August 22, 1851 schooner ‘America’built in the United States outclassed the fleet of the best British boats in the race around the English Isle of Wight.
The ornate silver trophy won by “America” was later donated to the New York Yacht Club on the condition that it compete permanently in international competition.
Today, the America’s Cup is a sporting trophy that is played all the time. the oldest in the world and represents the pinnacle of international competition in sailing yachts.
America’s history began with five members of the New York Yacht Club who decided to build a modern schooner to compete with British ships in connection with the Great British Exhibition of 1851.
Designed by George Steers, the 100-foot black-hulled El America had a pointed prow, V-bottom and tall masts, a striking departure from the traditional yachts of the time.
In June 1851, America sailed from her shipyard on the East River in New York and headed for England. Piloted by Captain William H. Brown and a crew of 12, the America overtook and overtook numerous ships during her Atlantic crossing.
After fitting out and repainting in France, America sailed to Cowes on the Isle of Wight to challenge the best British sailing ships in her waters. In Cowes, USA, he welcomed all participants of the regatta, but not a single English yacht accepted the challenge.
Finally, on August 22, America joined 14 British boats for a race around the Isle of Wight. The prize was the Cup of a Hundred Guineas, a 2-foot-tall silver jar supplied by the Royal Yacht Squadron.
In the 53-mile race, the America was ahead of the competition, beating the Aurora by 22 minutes and finishing almost an hour ahead of the third boat, the schooner Bacchante.
Queen Victoria watched the race from her royal yacht and at one point asked, “What’s second?” Seeing “America” appear on the horizon. His assistant reportedly replied, “Your Majesty, there is no second.”
A few weeks after the victory “America” was sold to an Irish gentleman for about $25,000, giving their owners a small profit on top of what they paid for it.
It later went through several other owners, one of whom changed the name from “America” to “Camilla” as CSS Memphis briefly served as a Confederate blockade breaker during the Civil War.
She was scuttled by Confederate naval forces in Florida to keep her out of Union hands, but was found, raised, and rebuilt by the US Navy, who renamed her “America” and used her as a Union blockade ship.
In the meantime, the original owners of the America, in 1857, gave the Hundred Guinea Cup to the New York Yacht Club to be presented as a prize in a permanent international competition.
Cambria finished tenth, the schooner Magic won the race, and America, refitted for the occasion by the Navy, finished fourth. After serving as a training ship, America fell into disrepair and fell into private ownership. Today it exists only in fragments.
From 1870 to the end of the 20th century. American yachts sponsored by the New York Yacht Club have successfully defended the America’s Cup 24 races, usually several years apart.
Since the 1920s, the America’s Cup race has been played between a defending boat and a challenging boat, each determined by separate knockout events. In 1983, the United States lost a trophy for the first time in 132 years when Australia II defeated the Liberty in Newport, Rhode Island.
Source: La Opinion
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