Latitude 38 Latitude VOLUME 431 M 013 WE GO WHERE THE WIND BLOWS MAY 2013 MAY VOLUME 431 A BRIEF HISTORY OF Ever wonder why so many people care so much about the America's Cup? It’s the history. of Wight. They did manage to recover Start at the beginning, in 1851. Queen some money, however, when they un- Victoria was on the British throne. The emotionally sold America in England. The New York Yacht Club held the Industrial Revolution was in full swing. America won on superior technol- Cup for 132 years — until 1983, when Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, orga- ogy. Her lines were based on the fast Australia II, with her winged keel, took nized The Great Exhibi- pilot boats of New York. the Cup to Australia. The 1983 America’s tion to showcase British In that line of work speed Cup — now 30 years ago — included technology, inviting all na- meant money: the first spying and bitter legal and PR battles tions to come and exhibit pilot boat out to an incom- over whether the winged keel broke the their wares also. The Roy- ing clipper got to put her al Yacht Squadron took up pilot on board; everyone the "all nations” theme, else sailed home empty- 'America' had sharply offering the £100 Cup as handed. Like the pilot the prize for a race open boats of the time, America raked masts . and a hull to yachts belonging to the had sharply raked masts, that was narrow at the “clubs of all nations.” A tightly woven Egyptian syndicate from the New cotton sails, and a hull bow and wider aft. York Yacht Club won the that was narrow at the £100 Cup with their fast bow and wider aft. Brit- 12 meter class rules, and whether it was schooner America. The ish yachts of the day were designed by Australian Ben Lexcen or trophy became known as the opposite, with a “cod’s Dutch designer Peter van Oossanen. the America’s Cup, and it head and mackerel’s tail” Like many readers, I fi rst heard of the is now the oldest trophy — broad in the bow and America’s Cup during the 12 meter days, in international sports tapering to the stern. in Newport. That period seems like the competition. After America’s dominat- 'traditional' America’s Cup, but really it The schooner America ing victory, one British is not. There was no AC Match between GILES MARTIN-RAGET / ACEA GILES MARTIN-RAGET was built to make money, yachtsman said it made 1937 and 1958. The Deed of Gift had to as the NYYC syndicate The so-called Auld Mug, which now him realize he’d been sail- be modifi ed to allow the 'little' 12 meters hoped to win wagers on resides in San Francisco, is the old- ing his boat backward all to be used, as they were smaller than the match races with British est trophy in sport. those years. minimum waterline length specifi ed in yachts. Unfortunately, as America was With fi ve syndicate members and only the original deed. approaching Cowes, she was met by one trophy, a suggestion was made to The NYYC came up with Interpretive Laverock — one of the newest and fast- melt the trophy and make a medallion Resolutions — new rules that had not est English yachts. They wound up in for each member of the syndicate. For- been in the Deed of Gift, like nationality an informal speed test, which America tunately, the owners decided it would requirements for the crew. The national- dominated. Word quickly got out in Eng- be better to give the Cup to their club, ity requirement in the Deed of Gift deals land: “Do not bet with these guys!” The as a perpetual challenge trophy between with the challenging yacht club and the American countries, and thus the America’s Cup country of construction of the yacht, not syndicate's competition was born. And so were the the crew. On board America in 1851 was leader, legal battles. Against the wishes of their a British pilot who helped with crucial John Cox commodore, the NYYC membership local knowledge of the waters around the Stevens, voted to defend the fi rst challenge by sail- Isle of Wight. Reliance, the American de- proposed ing their entire fl eet against a lone Brit- fender in 1903, had a Scottish helmsman stakes up ish yacht, even though the Deed of Gift named Charlie Barr, fi ve Americans as to £10,000 specifi ed a “match.” James Ashbury, the afterguard, and 66 Scandinavian fi sher- — a stag- owner of the British yacht, complained of In '88, when Kiwi Michael Fay brought out the gering sum the unfair treatment, brought his lawyer 120-ft 'KZ1', Dennis Conner responded with