evolution of america's cup yachts

A Visual History of the Greatest Sailboats of the America’s Cup

From old-school schooners to killer catamarans, check out the evolution of the world’s greatest boat race.

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The 2017 America’s Cup race kicks off this week in Bermuda , but today’s incredible flying catamarans bear no resemblance to the old monohull sailboats that dominated the race for more than a century.

Take a look at how the winning boats have changed since 1851. Two ingredients remain constant, however: thrilling speed and highly-skilled sailing. 

Land Rover BAR skipper Sir Ben Ainslie will pilot his ship using a custom carbon fiber helm, which features gear-shift paddles shaped to fit his hands, giving the Olympic sailing legend perfect fingertip control in his pursuit of the world’s oldest sporting trophy.

Ainslie can use the steering wheel to “fly ” by adjusting the boat’s hydrofoils with greater precision for the fastest possible racing. Current 2.4-ton racing catamarans ride out of the water atop hydrofoils protruding from their keels to minimize drag in the water.

This lets them achieve speeds of a bracing 58 mph on wind power alone, fueling the Cup’s legacy as the “world’s most dangerous sailboat race.”  The steering wheel turns the boat left and right as it would on a car, while the “gear shift” paddles control its height above the water by managing the lift from the hydrofoils.

“This is not just a great piece of design and engineering, but beautiful craftsmanship,” said Ainslie. “The controls are intuitive and smooth, with just the right amount of feel and feedback. It really has made a difference to how I control R1.”

In addition to the Land Rover BAR team, other competitors in the 35th America’s Cup include Oracle Team USA, Emirates Team New Zealand, Artemis Racing (Sweden), Softbank Team Japan, and Groupama Team France.

Who will achieve sailboat supremacy? You’ll just have to tune in to find out. 

H/T: Telegraph

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The 12m Class and the America’s Cup By Halsey C. Herreshoff

Credit: www.herreshoff.org

The 150-year history of the America’s Cup, the oldest and most distinguished prize in world sport, is summarized from the author’s vantage point of belonging to a family of boat designers and builders who contributed to the dominance of American yachts from the beginning into the 1980s. Particulars and performances of the most important designs are described from AMERICA to the current International America’s Cup Class.

Introduction

The America’s Cup is the Holy Grail of yacht racing. It is much more. This Cup, in competition for a period of 150 years, is the oldest and most distinguished trophy in all sport, outdating the World Cup, Davis Cup, Stanley Cup, Walker Cup, and all others of significance. Excepting the lavish excesses of big time modern professional sport, more talent, effort, and money have been devoted to the America’s Cup than for any other sport competitions. From the standpoint of naval architecture, America’s Cup intensity has inspired countless design breakthroughs, fallout from which benefit all yachts today to an extent generally unrealized by those who sail. Here, a highly focused pursuit of excellence has provided quality, boldness, and dedication to be the best. The most elegant hull lines, most efficient construction, best sails, and most skillful sailing techniques have evolved from America’s Cup competition.

For 132 years (1851 to 1983), the United States enjoyed the longest winning streak in all sport. There were close calls but always the U.S. won the series and most of the individual races. Through that time, American yachts were generally, though not always, the fastest; thus, it may be fairly stated that victories followed very much from technical prowess.

As with any ship design, a sailing yacht embodies many necessary elements, which must dovetail to accomplish its mission. What is nice about America’s Cup design is that the only mission is speed, maneuverability and reliability to best a single match race rival around a closed course. Size, weight, wetted surface, hull form, light but strong construction, efficient rigs with good sails, sea kindliness and maneuverability are necessary. In general the successful boats embody acceptable or superior selections in the above categories. Bold innovation has been rewarded, but nearly always, extremes have failed. In a series of yacht races encompassing generally a variety of wind and sea conditions, an overall good boat wins.

It is appropriate to divide America’s Cup history into seven logical chronological divisions. The outstanding or most interesting yacht of each period will be addressed herewith. Listed below are the America’s Cup competitions by era with the names of the winning and defeated yachts respectively. In each case the focus yacht is in boldface type.

The l2-Metre era: 1958-1987

Following World War II, the conventional wisdom on both sides of the Atlantic was that the America’s Cup was done. The world was rebuilding and there seemed little prospect of funding further J boats given their assumed greatly accelerated cost. The Cup itself remained the pride of the New York Yacht Club, continually on display in the trophy room of the 44th Street Club House. Most of us expected it to just remain there for a long time, perhaps never to be raced for again.

Enter Commodores Henry Sears and Henry Morgan of the New York Yacht Club. By petitioning the Supreme Court of the State of New York, they modified the Deed of Gift to allow smaller yachts without the previous demand that challengers must cross the ocean on their own bottoms. It was agreed to compete in the International 12-Metre Class, which had provided excellent racing for several years before the war. Designed to the rather tight specifications of the International Rule, these boats did not really fit the grand traditions of the Cup but nevertheless provided nearly three decades of some of the finest match racing ever.

1958-1987: The 12-Metres 1958 COLUMBIA vs. SCEPTRE 1962 WEATHERLY vs. GRETEL 1964 CONSTELLATION vs. SOVEREIGN 1967 INTREPID vs. DAME PATTIE 1970 INTREPID vs. GRETEL II 1974 COURAGEOUS vs. SOUTHERN CROSS 1977 COURAGEOUS vs. AUSTRALIA 1980 FREEDOM vs. AUSTRALIA 1983 AUSTRALIA II vs. LIBERTY 1987 STARS & STRIPES vs. KOOKABURRA III

I can write more knowledgeably about the 12-Metre era than any other, as I was an active participant for 25 years and an observer for the full 29 years. Through acquaintance with Harry Sears, I was excused from other duties as a naval officer to sail aboard COLUMBIA, the 1958 Cup Defender, as bowman. Sailing aboard the 12’s in most of their seasons, I participated in four America’s Cup series, a total of 20 races; it was all about the greatest fun I’ve ever had.

