Lovingly known as “the oldest trophy in international sport”, the America’s Cup is an award worthy of the history and prestige associated with it. To put the history of the contest in perspective, nine America’s Cup competitions had been run before the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. Now that you know some of the history, let’s dive into some of the details!
Throughout its history, the America’s Cup has enchanted leaders of industry and royalty from tea merchant Sir Thomas Lipton, to brewing and real estate mogul Alan Bond, aviation pioneer Sir T.O.M. Sopwith, the Aga Khan, media mogul Ted Turner, and Harold S. Vanderbilt.
Not to mention the icons of the sport of sailing such as Tom Blackaller, Peter Blake, Dennis Conner and Russell Coutts and Grant Dalton.
Winners
American teams have held the title for the majority of the history of the event. America most likely will be defending that title again in the 2017 finals. Points come from events leading up the the America’s Cup finals. There were 3 events held in 2015 and 5-6 are also expected to be held in 2016. These races will lead up to the finals in Bermuda in 2017.
Sailing Technology
Advancements in sailing technology have led to a wide variety of rule changes over the history of the competition. Presently each team’s boat conforms to the same build. These 45 foot catamarans make use of the latest advancements in design, allowing them to reach speeds up to 35 knots (approximately 40 mph).
Six teams, each sailing on behalf of a home country (defending champion ORACLE TEAM USA, Emirates Team New Zealand, Land Rover BAR for Great Britain, Artemis Racing for Sweden, SoftBank Team Japan, and Groupama Team France) will compete in the New York race, vying for points that count towards the final competition for the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda in 2017.America’s Cup
Returning to New York
This May, America’s Cup racing returned to New York for the first time since 1920. The events were held over the first weekend in May bringing out crowds of 75,000-100,000 each day. The New York event was the third event of 2016, each of which resulted in a different winner demonstrating the difficulty of dominating an entire America’s Cup series. This parity should provide an exciting finals in 2017.
Champions
The Emirates Team from New Zealand conquered the New York event in dramatic fashion. After a terrible start, the team was able to overcome those hazards and earn a victory.
With their port hull punctured and their rudder unwittingly hooked to the starting buoy, crewman Blair Tuke had to jump into the fast-moving water just to get them going. CNN.com
The next America’s Cup events will be June 10-12 in Chicago. Spectators can expect marvelous views of the races from Navy Pier and the Chicago lakeshore. So, tell us, will you be there? If you cannot get enough news about the world of sailing, you will love our article about the this summer’s sleekest vessels to sail away in.
