The America’s Cup is the most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The sport attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its long history and prestige. Although the most salient aspect of the regatta is its yacht races, it is also a test of boat design, sail design, fundraising, and management skills. The cup, originally offered as the Royal Yacht Squadron Cup, is now named after the first yacht to win the trophy, the schooner America. The trophy remained in the hands of the New York Yacht Club of the United States from 1857 (when the syndicate that won the Cup donated the trophy to the club) until 1983 when the Cup was won by the challenger, Australia II of Australia, ending the longest winning streak in the history of sport. The skipper of Australia II, John Bertrand, was quoted as saying,”This puts yacht racing back on the map.”
The America’s Cup is a symbol of yachting supremacy. Winning the America’s Cup is one of the most difficult sporting accomplishments possible, and it took 132 years before the trophy was wrestled from the New York Yacht Club in 1983.
The Cup itself was made in 1848 by Garrards of London who were, at the time, the Royal Jewellers. The Cup was one of several identical cups made at the time. It languished at Garrards, unsold, for several years until it was purchased by the Royal Yacht Squadron as a trophy for a special race held in the year of the Great Exhibition of 1851 held in London. Now, it is a priceless sporting treasure.
The Cup itself is an ornate Britannia silver bottomless ewer, one of several off-the-shelf trophies crafted in 1848 by Garrard & Co. Sir Henry Paget, the Marquess of Anglesey bought one and donated it for the Royal Yacht Squadron’s 1851 Annual Regatta around the Isle of Wight.
It was originally known as the “R.Y.S. £100 Cup”, standing for a cup of a hundred Gold Sovereigns in value. The Cup was subsequently engraved as the “100 Guinea Cup” by the America syndicate, but was also referred to as the “Queen’s Cup” and the “America’s Cup”. Today, the trophy is officially known as the “America’s Cup” and affectionately called the “Auld Mug” by the sailing community. It is inscribed with names of the yachts that competed for it, and has been modified twice by adding matching bases to accommodate more names.
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Tags: America's Cup, History