The International Rule is an inelegant arbitrary formula that controls and restricts the design of these boats within narrow limits. There is a minimum length, maximum draft, maximum rig heights, and a set relation between length and displacement. Scantlings first in wood and later in aluminum are tightly controlled by specifics of the rule, Nevertheless, innovation in design particularly by Olin Stephens brought about nearly continual improvement of the boats, and the design edge of the United States long seemed to assure retention of the Cup as it did over many matches through 1980.

Curiously, some of the finest racing of all was in the finals of the first selection trials between COLUMBIA, sailed by Briggs Cunningham and designed by Sparkman & Stephens against Stephens prewar 12-Metre VIM. These were great tactical battles with racing margins of a few seconds in many races. The Cup race itself that year was a walk; SCEPTRE was a quite inferior design that had never faced competition before the match. As had happened a few times before, WEATHERLY, a weak American boat, won in 1962 by the brilliance of Bus Mobacher, her skipper. That was the first year of an Australian challenger and GRETEL won a race demonstrating the aggressive posture of Australian sailors.

Another S&S yacht, CONSTELLATION won in 1964. She was a quite elegant all-round boat, which was selected as Cup Defender over the large and powerful AMERICAN EAGLE, which was only superior in heavy weather. This should have been a tip off to the future but the true significance of having to design the smallest possible 12-Metre for Newport conditions was not generally appreciated until Australia II lifted the Cup in 1983. The reason 12-Metres form an exception to the axiom “design big” is the idiosyncrasy of the rule, particularly the prescription of increased displacement with length.

Olin Stephens’ INTREPID of 1967 was a breakthrough yacht. Wetted surface was drastically reduced with a shorter keel and separate rudder and the boat had numerous refinements. With outstanding management and the skill of Mosbacher again as skipper, INTREPID was unbeatable. The quest for further breakthroughs led to some peculiar and unsuccessful designs over the next two seasons.

The 1970 match was saved by repeat defense of INTREPID. In 1974, Olin Stephens designed another very fine boat, COURAGEOUS. Built of aluminum under new scantling rules, COURAGEOUS was powerful and superior in a breeze but did not easily defeat INTREPID, striving for a third defense. The selection trials reduced to a memorable sudden-death race in a 30-knot northeast breeze that COURAGEOUS won through both superior speed and better sailing. While I personally believe that Stephens’s 1977 boat, ENTERPRISE, was a further improvement in the same direction, Ted Turner sailing COURAGEOUS beat her out for the defense. Though not of demonstrably different dimensions, FREEDOM of 1980 seemed very superior. One difference was lower freeboard – providing a lower center of gravity and less hull windage. The new ingredient was a brilliant program of development of sails, gear and crew established by skipper Dennis Conner over a two-year program. The success of the program altered America’s Cup procedures from then on. Even with that, FREEDOM did lose one of the races of the match principally owing to a light-air advantage of Australia employing a rule-beating mainsail that gave her superior windward speed in light air.

Then, in 1983, the unthinkable happened in Newport when AUSTRALIA II beat LIBERTY in “The Race of the Century,” the sudden-death seventh race of that match. AUSTRALIA II was the best 12-Metre yacht to sail in the 25-year history of competition at Newport. Her extraordinary and controversial winged keel was, of course, the conspicuous feature. The ballyhoo about that masked the significant facts that AUSTRALIA II was the first boat to go to minimum 12-Metre length and displacement and that she had significantly less wetted surface than any other Twelve; this latter fact won the Cup! Less wetted surface followed naturally from a smaller boat but also from a keel of radically small planform. Where that had failed 13 years earlier in VALIANT with a conventional keel, it succeeded in spades on AUSTRALIA II because the winged keel provided sufficient hydrodynamic lift (side force) without the conventional large area. Because 12’s have draft limited by a function of length, they crave more draft or the equivalent effect. The lift-enhancing action of the “end plate” wings provided that very effectively.

While the racing ended at Newport in 1983 with the victory by the wonderful AUSTRALIA II, the subsequent events are equally interesting. Dennis Conner took charge again and with a brilliantly conceived and executed plan won back the Cup the first time sailing Twelves in the challenging waters of western Australia. The final STARS & STRIPES was a one-weather boat, big and powerful for the consistent “Doctor” (strong winds) of Freemantle. Others did not have the strength of their convictions to go with such a big and powerful boat. Dennis’s crew and tactics were admirable in this most wonderful challenge at a spectacular sailing locale.

The one-weather quality of STARS & STRIPES was abundantly clear from her total failure to win light-weather 12-Metre races in European waters later in 1987. An AUSTRALIA II type boat was needed there or would have been for continued 12-Metre races in Newport or San Diego.

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Where are they now? 6 famous America's Cup yachts

1851 schooner america’s sad demise.

In 1851, the schooner America , sailing for the New York Yacht Club, beat the Royal Yacht Squadron and laid claim to its 100 Guinea Cup. Thus the America’s Cup was born – what is now the oldest trophy in international sport – earning its name from that first winning yacht rather than the country, though the US did go on to hold the trophy for 100 years.

Where is America's Cup yacht  America now?

The famous America's cup yacht America changed hands – and names – a few times after the first historic race, and then wound up in the American Civil War as a Union ship. She stayed in the military as a training ship for the Navy until 1873, when she was sold to a former Civil War General for $5,000 (about $98,000 today). The general raced, maintained and refitted the boat, but after his death in 1893, she was passed down to his son who lacked interest in the schooner and allowed her to fall into disrepair. Despite being eventually donated back to the Navy, lack of maintenance left her seriously decayed. The nail was driven into the coffin when a major snowstorm caused the shed she was stored in to collapse in 1945, and America was scrapped and burned, bringing the history of one of the most famous sailing yachts of all times to a close.

America ’s legacy lives on to do this day, and there are replicas of the schooner you can sail on to relive the glory of this historic vessel. Climb aboard the 32 metre America 2.0 replica (pictured in the inset above) in Key West (November-April) and New York (May-October), or on a 42 metre replica out in San Diego .

