Sailing's most famous race, held approximately every four years. The trophy was originally called the One Hundred Guinea Cup, and was donated by the Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around the Isle of Wight, S England, UK in 1851. It was renamed the America's Cup after the schooner America won the race six years later. The New York Yacht Club offered the cup as a challenge trophy. Between 1870 and 1983 it remained in US ownership until the successful challenge of Australia II. The USA won it back in 1987, and then successfully held off a challenge from New Zealand in 1988. New Zealand won the cup in 1995 and defeated an Italian challenge in 2000. A team based in Switzerland won the 2003 event.
The America's Cup is the most famous and most prestigious regatta in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the FA Cup by two decades and the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The cup, originally offered as the Royal Yacht Squadron cup, is now named after the first yacht to win the trophy, the schooner America. The trophy remained in the hands of the New York Yacht Club of the United States from 1852 or 1857 (when the syndicate that won the Cup donated the trophy to the club) until 1983 when the Cup was won by the challenger, Australia II of Australia, ending the longest winning streak in the history of sport. 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. It was originally known by the Squadron as the "Royal Yacht Squadron Cup" or the "RYS Cup for One Hundred Sovereigns". As time went by, the Cup was also referred to as the "Queen's Cup", the "America Cup", and the "America's Cup".
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.
The surviving members of the syndicate which owned the America officially donated the Cup through a Deed of Gift (written in 1852) to the New York Yacht Club on July 8, 1857.
The end of the 12-metre era
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 under the original rules of the cup trust deed. A second court then awarded New Zealand the cup, only to have a third court decide the San Diego Yacht Club should hold the cup. (Team New Zealand had led the challengers going in to the Louis Vuitton final but the Italians and Americans had forced removal of the New Zealand yacht's bow sprit in the court room.) In 1995, Michael Fay and his Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron syndicate Team New Zealand, skippered by Russell Coutts, first won the challenger series in NZL 32, dubbed Black Magic because of its black hull and uncanny speed, then defeated the Stars &
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 January 19, 2003 the Swiss challenger Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi, skippered by Russell Coutts, won the Louis Vuitton Cup Finals by defeating the American challenger, Larry Ellison's BMW Oracle Racing, 4–1, once again eliminating the United States from the America's Cup competition.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. 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.
To choose the challenger for the 2007 America's Cup championship, the Louis Vuitton Cup was created with several races, called "Acts". 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 (excluding the first three), and the team with the highest score at the end of the Louis Vuitton Cup is declared the ACC (America's Cup Class) Champion, and the challenger for the America's Cup.
America's Cup Challengers and Defenders
General classification
| Year | Winning vessel | Opponent | Match | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Valencia, Spain | |||
| 2003 | Alinghi, Switzerland (challenger) | Team 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, England | 3–1 | Newport |
| 1962 | Weatherly, United States (defender) | Gretel, Australia | 4–1 | Newport |
| 1958 | Columbia, United States (defender) | Sceptre, England | 3–1 | Newport |
| 1937 | Ranger, United States (defender) | Endeavour II, England | 4–0 | Newport |
| 1934 | Rainbow, United States (defender) | Endeavour, England | 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, England | 3–0 | New York City |
| 1893 | Vigilant, United States (defender) | Valkyrie II, England | 3–0 | New York City |
| 1887 | Volunteer, United States (defender) | Thistle, Scotland | 2–0 | New York City |
| 1886 | Mayflower, United States (defender) | Galatea, England | 2–0 | New York City |
| 1885 | Puritan, United States (defender) | Genesta, England | 2–0 | New York City |
| 1881 | Mischief, United States (defender) | Atalanta, Canada | 4–1 | New York City |
| 1876 | Madeleine, United States (defender) | Countess of Dufferin, Canada | 2–0 | New York City |
| 1871 | Columbia and Sappho, United States (defenders) | Livonia, England | 4–1 (2–2–1) | New York City |
| 1870 | Magic and 16 other N.Y.Y.C. yachts, United States (defender) | Cambria, England | 1–0 | New York City |
| 1851 | America, United States (challenger) | Aurora, England (and a fleet of 13 yachts) | 1–0 | Cowes, Isle of Wight |
Deed of Gift
Wikisource has original text related to this article: Deed of Gift of the America's Cup
Introduction and Brief History of the Deed of Gift
The Deed of Gift is the primary instrument that governs the America's Cup regatta.
After the 1881 Cup match, the New York Yacht Club officially returned the Cup to George L. 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. 6
In popular media
The America's Cup series of races, particularly Dennis Conner's quest to regain the Cup after losing it to Australia and winning it back in the subsequent series, was used as the inspiration for the 1992 film Wind starring Matthew Modine and Jennifer Grey.
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