The Americas Cup - Billionaire Funded Teams Slug It Out in Bermuda

Tuesday 13 June, 2017 Written by Simon Collyer

Very off topic for the ABC, but we are passionate about sailing and felt this might interest our audience? A welcome rest from hearing the word; BREXIT.

First contested in 1851, the America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, predating the modern Olympic Games by 45 years, and is yachting’s biggest prize.

The trophy’s roots date back to when a syndicate of businessmen from New York sailed the schooner America across the Atlantic Ocean to represent the United States at the World’s Fair in England. The schooner won a race around the Isle of Wight and, with it, a trophy called the £100 Cup. (It was subsequently inscribed, incorrectly, as the 100 Guineas Cup.)

After winning the trophy, the United States embarked on what would become the longest winning streak in the history of sport, a 132-year stretch of domination that saw boats representing the country successfully defend the trophy 24 times from 1870 through 1980—until 1983, when Australia II became the first successful challenger to lift the trophy.

The America’s Cup has always been a game changer in the world of sailing and the 35th edition of the race is no different.

Twenty years ago, the average max speed was 12 knots – today, it’s 40 knots in less than 12 knots of wind. Today, you don’t even hear the wind because you’re going so fast. Yeah, we’ll let that one sink in for a minute.

While sailing these machines, crews constantly sail on the edge between ridiculously fast and total catastrophe, combating situations and G-force speeds when manoeuvring. At this point, we should probably mention the sailors are not strapped in either – so that’s like driving an F1 car without a seatbelt.

A match is a race between two boats and to become the challenger. Team New Zealand eliminated the other challengers including Team BAR led by Ben Ainslie. The finals are between Team New Zealand and Team Oracle, starting on the 17th June 2017 in the Great Sound Bermuda - best of seven races. The New Zealand (Helm Peter Burling) boat is fast, but the Americans with ultra-aggressive Australian Skipper, Jimmy Spithill, are not hanging around either.