1930 Shamrock V is still sailing

J Class yachts are synonymous with the America’s Cup as these slim, graceful beauties once represented the fleet racing for the Cup. The 36.42 metre Shamrock V , commissioned by Sir Thomas Lipton for his fifth and final bid, she was the first J Class yacht to compete for the Cup. The fact that she is the only J Class yacht to be built in wood makes it all the more remarkable that Shamrock V is still floating today.

Where is America's Cup yacht  Shamrock V now?

The Camper & Nicholsons -built J is in pretty perfect condition for a lady of her years. J Class yacht  Shamrock V is currently for sale and looking for a good home. The right owner could sail away on this piece of Cup history just in time as the  J Class yachts make a triumphant return to the America's Cup .

1987 movie star Stars & Stripes still racing

While the film Wind , one of the best boat movies , was inspired by Dennis Conner’s experience competing for the America’s Cup in 1983 on board Liberty , the yacht that was actually used in filming was the 12 Metre type sailing yacht Stars & Stripes 87 . She was called Geronimo in the film, but Stars & Stripes 87 was more than a screen legend. When Conner launched his own campaign, he wanted a culmination of all the Stars & Stripes yachts that came before her, and she was designed to be fast in heavy air. Stars & Stripes 87 wound up being the final 12 metre yacht to win the America’s Cup.

Where is the America's Cup yacht  Stars & Stripes 87 now?

Stars & Stripes 87 can be found in the Caribbean now, able to be sailed with the St Maarten 12 Metre Challenge , giving you a chance to take the helm (if you're lucky) of a real Cup winner.

1988 Stars & Stripes multihulls

Paving the way for the high-performance multihull America's Cup yachts that are redefining the competition is  Stars & Stripes – the catamaran. The first America's Cup multihull yacht, the US team's Stars & Stripes came to be by a cunning interpretation of the Deed of Gift, which only stipulated the challenging yachts be single masted and no more than 90 feet LWL. The result was anything but a true match race, with the much faster, wing-masted multihull Stars & Stripes winning the Cup in 1988.

Where are the America's Cup multihull yachts Stars & Stripes now?

Two versions of the multihull Stars & Stripes were built, a soft sail (S1) and a wing-masted yacht (H3). Stars & Stripes (S1) was acquired by American entrepreneur Steve Fossett and used to set speed records around the world before being sold in 2017 to Key Lime Sailing Club and Cottages in Key Largo, where she is used for day charters and racing. The actual Cup player, Stars & Stripes (H3) was bought by Mark Reece in Naples, Florida and was used for sailing charter trips, but her current status is unconfirmed.

1994 Stars & Stripes once used as a training yacht by Oracle Team USA

America’s Cup yacht Stars & Stripes (sail number 34) is probably most famous for not winning a Cup. It wasn’t because she didn’t perform under pressure, but because she never got the chance. While the 24 metre yacht, designed by David Peddic and built in 1994 by Goetz Boat Works, won the right to defend the Cup, Dennis Conner chose Young America (US 36) over Stars & Stripes . The new choice was no match for Team New Zealand’s Black Magic , which beat out Team Dennis Conner four times in a row.

Where is America's Cup yachts Stars & Stripes (US 34) now?

Famed America’s Cup Stars & Stripes (US 34) is earning a chance to prove herself on the racecourse yet again. She sails out of Chicago, racing against Abracadabra (US 54). After failing to win the Cup in 2000, this iteration of Abracadabra was bought by Larry Ellison, who used her as a training boat for his Oracle Team USA.

2003 USA 76 still sailing in San Francisco Bay

Sailed by the US challenging team in preparations for the 2003 America’s Cup in Auckland, New Zealand, USA 76 never made it to the Cup, but she came quite close. Making it to the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup final, USA 76 faced the Swiss Team Alinghi but didn’t come out on top. So the US team arranged for a “rematch” against Alinghi, with two races set in San Francisco Bay. While it didn’t change the results of the Cup, this time USA 76 bested the Swiss competitors twice over.

Where is America’s Cup yacht USA 76 now?

Fittingly, USA 76 resides in San Francisco Bay and is available for sailing. Capture the spirit of the most recent America’s Cup that was raced in the natural amphitheatre of the Bay by climbing aboard USA 76 for a racing adventure under the Golden Gate Bridge.

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The america’s cup, the america’s cup—that go-fast modern sailing race where millions of dollars are spent on boats and gear, where the sailing crews are muscular tanned guys (and some women too), where national pride and rivalries run high, and where most of the rest of us don’t know a lot about it..

Schooner Yacht America , 1851, Currier & Ives.  Today’s America’s Cup boats are multi-million dollar enterprises and very high-tech.

The America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in sports. It was originally called the “Hundred Guineas Cup,” and it was renamed the “America’s Cup” (named for the winning boat, America, not for the country) after a famous race in 1851 when the New York Yacht Club accepted an invitation by Great Britain’s Lord Wilton, the Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron, to send over a boat to race against the British yachts. Think about this—1851 was 45 years before the first modern Olympic games were held; the America’s Cup precedes soccer’s World Cup, tennis’s Davis Cup, hockey’s Stanley Cup, and golf’s Walker Cup. The actual cup, or trophy, itself was one of three solid silver ewers (a fancy, vase-shaped pitcher) made in 1848 by the Royal Jeweller in England. The Royal Yacht Squadron acquired it in 1851 and offered it as a prize for a race around the Isle of Wight.

This was no small race. The course around the Isle of Wight was approximately 53 miles; throughout the race, the lead changed hands plenty of times, but at the end, America trounced her competitors—8 cutters and 6 schooners. With her victory came the cup, which was brought home to the New York Yacht Club. Since then, the Cup has been challenged 30 times and will have its 32nd competition in June 2007.

