Americas Cup - what’s it all about?

The Americas Cup (an event almost irrelevant to sailing) is competed for by very rich men who spend an extraordinary amount of money building boats and hiring sailors. The one who hires the best New Zealanders wins.

About every twenty years or so they relieve the bordeom by hiring lawyers as well as sailors.

That's really about it...

ellistine

On a more positive note, the America's Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport. It was first won in 1851 by the yacht ‘America’ and cost 100 guineas. So the cup is named after the yacht that first won it, not the country that won it.

The owners of ‘America’ laid down in a Deed of Gift (DoG as it is often shortened to) that the cup should become a challenge cup between yacht clubs. The first defenders were the New York Yacht Club where the owners were members and the DoG comes under New York judiciary. Any recognised club can challenge and the defending club must meet the challenge or forfeit the cup. Once a challenge has been accepted other challengers can join the party and they often have an elimination series amongst themselves to determine the final challenger.

The current holders are the Geneva Yacht club and they sponsor Team Alinghi to sail for them. In 2007 Alinghi ran the 32^nd cup in Valencia in response to a challenge from the Golden Gate YC in San Francisco (they sponsor BMW Oracle Racing to sail for them). Alinghi won that regatta (from Team New Zealand who won the challenger series) and then accepted a challenge from a club that they themselves had created. The crux of the matter is that this club is not a properly recognised club under the Deed of Gift.

Oracle and the Golden Gate have taken Geneva/Alinghi to the New York court and deposed the sham club as the Challenger of Record. This gives Oracle more say in how the regatta is run and funded. It now seems the 33^rd cup will be just Oracle v Alinghi and then we will have a more normal cup with lots of challengers for the 34^th.

As a side issue the current CEO of BMW Oracle is Russell Coutts who won the cup for Alinghi in 2003 and was then sacked by Enresto Bertarelli the owner of Alinghi. There is little love lost between the two.

I’ve visited the last 2 cups in Auckland and Valencia and the atmosphere both times was fantastic. The boats are enormous and are set to get even bigger.

Hope that helps

Hugh

 

Nice summary Hugh, but whats that box on the back of your Laser!

As well as being the oldest sporting trophy sponsered by the hideously rich. The AC has produced some of the most beautiful yachts ever built.

Originally posted by rogerd As well as being the oldest sporting trophy sponsered by the hideously rich. The AC has produced some of the most beautiful yachts ever built.

Amongst which were the J class - Has a yacht ever been more beautiful?

Edited by Contender 541