The first America's Cup was raced as part of the 1851 World Fair which was held in England. The race was organised by the Royal Yacht Squadron with the course taking the boats around the Isle of Wight. Originally called the 100 Guineas Cup it was later renamed the America's cup after the New York Yacht Club placed an iron fist on the regatta, defending it against all comers for well over 100 years.
The Yacht America was the only overseas entry, taking on 18 boats which where the pride of the British fleet. Skippered by Dick Brown, America controversially took the race after confusion over the course allowed her to take the lead while collisions and groundings ruled the fastest British boats out of the race.
The 1851 America's Cup was the first every international sporting event and set the seen for future cups, with many a wealthy business man spending a life time and large sums of money to try and win the cup.
It has always fascinated me that a boat which was second in a race could start what turned out to be the longest winning streaks in international sport. The fact that America was second to Wildfire was made even more ironic when you understand the lengths that New York Yacht Club went to maintain their hold on the cup after their initial victory in the 1851 race.
The America's Cup is the greatest prize in the sport of Yachting, if not in all of sport, we should be thankful for the 1851 World Fair which created the catalyst for the innovation that continues to push the boundaries of what is possible. I doubt any of the original competitors would have believed you if you said that one day the America's Cup would be raced in 60 foot single masted boats which could reach speed of 50 knots while sailing above the water with only 8 crew.
I hope enjoyed Bottom Up Boats look back at the first ever America's Cup where the Yacht America defeated the British Fleet. If you made if far please leave us a like and any comments on how we could make our future updates better. We decided to republish this video without the race summary as the sound quality was poor, keep and eye out for some upcoming video's which will review the races.
12 сен 2024