The winning boat’s home country (actually, its yacht club) gets to take the trophy home and keeps it until another competitor challenges and wins it from them. The New York Yacht Club held onto the Cup from 1851 to 1983 when the Australians upset the American team and took the Cup home to Australia. Since that time, the Cup has been won by New Zealand two times, the US three times, and most recently by a Swiss team.

In the early races, the boats were one- or two-masted, made of wood, and sailed to the race location across the oceans. There have been several evolutions of the rules and design of the boats in the last 150 years. Today, the race itself is a “match race” between just two boats, and the boats are very high-tech both in design and materials used to construct them. About 50 years ago, rules were changed so that the new smaller-class boats, the 12-meters, were not required to sail to the race locations across the oceans.

Today, competitors’ boats are transported across the oceans in larger ships and even on airplanes. The Cup has been challenged by the US, England, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and Switzerland. In 2003, the Swiss team, sailing in Alinghi, brought the Cup back to Europe for the first time since that first race in 1851. Look for news of the 32nd America’s Cup in June 2007.

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Speed and Innovation in The America’s Cup

Get swept away in this awe-inspiring exhibit featuring the world's oldest international sporting competition.

About the exhibit:

Have you ever wanted to see a boat that can fly?

The America’s Cup isn’t just any run-of-the-mill yacht racing competition. Dating back to 1851, The America’s Cup has been the premier sailing event where the world’s top sailing teams battle it out on the water – putting their teamwork, athleticism, and engineering mettle to the test. In this exhibit, you can hear the story of one of the most notable moments in the history of the sport — Oracle Team USA’s victory in 2013 — an event dubbed “the greatest comeback in sports history!” 

Not only will you get the chance to hear this phenomenal story, you’ll also see the actual 72-foot catamaran that Team Oracle sailed to victory during that fateful race. Come witness the story, and find out what made these boats “fly” out of the water at speeds up to three times faster than the wind!

What to expect:

• Test your might and see if you have the endurance needed to be a member of an AC72 sailing crew.
• Get up close and personal with the AC72 that won the 2013 America’s Cup race, which is also the largest boat in our Collection.
• Watch boats “fly” – and learn how they do it.
• Touch sample materials from these engineering marvels, like carbon fiber and Clysar film.
• Walk on the same kind of netting that the crew members did.

Discover the objects related to this exhibit through our online catalog.

Explore More

When Did America Cup Change To Catamarans? (The History Behind It)

The America’s Cup has a long-standing and storied history of thrilling races since its inception in 1851.

But in the last decade, the competition has changed drastically with the switch from traditional monohull designs to the faster and more thrilling catamarans.

But why did the America’s Cup make this switch? What impact has it had on the competition and viewership? In this article, we’ll explore the history of the America’s Cup, the reasons why the switch to catamarans was made, and the changes that have occurred since then.

Keep reading to find out!

Table of Contents

Short Answer

The America’s Cup was first contested in 1851, and for many years it was sailed in monohulls.

In 1992, the America’s Cup changed to catamarans, and the first event to feature catamarans was the 1995 Americas Cup.

This change was largely due to the fact that catamarans are far faster than monohulls , and have the potential to be more exciting for viewers.

This change has been hugely popular and the America’s Cup continues to use catamarans today.

History of the America’s Cup

The America’s Cup, first held in 1851, is the oldest international sporting trophy in the world.

It has been a tradition that has spanned over a century and a half, and for much of that time the competition was held using monohulls, which had been the traditional sailing vessel design for centuries.

In 2013, however, the America’s Cup made a dramatic change and switched to catamarans, a move that was made to make the competition more exciting and to open up the competition to a wider range of teams and countries.

This switch was a significant moment in the history of the America’s Cup, and it has had a huge impact on the sport ever since.

The use of catamarans for the America’s Cup was something that had been discussed for some time before the switch was made, with many people arguing that the use of catamarans would create more exciting and competitive races.

Some argued that the use of catamarans would make the competition too dangerous, but this was eventually dismissed.

The switch to catamarans has been a major success, with the America’s Cup now featuring some of the most challenging and exciting races in sailing.

The use of catamarans has also made the competition more accessible to teams and countries from all over the world, with the competition now being open to teams from smaller countries that may not have had the resources to compete with monohulls.

The switch to catamarans has been an incredibly successful decision, and it has been a major moment in the history of the America’s Cup.

While the competition has always been a prestigious event, the switch to catamarans has made it even more exciting and has opened up the competition to a wider range of competitors.

Traditional Monohull Design

The traditional design of the Americas Cup, which has been used since 1851, has been the monohull.

Monohulls are boats with a single hull, which provides stability and strength in the water.

This design has been used for more than 150 years, and is well known for its classic look, durability, and performance.

Monohulls are typically larger and heavier than catamarans, which makes them slower and less maneuverable.

This made the Americas Cup a slower paced race that was more focused on strategy and tactics, rather than speed and agility.

This traditional design allowed a wide range of teams and countries to compete in the race, but the lack of speed and agility made it less exciting to watch.

Switch to Catamarans

The switch to catamarans for the America’s Cup was a major shift in the history of the event.

Catamarans, which have two hulls instead of one, offer a number of advantages over traditional monohulls.

Catamarans are faster , more maneuverable, and can handle a wider variety of wind conditions.

This makes them more exciting to watch and allows for more competitive racing.

The decision to switch to catamarans was made in 2013, after more than 150 years of using monohulls.

This switch opened up the competition to a wider range of teams and countries, as the catamarans require less crew members and the lighter hulls can be built more quickly and cheaply.

The change has been successful in terms of viewership, as the more exciting races have increased interest in the event.

It has also been successful in terms of the challenge for the competitors, as the catamarans require more skill and strategy to handle and race.

The America’s Cup now features some of the most challenging and exciting races in sailing.

Catamarans are faster than monohulls, and the competition is more intense as teams must continually adjust to changing wind conditions.

This has made the America’s Cup one of the most sought-after trophies in sailing.

The switch to catamarans has been a major shift in the history of the America’s Cup, and it has been successful in terms of viewership and competitiveness.

