1958 America's Cup
The 1958 America's Cup marked the first Cup match sailed in 12-metre class yachts. With twenty years having gone by since the last Cup match in 1937 the New York Yacht Club looked for a cheaper alternative to the J-class yachts in order to restart interest in the Cup. In 1956 Henry Sears led an effort to replace the J-class yachts with 12-metre class yachts. The Royal Yacht Squadron of Great Britain agreed to challenge with a new yacht, Sceptre. The New York Yacht Club defended with their new 12-meter yacht, Columbia, winning the Cup four races to none.
Defender Series
Four yachts competed in a summer long regatta to determine which yacht the NYYC would name as defender in the match. Competing were Columbia (US-16), Weatherly (US-17), Easterner (US-18), and the Olin Stephens designed Vim (US-15) from 1939. Columbia, the new Olin Stephens boat, was chosen as defender after a very close set of races only beating the 19-year-old Vim by 12 seconds in the final selection race.
America's Cup
The America's Cup, affectionately known as the "Auld Mug", is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two sailing yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging for the cup. The timing of each match is determined by an agreement between the defender and the challenger. The America's Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy.
The trophy was originally awarded in 1851 by the Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around the Isle of Wight in England, which was won by the schooner America. The trophy was renamed the America's Cup after the yacht and was donated to the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) under the terms of the Deed of Gift, which made the cup available for perpetual international competition.
Any yacht club that meets the requirements specified in the Deed of Gift has the right to challenge the yacht club that holds the Cup. If the challenging club wins the match, it gains stewardship of the cup.
2017 America's Cup
The 2017 America's Cup will be the 35th edition of the America's Cup yacht race. It will be held in June 2017 and be contested between the winner of the 2017 Louis Vuitton Cup and Oracle Team USA. It will be Oracle's second defense of the America's Cup, four years after its first successful defense.
Venue
In June 2014, media reported the venue of the 34th America's Cup, San Francisco, was no longer in consideration to host the 35th edition. San Diego, Chicago and Bermuda were listed as being still in the running.
In July 2014, americascup.com reported the candidate venues had been shortlisted to Bermuda and San Diego, with Chicago being dropped from the running.
On 2 December 2014, Bermuda was announced as the host of the 2017 America's Cup. The Premier of Bermuda, Michael Dunkley, welcomed the teams, sponsors, and spectators at a press conference in New York.
The financial package included in the bid by Bermuda is worth approximately $77 million US Dollars. Dr. Grant Gibbons, Bermuda's Minister for Economic Development, has stated that the America's Cup has a possibility of generating up to a quarter of a billion US Dollars in revenue.
1903 America's Cup
The 1903 America's Cup was the 12th challenge for the Cup. It took place in the New York City harbor and consisted of a best of five series of races between Reliance, the fourth of Nathaniel Herreshoff's defenders for the cup, entered by the New York Yacht Club; and Shamrock III, representing the Royal Ulster Yacht Club and also the third of Sir Thomas Lipton's Cup challengers. Reliance won the first three races, defending the cup. It was the last race for the America's Cup that would take place under the Seawanhaka rule.
Reliance
Reliance was designed by Nathaniel Herreshoff, designer of all of the early 20th century America's Cup defenders. She was designed to take full advantage of the fact that the Seawanhaka rule did not take weight into account, leading to a very light and therefore, somewhat unstable yacht. At 144 feet (44 m) long and 199 feet (61 m) tall with 16,160 square feet (1,501 m2) of sail the yacht was the largest gaff-rigged cutter ever built.
Race
Reliance won all three races, finishing far enough ahead that Shamrock III was forced to retire before finishing the third race.
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