The
90-foot schooner Magic (R.F. Loper) led a fleet of
14 sailboats from the NYYC in a single 35-mile race
off New York, defeating Great Britain’s Cambria, which
was owned by James Ashbury.
The 108-foot Cambria, designed and built by Michael
Ratsey of Cowes, finished 10th overall, beaten also
by the namesake of the America’s Cup.
1871
- NEW YORK (USA)
COLOMBIA/SAPPHO
(USA) def. LIVONIA (UK) - 4 / 1
The
schooner Columbia, designed and built by J.B. Van
Deusen, and a second schooner, Sappho, from the board
of C. & R. Poillon, easily defeated a second challenge
from James Ashbury and Michael Ratsey’s schooner Livonia.
Columbia won the first two races, but lost the third
after losing a jib stay and her steering gear. As
was the custom at the time, Sappho was allowed to
sail in the next two races of the seven-race series,
winning them both.
1876
- NEW YORK (USA)
MADELEINE
(USA) def. CONTESS OF D. (CAN) - 2 / 0
Alexander
Cuthbert’s 106-foot Countess of Dufferin of Ontario,
Canada, mounted the third challenge. This
was last time schooners raced for the America’s Cup.
Defender Madeleine—owned by John S. Dickerson, designed
by J. Voorhis, and skippered by J. Williams—was unbeatable
in the two-race series, as she had been for the previous
three years.
1881
- NEW YORK (USA)
MISCHIEF
(USA) def. ATLANTA (CAN) - 2 / 0
The
68-foot cutter Mischief, owned by NYYC member Joseph
Busk of England and designed by A. Carey Smith, quickly
dispatched, 2-0, a second challenge from Canadian
Alexander Cuthbert, who sailed Atalanta.
Mischief was originally a trial horse for the David
Kirby-designed Pocahontas, but sailed so well during
the trials, she was selected to defend the Cup.
1885
- NEW YORK (USA)
PURITAN
(USA) def. GENESTA (UK) - 2 / 0
Puritan,
a 94-foot cutter designed by Ed Burgess, defeated
Genesta, designed by J. Beavor Webb and owned by Sir
Richard Sutton.
It was the closest match yet, with Genesta winning
the first race after her mainsail was punctured by
Puritan’s lengthy bowsprit. However, Sutton, a noted
sportsman, asked that the race be dismissed, not wanting
to claim such an easy victory.
Puritan, owned by a Boston-based syndicate headed
by General Charles Paine, then won the next two races,
but the second one was the closest race to date: a
mere 1 minute, 30 seconds separated the two sailboats.
1886
- NEW YORK (USA)
MAYFLOWER
(USA) def. GALATEA (UK) - 2 / 0
Designer
Edward Burgess claimed his second victory over J.
Beavor Webb, his British counterpart, when the 100-foot
Mayflower sent the lavishly appointed cutter Galatea
back to England after two races.
The Mayflower, and others like her, was characterized
as a "skimming dish"" for her broad beam and shallow
draft.
1887
- NEW YORK (USA)
VOLONTEER
(USA) def. THISTLE (SCOT.) - 2 / 0
The
George L. Watson-designed Thistle set several America’s
Cup precedents with an innovative design and a hull
kept hidden behind a tarpaulin. The 108-foot sloop
was thought to be Britain’s best chance yet for recapturing
the America’s Cup.
But the precedent that counted most—winning—was also
maintained, as the Edward Burgess-designed Volunteer
came from behind to take the first race, and led from
start to finish in the second race of the three-race
series. The Cup was saved again.
1893
- NEW YORK (USA)
VIGILANT
(USA) def. VALKYRIE II (UK) - 3 / 0
The
defender Vigilant signalled a new era for the America’s
Cup and sailboat design. The 125-foot sloop was the
first of six Cup defenders designed by Nathaniel G.
"Nat" Herreshoff, known as the "Wizard of Bristol"
(Rhode Island) and considered by many to be the father
of modern sailboat design.
However, designer George Watson designed another fast
sailboat in Valkyrie II. The five-race series was
closely fought, with Vigilant scoring a come-from-behind
40-second victory over Lord Dunraven’s Valkyrie II
in the second race.
1895
- NEW YORK (USA)
DEFENDER
(USA) def. VALKYRIE III (UK) - Abandon
The
controversial series between William K. Vanderbilt’s
Defender and Lord Dunraven’s Valkyrie ended officially
as a 3-0 victory for Defender, designed by Nat Herreshoff.
However, Defender only won a single race, the first,
on the water. As the two sailboats approached the
starting line in the second race, the mainsail boom
of the George Watson-designed Boat hit Defender’s
topmast stay, which broke. Defender’s crew made emergency
repairs, but could not overcome the handicap. The
race committee reversed the outcome, however, disqualifying
Valkyrie.
The angry Lord Dunraven blamed the incident on the
large spectator fleet crowding around the starting
line. In protest, he had his sailboat withdraw from
the third race immediately after crossing the starting
line, ending the series.
1890
- NEW YORK (USA)
COLOMBIA
(USA) def. SHAMROCK (UK) - 3 / 0
This
series marked the entrance of Thomas Lipton onto the
America’s Cup scene. But the outcome became a recurring
nightmare for the beloved yachtsman from Britain.
Lipton and his Shamrock sailboats challenged a record
five times for the "Auld Mug," but left empty handed
after each one.
The third in the legendary line of Herreshoff sailboats
was the 131-foot Columbia, which sported a fin keel
and 90 tons of lead ballast. The William Fife-designed
Shamrock was a quick boat, but proved no match for
Columbia, which was skippered by the renowned Charlie
Barr.
1901
- NEW YORK (USA)
COLOMBIA
(USA) def. SHAMROCK II (UK) - 3 / 0
Nat
Herreshoff’s Columbia proved faster than any newer
designs and was selected to defend the Cup a second
time. Lipton, on the other hand, commissioned George
Watson to design the 137-foot Shamrock II, and with
her 14,000 square feet of sail, she looked like a
winner.
But Columbia came from behind in all three races to
take the series. The third race was the closest. Just
two seconds separated the huge sloops as they crossed
the finish line, but Columbia, the smaller of the
two, had 41-second time allowance, giving her a 43-second
victory.
1903
- NEW YORK (USA)
RELIANCE
(USA) def. SHAMROCK III (UK) - 3 / 0
It
was no accident that the defense syndicate headed
by two of the biggest names in U.S. industry, Cornelius
Vanderbilt and William Rockfeller, built the largest
sailboat in the history of the America’s Cup. Herreshoff
was again commissioned to design and build it, launching
the bronze-and-steel sloop Reliance.
The massive sailboat was 143 feet long, had a 116-foot
boom, and carried in excess of 16,000 square feet
of sail. And again Lipton’s sailboat, this time Shamrock
III, was out-matched, losing the last race by such
a large margin that she was forced to retire before
finishing.
1920
- NEW YORK (USA)
RESOLUTE
(USA) def. SHAMROCK IV (UK) - 3 / 2
Lipton’s
fourth challenge, the one he came closest to winning,
was postponed six years because of World War I. But
it seemed worth the wait.
Armed with his Charles Nicholson-designed Shamrock
IV, Lipton thought he had the Cup at last after his
shamrock sailboat won the first two races over the
NYYC’s Resolute. The third race Shamrock IV also won
boat-for-boat, but the 107-foot sailboat won on handicap.
In the final two races, the Herreshoff-designed Resolute
was not seriously challenged. The Cup remained in
NYYC.