The event now features some of the most challenging and exciting races in sailing, and the lighter, faster catamarans have opened up the competition to a wider range of teams and countries.

Reasons for the Change

The reasons for the change to catamarans in 2013 for the America’s Cup were multifaceted.

On the one hand, it was done to make the competition more exciting and to open it up to a wider range of teams and countries.

The switch to catamarans brought a whole new level of challenge to the competition, as the boats are faster, more agile, and require different techniques to master.

In addition, the catamarans have a smaller crew size, which makes them more cost-effective to race and travel with.

Finally, the switch to catamarans was also done to accommodate venues with larger viewing areas, as the catamarans have a much larger wake and can be seen more easily from shore.

The shift to catamarans has been a huge success for the America’s Cup, both in terms of viewership and the challenge for the competitors.

The catamarans are now considered some of the most challenging and exciting races in sailing, and the competition has become more accessible to a wider range of teams and countries.

The change has also made the America’s Cup more exciting for viewers, as the races are faster and more thrilling than ever before.

The switch to catamarans has allowed the America’s Cup to remain one of the most renowned sailing competitions in the world.

Impact of Catamarans on the America’s Cup

The switch to catamarans for the America’s Cup has had a huge impact on the competition.

Not only has it made the races more exciting and challenging, but it has also opened up the competition to a wider range of teams and countries.

Catamarans are much more maneuverable than monohulls, allowing teams to make quicker, more precise turns and to take advantage of wind shifts.

This has allowed smaller, less experienced teams to challenge the bigger, more experienced teams.

In addition, the switch to catamarans has allowed for more diverse racing strategies.

With catamarans, teams can employ a wide range of tactics, from tacking and jibing to gybing and foiling.

This has allowed teams to be more creative and inventive with their race strategies, making the competition even more exciting.

Finally, the switch to catamarans has made the America’s Cup more accessible to viewers.

Catamarans are faster than monohulls, so races are shorter and viewers can get a better sense of the competition.

Additionally, the maneuverability of catamarans has made the races more spectacular and exciting to watch, bringing in more fans and spectators.

Overall, the switch to catamarans for the America’s Cup has been a success in terms of both viewership and the challenge for the competitors.

The switch has allowed for a wider range of teams to compete, more creative and diverse race strategies, and more excitement for viewers.

How the Change Has Affected Viewership

The Americas Cup is one of the most prestigious sailing events in the world, and its switch from traditional monohulls to catamarans has made it even more exciting and thrilling for viewers.

The fast speeds and close racing between competitors make for an action-packed spectacle that is unrivaled in the sailing world.

The move to catamarans has opened up the Americas Cup to a wider range of teams and countries, as well as to viewers from all over the world.

Since the switch, viewership has grown dramatically, with the Americas Cup now attracting some of the highest TV ratings in sailing and even surpassing other major sporting events in some countries.

The challenge of the Americas Cup has been taken to a whole new level, and viewers are now able to watch some of the most exciting and thrilling sailing races in history.

The move to catamarans has also brought a new level of excitement to the Americas Cup, with the boats being able to reach speeds of up to 50 knots.

The challenge of navigating these fast boats has made for some of the most intense and dramatic sailing races ever witnessed.

The change to catamarans has also allowed a wider variety of teams to compete in the Americas Cup, with teams from all over the world now able to take part in the event.

The switch to catamarans has brought a new level of excitement to the Americas Cup, and this has been reflected in the increased viewership and participation in the event.

The move has made the Americas Cup more thrilling and engaging than ever before, and it is clear that the switch to catamarans has been a successful one.

Challenges Faced by Competitors

Since its inception in 1851, the America’s Cup has been raced with monohulls, the traditional sailing vessel design that has been used for centuries.

This format posed a number of challenges for competitors, including limited maneuverability, greater risk of capsizing, and difficulty in reaching top speeds.

These issues made the competition more difficult for teams from outside the traditional sailing countries, which typically had more experience with monohulls.

The switch to catamarans was made to open up the competition to a wider range of teams and countries.

Catamarans are faster and more maneuverable than monohulls, making them the ideal vessel for the America’s Cup.

The catamarans also offer greater stability, reducing the risk of capsizing and allowing teams to reach higher speeds.

Additionally, the catamaran design is more affordable and easier to maintain, making it more accessible for teams of any size.

The switch to catamarans also presented a unique challenge for the competitors.

The catamaran design requires a different approach to sailing and tactics than the monohulls.

The catamarans are faster and more maneuverable, making the competition much more exciting and intense.

This challenge has pushed the competitors to become more creative and innovative with their strategies and tactics, making the America’s Cup one of the most challenging and exciting sailing competitions in the world.

Final Thoughts

The America’s Cup is a storied event that has been held since 1851.

While the traditional design was monohulls, the switch to catamarans in 2013 brought an exciting new dimension to the competition.

The change has been successful in terms of viewership and challenges faced by the competitors.

Now, the America’s Cup is one of the most thrilling sailing events in the world.

If you’re looking for an adrenaline-fueled experience, the America’s Cup is the perfect place to experience the thrill of competition.

James Frami

At the age of 15, he and four other friends from his neighborhood constructed their first boat. He has been sailing for almost 30 years and has a wealth of knowledge that he wants to share with others.

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Italy's Luna Rossa eliminates American Magic from the America's Cup

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli has eliminated NYYC American Magic and advanced to the challenger’s final of the America’s Cup

BARCELONA, Spain -- Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli eliminated NYYC American Magic on Thursday and advanced to the challenger’s final of the America’s Cup .

Luna Rossa won the series 5-3 after a flawless and fast regatta where the Italian yacht finished a minute ahead of its American rival.

“We are super happy. It has been a fantastic journey in this semifinal and we are ready for more,” port helmsman Francesco Bruni said.

Luna Rossa had led the series 4-0 before American Magic made it interesting by scoring three consecutive victories.

