | Endeavour, England | 4–2 | Newport |
| 1930 | Enterprise, United States (defender) | Shamrock V, Northern Ireland | 4–0 | Newport |
| 1920 | Resolute, United States (defender) | Shamrock IV, Ireland | 3–2 | New York City |
| 1903 | Reliance, United States (defender) | Shamrock III, Ireland | 3–0 | New York City |
| 1901 | Columbia, United States (defender) | Shamrock II, Ireland | 3–0 | New York City |
| 1899 | Columbia, United States (defender) | Shamrock, Ireland | 3–0 | New York City |
| 1895 | Defender, United States (defender) | Valkyrie III, England | 3–0 | New York City |
| 1893 | Vigilant, United States (defender) | Valkyrie II, England | 3–0 | New York City |
| 1887 | Volunteer, United States (defender) | Thistle, Scotland | 2–0 | New York City |
| 1886 | Mayflower, United States (defender) | Galatea, England | 2–0 | New York City |
| 1885 | Puritan, United States (defender) | Genesta, England | 2–0 | New York City |
| 1881 | Mischief, United States (defender) | Atalanta, Canada | 4–1 | New York City |
| 1876 | Madeleine, United States (defender) | Countess of Dufferin, Canada | 2–0 | New York City |
| 1871 | Columbia and Sappho, United States (defenders) | Livonia, England | 4–1 (2–2–1) | New York City |
| 1870 | Magic and 16 other N.Y.Y.C. yachts, United States (defender) | Cambria, England | 1–0 | New York City |
| 1851 | America, United States (challenger) | Aurora, England (and a fleet of 13 yachts) | 1–0 | Cowes, Isle of Wight |
[edit] Deed of Gift
Introduction and Brief History of the Deed of Gift
The Deed of Gift is the primary instrument that governs the America's Cup regatta. The current version of the Deed of Gift is the third revision of the original Deed. The original Deed was written in 1852 and forwarded to the New York Yacht Club on July 8, 1857.
After the 1881 Cup match, the New York Yacht Club officially returned the Cup to George L. Schuyler, the sole surviving member of the syndicate that owned America to rewrite the deed to discourage inland-based, Canadian yacht clubs from challenging the Cup. The New York Yacht Club was disappointed with the lack of competition and the poor build of the yachts of the Canadian challenges of 1876 and 1881. Because the Canadian challenger dragged his boats through the Erie Canal both times he challenged and because his yacht clubs were situated on inland lakes, the second Deed incorporated, among other things, the following rules: the challenger's yacht club must be located next to the sea or on the arm of the sea and that the challenging boat must sail to the site of the contest on her own bottom. The second Deed was accepted by the NYYC in 1882.
In 1887, the challenging yacht's hull was longer than it was originally stated by the challenger; this alarmed the N.Y.Y.C., but they rectified the situation by handicapping the challenger. Although the N.Y.Y.C. successfully defended the Cup that year, it spurred them to rewrite the Deed. Once again the club officially returned the Cup to Mr. Schuyler. The third Deed is much longer and couched in legal terminology; it is unlikely that Mr. Schuyler himself authored the document. The third Deed tightened the rules for challenging; for example, it explicitly stated that the challenger must not exceed the dimensions provided to the holder of the Cup. The new version of the rules created an uproar among many British yachtsmen who claimed that the new rules made it impossible to challenge. No one challenged until six years later when a British lord set forth his first of two challenges.
After the Second World War, the N.Y.Y.C. amended the Deed by changing the requirement regarding waterline length: the minimum water-line length from 65 feet to 44 feet (20 m to 13 m) to allow the use of the 12-metre class. In addition, the rule that the challenging boat had to sail on her own bottom to the site of the match was eliminated.
In 1985 a second amendment was made to allow for matches to take place during an antipodean summer.
[edit] The formula
Formula:
![\frac{L + 1.25 \times \sqrt{S} - 9.8 \times \sqrt[3]{DSP}}{0.686} \leq 24.000 \, metres](../../../math/c/a/f/caff160a62dfff1c4ba17ede20dafb76.png)
- DSP: displacement in cubic metres;
- L: rated length in metres;
- S: rated sail area in square metres;
Source: America's Cup homepage:[1]
[edit] In the media
The America's Cup series of races, particularly Dennis Conner's quest to regain the Cup after losing it to Australia and winning it back in the subsequent series, was used as the inspiration for the 1992 film Wind starring Matthew Modine and Jennifer Grey.
Traditionally, commercial airships or blimps built by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, of Akron, Ohio, USA, have been named after former America's Cup winning boats. Paul W. Litchfield, an early chairman of Goodyear, envisioned airships as "the aerial yachts of the wealthy" and began the tradition of naming blimps after A.C. boats, in 1925, with the christening of the Pilgram. The tradition continued with Goodyear blimps named Stars & Stripes, Columbia, Ranger, Rainbow, Enterprise, Resolute, Reliance, Defender, Vigilant, Volunteer, Mayflower, Puritan and America.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ America’s Cup Class Rule Version 5.0 (from the America's Cup homepage)
[edit] External links
- America's Cup Official Website for the 32nd America's Cup in Valencia
- Official website of Valencia
- AC 32 Challenger Commission Official website of the Challenger Commission for the 32nd America's Cup in Valencia
- Team Alinghi Official website the America's Cup Defender
- BMW Oracle Racing Official website of Challenger of Record of the America's Cup
- BMW Oracle Racing Blog Tom Ehman's Insider Blog
- CupInfo.com America's Cup News and Information for 2007
- America's Cup News, articles & photos
- Valencia Sailing Website with original photos and commentary on all America's Cup related activity
- Cup In Europe web site Exhaustive information, photos and commentary in French.
- Coupe de l'America French website about the competition.
- Mariantic America's Cup News & Views
- 2007AC.com - America's Cup Forums
- America´s Cup Historic Locations google maps
- Peter Lester NZ yachting commentator
- South African team website
- The effect of the America's cup on the city of Valencia article at ErasmusPC
- BYM News More about the Deed of Gift & subsequent changes.
- ValenciaWatch.org - Collection of background articles on the Cup in Valencia (multilingual)
- Herreshoff Marine Museum / America's Cup Hall of Fame
- 1890s Yacht Photography of J.S. Johnston
