America's Cup

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The America's Cup trophy

The America's Cup is the most famous and most prestigious competition in the sport of yachting, and the oldest active trophy in international sports, 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 is named after the first yacht to win the trophy, the schooner America. The trophy remained in the hands of the U.S. from 1851 when the United States won the first race, until 1983 when the Cup was won by the challenger, Australia II from Australia, ending the longest winning streak in the history of sports.

The America's Cup regatta is a challenge-driven yacht series that involves match racing (a duel between two boats) and, recently, fleet-racing (racing with three or more boats). Since the 1992 match, the regatta has been sailed with the International America's Cup Class (ACC) sloop, a monohull boat that has an average length of about 75-feet. 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. 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. If there is more than one challenger, the challengers compete for the right to challenge the Cup. Since 1995, the final Cup match has been a best of nine series called the Louis Vuitton Cup.

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History

The Cup is an ornate silver bottomless ewer, crafted in 1848 by Garrards of London. 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 in 2003 to accommodate more names. The cup is one of three or six that were made as off-the-shelf trophies. A member of the Royal Yacht Squadron bought one for the Royal Yacht Squadron's 1851 Annual Regatta around the Isle of Wight. It was originally known by the British as the One Hundred Sovereign Cup and as the One Hundred Guineas Cup, in error, by the American syndicate that won it.

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. Watching the race, Queen Victoria is supposed to have asked who was second. The answer famously was: "There is no second, your majesty."

The syndicate which owned the America donated the Cup through a Deed of Gift 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 between nations.

Stung by this blow to contemporary perception of invincible British sea power, a succession of British syndicates attempted to win back the cup. 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, who mounted five challenges between 1899 and 1930, all in yachts named Shamrock. One of Lipton's motivations for making so many challenges was the publicity that the 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 a contentious earlier challenger. 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", still sailing today, measures 120 feet long.

After WWII

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 overall. The NYYC's unbeaten streak continued in eight more defences, running from 1958 to 1980. 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. In a stunning, come-from-behind win, the Australians won the America's Cup in a seven-race match 4-3 to 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.

Technology was now playing an increasing role in the yacht design. The 1983 winner, Australia II, had sported an innovative but controversial "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 damage to the yacht hull by drilling of 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.

The end of the 12-meter era

1988 Stars & Stripes and KZ1
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1988 Stars & Stripes and KZ1

In 1988, soon after Stars and Stripes' victory had redeemed Dennis Conner's legacy 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 that attempted to take advantage of the original rules of the cup trust deed, using a gigantic yacht named KZ1, giving the defenders little time to prepare. Not wanting to be beaten, Conner's syndicate produced a cutting edge catamaran with a wing sail, also named Stars and Stripes, which would totally outclass the challenger's speed. A legal battle ensued over whether Connor or Fay had broken the rules or merely skated the edges of them. The teams were directed by one American court to compete in a farcical race which New Zealand lost by a huge margin. A second court then awarded New Zealand the cup, only to have it removed by a third court which confirmed that San Diego Yacht Club rightfully held the cup.

In the wake of the 1988 challenge, the International America's Cup Class (IACC) of yachts was introduced, replacing the 12 meter class that had been used since 1958. First raced in 1992, the IACC yachts are the ones used today.

1992 America3
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1992 America3
  • In March 1997, a person entered the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's clubroom and damaged the America's Cup with a sledge-hammer. The attacker, a recidivist petty criminal, claimed the attack was politically motivated, though that did not stop him going to jail. The damage caused was so severe that it was feared that the cup was irreparable. London's Garrards silversmiths, who had originally manufactured the cup in 1848, painstakingly repaired 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 America One 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.

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 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, with racing 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.

Coutts was not the only New Zealander to be sailing for foreign syndicates in the 2002-2003 regatta; Alinghi alone had four New Zealanders as crew. Chris Dickson, skipper of Oracle BMW, was also a New Zealander; he had been involved in a previous New Zealand challenge for the America's Cup. Thus, whatever the outcome of both the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America's Cup, it was certain from the first race of the Louis Vuitton Cup final that the winning skipper would be a New Zealander!

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 that the America's Cup will be held in Europe in over 150 years. 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.

In preparation for the 2007 championship, there are several regattas leading up to the Cup races, called "Acts." In 2004, there were three acts, "Act 1" held September 2004 in Marseille, France; "Act 2" held October 2004 in Valencia, Spain); and "Act 3" held October 2004, also in Valencia, Spain. These events featured fleet and match racing between America's Cup class yachts representing the syndicates that will be vying for the Cup in 2007. Points are awarded for each Act, and the team with the highest score at the end of the year is declared the ACC (America's Cup Class) Champion for that year. 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 includes 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).

America's Cup Challengers and Defenders

General classification

Year Winning vessel Opponent Match Location
2007       Valencia, Spain
2003 Alinghi, Switzerland (challenger) 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, Britain 3-1 Newport
1962 Weatherly, United States (defender) Gretel, Australia 4-1 Newport
1958 Columbia, United States (defender) Sceptre, Britain 3-1 Newport
1937 Ranger, United States (defender) Endeavour II, Britain 4-0 Newport
1934 Rainbow, United States (defender) Endeavour, Britain 4-2 Newport
1930 Enterprise, United States (defender) Shamrock V, 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, Britain 3-0 New York City
1893 Vigilant, United States (defender) Valkyrie II, Britain 3-0 New York City
1887 Volunteer, United States (defender) Thistle, Scotland 2-0 New York City
1886 Mayflower, United States (defender) Galatea, Britain 2-0 New York City
1885 Puritan, United States (defender) Genesta, Britain 2-0 New York City
1881 Mischief, United States (defender) Atalanta, Canada 4-1 New York City
1876 Madeline, United States (defender) Countess of Dufferin, Canada 2-0 New York City
1871 Columbia and Sappho, United States (defenders) Livonia, Britain 4-1 (2-2-1) New York City
1870 Magic and 16 other N.Y.Y.C. yachts, United States (defender) Cambria, Britain 1-0 New York City
1851 America, United States (challenger) Aurora, Britain (and a fleet of 13 yachts) 1-0 Cowes, Isle of Wight

Deed of Gift

Wikisource
Wikisource has original text related to this article:

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 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.

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