INEOS Britannia awaits the Italian yacht in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger’s final that will begin on Sept. 26. That will be a rematch of the 2021 matchup that Luna Rossa won.

The winner of the series faces defending champion Team Emirates New Zealand in the America’s Cup final next month.

Luna Rossa sealed the win over the Americans a day after it gifted them their third victory, when some rigging broke free on the Italian yacht and left it disabled in the Mediterranean.

But the shore crew fixed the malfunction on the mainsail overnight.

Luna Rossa took the lead in the decider when it cut behind its rival on the first of six legs and never looked back. The Americans were 700 meters behind when the winner crossed the finish line.

“I would just like to mention American Magic for putting up a hell of a fight. They are a champion team and showed it,” Luna Rossa's starboard helmsman Jimmy Spithill said. “This victory has to go to the shore team. They worked all night and this morning looked like a bunch of zombies.”

Luna Rossa swept the Americans 4-0 at the same stage in the 2021 America’s Cup held in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Americans faced adversity this time around when experienced helmsman Paul Goodison was unable to race in the series after he fell on the boat and cracked some ribs. Lucas Calabrese took his place and performed admirably, according to co-helm Tom Slingsby, despite his limited hours in the super foiling yacht.

American Magic needed to win the two races scheduled on Thursday to advance.

“Huge congratulations to Luna Rossa, the better team won,” Slingsby said. “We've got to hold our heads high, as much as I am stewing on some bad decisions in that race. But given where we were last week, we had a huge improvement in that short time.”

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

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Luna Rossa win Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final to set up INEOS Britannia showdown

• Toby Heppell
• September 19, 2024

The Italian-flagged Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli have overcome American Magic to win their semi-final despite picking up damage yesterday

The fifth day of racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final would see only two teams out on the water after INEOS Britannia clinched the first spot in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final, having knocked Alinghi Red Bull Racing out of the competition in yesterday’s racing.

But the today, Thursday 19 September was set to be crucial. With Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli on four wins and American Magic on three wins in the first-to-five-series and two races scheduled, one of these teams would see their America’s Cup dreams over by the end of the afternoon.

The weather was due to be similar to the conditions we have seen through most of the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals and Round Robins, with a 6-10 knot breeze forecast from the south and reasonably large swell too.

The big question on everyone’s lips was to what extent has Luna Rossa been able to repair their damaged traveller, which spectacularly failed on the final downwind of their second race yesterday, crippling the Italian boat and handing the Americans their third consecutive win of the series.

And for those of us hoping for a continuation of the close fight between these two boats, it was a relief to see Luna Rossa heading out onto the water looking fully repaired and ready for racing.

Key takeaways from the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final Day 5

• Luna Rossa Vs INEOS Britannia sets up a repeat of 2021’s Challenger final
• No clear sign of any continued structural issues for Luna Rossa
• Another lost start for the Italian team may be a concern

Race 15 American Magic  Vs  Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli

Skippers American Magic: Lucas Calabrese &   Tom Slingsby Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli:  Jimmy Spithill  & Francesco Bruni

Although the forecast was for wind at the lighter end of the range, race time dawned with a decent 11 knots across most of the course. It was still a little patchy as we had seen for yesterday’s racing, but nothing like the extremely tricky conditions we have witnessed in Barcelona of late.

In the pre-start American Magic were the first team to gybe around at the right hand boundary and lead back to the start. Luna Rossa were happy to let them go initially and tacked around to gauge off well to windward. Spithill and Bruni then put their foot down to try to bear away behind the Americans and attempt to get underneath them to hook them. But it was an easy defend for Slingsby and Calabrese who bore away too to cover off the attempt.

But that had put the Italian boat very close to American Magic off their windward hip as they hit the startline and Spithill and Bruni tacked off straight out of the start. First blood to American Magic.

At the first cross American Magic was in the lead and Slingsby and Calabrese elected to tack dead in front of the starboard-tacked Luna Rossa.

Luna Rossa tacked straight away with a small amount of distance to the right hand layline, meaning they would need to do several tacks in quick succession. But the right hand side of the course had a touch more wind and when the two boats next crossed, with Luna Rossa once again on starboard, American Magic were still ahead but the gap was shrinking.

American Magic tried to do repeat their previous trick and tack in front of Luna Rossa. But the gap had come down significantly and the Italians were able to foot underneath the Americans, get even with them and squeeze up into a high mode to force the Americans to tack away.

The key moment of the race. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

This move, coupled with a poor layline call from Slingsby and Calabrese saw Luna Rossa with a 20 second lead around the first windward gate.

Once again there was little to choose between the two boats in pure pace terms, and the downwind saw the boats fairly even. In the end it was American Magic who rounded the left gate mark 21 seconds back from Luna Rossa, who took the opposite mark.

Luna Rossa had picked the better gate, sending them to the favoured side of the course to lock in their lead and then did a decent job of keeping a loose cover on their American competition.

But there were gains to be had in the patchy conditions and American Magic managed to get back within 100m of Luna Rossa by the top mark – a gap that had been up to 400m in the early part of the leg.

Around the second windward gate, American Magic had closed the gap to a mere 8 seconds, but it was Luna Rossa once again heading out the better side of the course, having rounded the left hand gate mark (looking upwind).

And once again Spithill and Bruni showed just how impressive the Italian team can be, sailing a controlled downwind to lead by 22 seconds at the leeward gate.

Luna Rossa was looking a polished team and hooked up the shifts on the final windward leg. With fewer options on the table, and the finish looming ever-closer, American Magic also had to take a slightly riskier tactical strategy.

As such the lead really blew out on the final upwind to see American Magic round the windward gate for the last time fully 51 seconds behind and in need of a miracle to keep their America’s Cup dream alive.

But another unlikely America’s Cup comeback was not to be and Luna Rossa cruised down the final leg to take the win and in so doing book their place in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final, where they will meet INEOS Britannia.

