The America's Cup is the most famous trophy in the sport of yachting.
The cup is awarded to the winner of a match of up to nine races between yachts representing the yacht club which is the holder and a challenger. The cup originated from a fleet race in 1851 between the yacht America (owned by a syndicate representing the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron around the Isle of Wight. Stung by this blow to the then prevalent idea of invincible British sea power, a succession of British syndicates attempted to win back the cup, eventually settling to a pattern of quadrennial matches. The New York Yacht Club remained unbeaten for 25 challenges over 132 years, the longest winning streak in the history of sport. The matches were held off Newport, Rhode Island
One of the most famous and determined challengers was Irish 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 tea. He was preparing for his sixth challenge when he died in 1931. The yachts from this era were huge by today's standards, with no design restrictions.
After the Second World War, the 12 metre class of yatchs were used. Alan Bond, a flamboyant Australian businessman made 4 challenges for the cup between 1967 and 1979. 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 6 foreign challenging syndicates for the cup. In order to establish who would be the challenger for the cup, a series of elimination races were held, the prize for which was the Louis Vuitton Cup. That race series has ever since been named after the prize. In the challenger series, the Bond syndicate won. Then with the yacht Australia II representing the Perth Yacht Club and skippered by Alan Bond, the Australian syndicate won the America's Cup in a seven race match 4-3 to break the winning streak.
Beaten skipper Dennis Conner won the cup back three years later, with the yatch Stars and Stripes representing the San Diego Yatch Club, but had to fend off unprecedented 13 challenger syndicates to do it. On the other hand, Bond's syndicate list the Defender series and did not race in the final.
Then in 1988 a New Zealand syndicate, lead by banker Michael Fay, loged a surprise big boat challenge that returned to the original rules of the cup trust deed. Not wanting to be beaten, Conner's syndicate produced a new Stars and Stripes catamaran, which totally outclassed the challenger. The racing decended into a bitter court room battle that ulimately confirmed that San Diego Yatch Club could hold the cup.
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 boat Conner had beaten in the Louis Vuittton final in Fremantle was the first to have a carbon fibre hull construction rather than aluminium - NZL 32. As a result of the 1988 challenge, and possibly also a desire to limit the cost of any challenge to boat design and sailing rather than legal fees, the International America's Cup Class (IACC) of yachts was introduced. These replaced the post World War Two 12-Metre class that had previously been used. First raced in 1992, the IACC yatchs are the ones used today.
- In 1992, America 3, raced by billionaire Bill Koch for San Diego, defeated the Italian challenger Il Moro, owned by billionaire Raul Gardini's Il Moro di Venezia.
- In 1995, Michael Fay and his Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron syndicate, Team New Zealand first won the challenger series in NZL 32, dubbed Black Magic because of its black hull and speed, then defeated Young America, again with Dennis Conner at the helm, 5 - 0.
- In March 1997, Benjamin Piri Nathan entered the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's clubrooms and attacked the America's Cup with a sledge-hammer. Nathan, 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 irrepairable. London's Garrards silversmiths, who had built the cup in 1848, painstakingly repaired the trophy to its original condition over 3 months, free of charge, simply because it was the America's Cup.
- At Auckland in 1999, Team New Zealand, lead by Peter Blake, defeated Challenger Italy’s Prada Challenge from the Yacht Club Punta Ala. The Italians had previously beaten the American One America syndicate from the St Francis Yacht Club in the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals.
The 2002-2003 Louis Vuitton Cup, held off 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 won the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals by defeating the American challenger, Larry Ellison’s Oracle BMW, 4 - 1. Interestingly, Switzerland is a landlocked country.
(Much more to cover yet)
- Rules
- Trust Deed
- TV Coverage
- One World's stolen secrets - industrial espionage.
- Bias favouring the Defender.
- Lifting the Skirts ceremony