the at the time. with him for the second challenge a year 60-ft cat 'Stars & Stripes H3' and won. The Brit- later, and got the New Yorkers to agree ish press to a boat-on-boat match. scolded lo- This time the New Yorkers insisted on cal yachts- choosing the defender yacht on the day men for not of each race — choosing a good light-air taking up boat or heavy-air boat depending on con- the chal- ditions. Ashbury stormed home empty- lenge. Ul- handed, accusing the New York club of timately, engaging in "unfair and unsportsmanlike however, proceedings." The club responded by A poster from 1851 announces the £100 returning a number of trophies he had the inaugural race. Cup be- donated in the previous year. It's ironic came the biggest prize the New Yorkers to note that the Deed of Gift stated that would take home after they defeated the the £100 cup was donated for “friendly English fl eet in the race around the Isle competition between foreign countries.” SHARON GREEN / WWW.ULTIMATESAILING.COM Page 90 • Latitude 38 • May, 2013 THE AULD MUG feel of the helm in varying conditions. The America’s Cup has always been a In the years between the fi rst chal- technology battle. lenge and Australia II’s victory, there Reliance was described in the press as were stormy incidents, including dangerous, a freak and a menace to the accusations in 1893 from Lord crew, having nothing to do with normal Dunraven of cheating by the Ameri- yachting. Does that sound like some of cans. But there were also periods of the comments about the AC72s? Even good sportsmanship, including the Herreshoff agreed that Reliance was ex- fi ve unsuccessful attempts by Sir treme. In his America’s Cup career he de- Thomas Lipton “to lift the auld mug.” signed and built the winning yacht for six Even good sport Lipton gave the New successful defenses, and he even helmed Yorkers fi ts, though. one, Vigilant, in 1893. Herreshoff’s yard Faced with needing to fund and built two more defenders in the 1930s, build yet another defender for Lip- after he stopped designing: the J Class ton’s third chal- lenge and want- ing to scare off the pesky Irish- man, the NYYC responded with Reliance, the largest yacht ever to sail in the America’s Cup. With a maxi- mum allowed waterline length Rigged with a freakish amount of sail, 'Reliance' of 90 feet, Reliance (202-ft LOA) was the greatest anomaly of the was 202 feet over- Cup's early years. all, from bowsprit men as crew. But in 1899, the defender, to the end of her Columbia, got a lot of press coverage for overhanging boom. FITZ HUGH LANE / PEABODY COLLECTION an unusual attribute: all the crew were Her mainsheet was 1,000 feet long and In 1851, American artist Fitz Hugh Lane re- Americans. four inches in diameter in the middle, corded the yacht 'America's historic victory in It has been said that late 19th and and needed to be wound on drums below this classic portrait. early 20th century yachtsmen were no deck when sheeted in. Reliance had a fi n yachts Enterprise and Rainbow. Will more concerned with the nationality of keel with a bulb that weighed 102 tons. anyone ever surpass his America’s Cup their helmsman or crew than they were Designer Nat Herreshoff used the latest record? I think not. with their butlers or house servants. high-tech materials, like Tobin bronze for That said, it's this writer's opinion that the hull. The topmast telescoped down nationality rules for the crews would into the steel mast when a topsail was What would Captain Nat think of increase the likelihood of building a not set. Herreshoff replaced hoops for the 2013 America’s Cup in San Fran- successful TV sports entertainment busi- the mainsail with mast tracks, and he cisco? He would love it. Believe it or not, ness around the America’s Cup. I'd like invented two-speed winches. He made while still the age of our current Face- to see nationality rules. But you can't try Reliance’s rudder hollow so water could book generation, Herreshoff designed to justify imposing them as “tradition.” be let in or pumped out to change the and built the fi rst racing catamaran, Am- The '88 campaign proved that the parameters of the In 2010, BMW Oracle's tri took on Alinghi's cat With their revolutionary foils, the new generation original Deed of Gift had loopholes broad enough to and triumphed — after an equally contentious of AC warhorses, such as Oracle Team USA's sail Fay's monster monohull through. courtroom battle.