“We’re super happy. Almost more than when we won the Prada Cup in Auckland, it’s been a fantastic journey these super semi-finals. We had some pressure for sure but it was great to reply strongly to that pressure,” said a clearly elated Franscesco Bruni after racing – once he finished whooping and hollering.

“The last 24 hours have been the toughest for the shore team, but we are a super strong team and They deserve this… Everyone deserves this.”

“First of all I’d like to congratulate American Magic for putting up one hell of a fight,” said ‘Spithill. “We got to 4-0 up and they are a champion team and they showed that.”

“Congratulations to Luna Rossa, the better team won,” said a deflated Tom Slingsby. “We’ve got to hold our heads high – as much as I’m rueing a few of my bad decisions during that race. A huge thank you to everyone in the American Magic family from all our supporters and family who are tirelessly with us through the shore team for the work they did on the boat to the designers and sailors and management.”

Luna Rossa celebrate as they cross the line to win. Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

What did we learn from the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final Race 15?

There were question marks about whether Luna Rossa would be able to be as competitive after a night of round-the-clock surgery to repair yesterday’s structural damage. But the boat looked for all the world exactly as she has in every other race.

These two boats have been very closely matched throughout the competition and it was essentially one small mistake on the first beat that lost this, with American Magic electing to try to tack in front of Luna Rossa, when they probably should have ducked them, tacked on the layline and held starboard advantage going into the top gate.

On such fine margins can America’s Cup racing be won or lost and from 4-0 down it was always going to require something close to perfection for Slingsby and Co. to make it through to the finals.

For their part this is the second America’s Cup in a row that the New York Yacht Club’s American Magic has arrived with a decent looking boat, but circumstances have seen them ejected in the Semi-Finals.

Luna Rossa continues to look like a polished outfit (figuratively and literally in their shiny silver AC75 ), but they have show a few weaknesses here. In particular they have been poor off the startline throughout the Semi-Final and today they lost the start again – although arguably they would have been happy to be the first to the favoured right of the course.

There is now exactly 1 weeks gao before the first-to-seven-wins Louis Vuitton Cup Final takes place between INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. Roll on Thursday 26 September.

Follow all of our 2024 America’s Cup coverage

American Magic endures 'brutal' elimination from America's Cup by Italy's Luna Rossa

BARCELONA, Spain — American Magic's comeback fell short and it bid farewell to the 37th America's Cup after Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli secured a decisive fifth win in their playoff series on Thursday.

The same Italian team had eliminated the representative of the New York Yacht Club in the same challengers' semifinal three years prior in Auckland by a 4-0 score. This time, after trailing 4-0, the boat skippered by Tom Slingsby had rallied with three straight wins before finally succumbing 5-3.

“It’s brutal. You know, losing just absolutely sucks,” Terry Hutchinson, head of American Magic sailing operations, told The Associated Press. “We had higher expectations for ourselves.”

American boats have won the America’s Cup a record 30 times, but their last title came in 2013.

The Americans faced adversity this time around when experienced helmsman Paul Goodison was unable to race against Luna Rossa after he fell on the boat and cracked some ribs. Lucas Calabrese took his place and performed admirably, according to Slingsby, despite his limited hours in the super foiling yacht.

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Hutchinson applauded the effort of his team but said that another exit against an admittedly “well-polished” Luna Rossa was not the plan. He also rued some what-could-have-beens in the series, which included one loss by just two seconds.

“The fact that Tommy and Lucas were able to get the boat to a spot where we were knocking on the door, basically in every race except for one. I mean, in the first day of the regatta, we led both those races ... you’re just kicking yourself," he said.

American Magic needed to win the two races scheduled on Thursday to advance, but Luna Rossa wrapped it up after a flawless and fast regatta that it finished a minute ahead.

“We are super happy. It has been a fantastic journey in this semifinal and we are ready for more,” Luna Rossa port helmsman Francesco Bruni said.

INEOS Britannia awaits the Italians in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger’s final that will begin on Sept. 26. That will be a rematch of the 2021 challenger's final that Luna Rossa also won. The winner of the first-to-seven-wins series will face defending champion Team Emirates New Zealand in the America’s Cup final next month.

Luna Rossa had been cruising in the series until the Americans got back in it. Luna Rossa aided that American fightback when some rigging broke free on the Italian yacht on Wednesday and left it disabled. When the rigging suddenly came loose a loud pop was heard and the boat crashed off its foils into the waves.

But the Luna Rossa shore crew worked through the night to fix the mainsail and its boat performed perfectly.

Luna Rossa took the lead in the decider when it cut behind American Magic on the first of six legs, picked up speed, and never looked back. The Americans were 700 meters behind when the winner crossed the finish line.

“I would just like to mention American Magic for putting up a hell of a fight. They are a champion team and showed it,” Luna Rossa’s starboard helmsman Jimmy Spithill said. “This victory has to go to the shore team. They worked all night and this morning looked like a bunch of zombies.”

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TEAMS ON THE BRINK ON DAY THREE OF THE LOUIS VUITTON CUP SEMI-FINALS

For two of the most famous yacht clubs in the world, both with winning histories in the America’s Cup, today could see the end of their representative team’s challenges by two clubs that have never won the Cup.

The Société Nautique de Genève, that won the Cup in 2003 and defended in 2007, and the New York Yacht Club that famously still holds the record for the longest winning sporting streak in sports history, having defended the trophy for 132 years, know that any defeat today and their challenges will be extinguished by the Royal Yacht Squadron and the Circolo della Vela Sicilia, respectively.

The teams, Alinghi Red Bull Racing and NYYC American Magic both stand on the brink of elimination at 4-0 down in this first-to-five series and, with no room for error, it’s a considerable challenge to stage a come back. That’s not to say that it hasn’t been done before or can’t be done this time – the America’s Cup has a tradition of noble fightbacks from the cliff-edge of elimination, but with INEOS Britannia and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli both performing at a very high level, it’s a tough ask.

Mother Nature often has her say in sailing competitions and today the conditions look tricky. After a morning of bright sunshine with the wind draining off from the north, as the afternoon progresses the forecasters are suggesting a six to nine-knot southerly ‘Migjorn.’ Recent days have seen more, much more, than expected as the velocity of southerly airflow is dictated by a number of variables, including offshore wind patterns and the effects of the mistral to the north.

The Port Vell is a busy place at the moment with an armada of yachts of all sizes in harbour, matched by the crowds at the free-to-enter Fanzones at Bogatell and Plaça del Mar whilst the Official Race Village along the Moll de la Fusta has been thronged with engaged fans thoroughly enjoying the spectacle of the Louis Vuitton Cup on a daily basis.

CHECK BACK HERE FOR LIVE UPDATES FROM THE RACECOURSE STARTING AT 14:00 CET

Alinghi Red Bull Racing (Port Entry) vs. INEOS Britannia

Now or never for the Swiss, this is do-or-die as they stand on the brink of elimination. Lose and their campaign ends abruptly. Win and it’s game on. Conditions are light and tricky so both boats are on their biggest J1 jibs. After a short delay due to failing the wind-limit, the race got underway with both boats struggling to maintain flight and keeping a very notable distance between each other to avoid the effects of wing-wash.

On the lead back to the line, Britannia gybe on the face of Alinghi Red Bull Racing and set up to start to leeward, forcing the Swiss above the start line. As both boats ducked back behind the line for the final approaches at the port end, the pair wound up and the Swiss were called over the line by just 4 metres and the subsequent 75 metre get-behind penalty could be telling. Long race to come though, and plenty of jeopardy. Britannia holds the initial advantage and up the first windward leg it is all about pressure spotting and keeping manoeuvres to a minimum.

At the top gate, INEOS Britannia leads by 17 seconds and the Swiss split tactics initially down the first run, but at the first cross the British are ahead and gybe to cover. It’s close down this first run, and at the end both boats are sailing high angles to stay on the foils with the Swiss struggling to stay airborne. Britannia round the first leeward gate with the margin up to one minute and 10 seconds but on the first tack at the boundary, the British fall off the foils and the Swiss take full advantage, riding high on their foils through their first tack to seize the lead. The British manage to get up again before the right boundary but then fall off again through the tack. The Swiss build a lead out to over 500 metres as the Race Committee shortened the course legs to a distance of one nautical mile. By the second windward mark, Alinghi Red Bull Racing’s lead was up to a full leg ahead as the British fell off the foils again, copped a boundary penalty and look to be really struggling in the conditions.

For Alinghi Red Bull Racing, welcome news came over the headset that the Race Committee were shortening the course to just five legs but on the next gybe, with the leeward gate in sight, they fell off the foils themselves and now both boats are in displacement mode with the British struggling to get to the second windward mark.

Now it’s a race against the race time-limit of 45 minutes as the wind shuts down across the course with the Swiss less than a nautical mile from the finish. Slowly they ghosted up the final windward leg, sailing super-wide angles to try and build speed. It was looking touch & go as to whether the sailors could will ‘BoatOne’ across the line within the time-limit, but in the final quarter the zephyrs filtered down just enough and the Swiss have a lifeline. It’s 4-1 in this side of the Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Final.   

Alinghi Red Bull Racing bt. INEOS Britannia INEOS Britannia lead 4-1

NYYC American Magic (Port Entry) vs. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli

After a short delay for the wind to build in, racing got underway with Magic entering the pre-start box bang on cue to make the cross but both boats are being super-careful to avoid wing-wash and keeping a wide separation.

On the lead back to the line, Magic goes very early and attempts to catch the Italians on a port/starboard which is avoided and at the start both boats dip in from the windward side of the the line with Luna Rossa to windward. Immediately Luna Rossa goes into a high mode with more speed and all the pressure is on Magic on the drag race to the boundary.

Both boats tack in sync but it’s the Italians with the crucial boat position to windward and Magic losing ground before being forced to tack mid-course to clear their wind. Italy and ignores the move and heads straight to the port layline whilst Magic sets up on the starboard layline. The delta is 17 seconds to Luna Rossa and Magic split the tactics downwind. As the boats come together mid-course, neither boat has gained or lost and the helms are looking for the pressure patches further down the course.

Luna Rossa executes the downwind well, keeping manoeuvres to a minimum and rounds with the lead still at 17 seconds. Crucially Magic splits the course and heads right initially on the second upwind which brings them back in contention as they come back on starboard tack and force Luna Rossa to make a huge dip to avoid, during which the Italians get a penalty for a boat boundary infringement that is easily washed off as the boats split sides of the course.

It’s all about the pressure up at the top end of the course now and again there’s a port/starboard incident with Italy getting another penalty for crossing too close ahead. Again the penalty is expunged easily, but at the top mark Magic has the lead with a three second advantage whilst Luna Rossa raises a protest for another close port/starboard incident in the final approaches to the gate. No penalty.

Thrilling race, downwind at the first cross, Magic holds the starboard advantage and cross ahead but give the right side up to the Italians as both boats go to either side of the course before coming back for another cross. This time, Magic has gained a boatlength and crosses ahead to get to the right for the final approaches on the port layline.

Luna Rossa come inside at the same starboard marker attempting to force an incident within the two-boat circle around the buoy and it’s a call that simply doesn’t work. American Magic take the appropriate avoiding action and sail around the outside as the Italians fall off the foils. In these conditions and on a boundary course it becomes almost impossible for Luna Rossa to build speed to re-attain flight and Magic builds an impressive lead of well over 1500 metres. All American Magic have to do is stay on the foils and this race is theirs.

Down the final run, Tom Slingsby and Lucas Calabrese make no mistakes, converting the opportunity with great flight control from Andrew Campbell and Mike Menninger, scoring a brilliant win to keep their Louis Vuitton Cup semi-final hopes alive and take the scoreline to 4-1. This has been coming for a while. Great execution by NYYC American Magic.

NYYC American Magic bt. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli  Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli 4-1

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