1851 America's Cup

History

The race originated with an invitation for the Great Exhibition of 1851 by the Earl of Winton, then Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS), inviting the recently formed New York Yacht Club (NYYC) to enjoy the facilities of the clubhouse of the RYS. John Cox Stevens, Commodore of the NYYC responded positively, and anticipated racing. Due to the RYS rules of the time, other races in the 1851 RYS Regatta were restricted to RYS members and their self-owned yachts, so the R. Y. S. £100 Cup was established, open to anyone to enter. At a RYS meeting on 9 May 1851, the race was scheduled for 22 August 1851. This race was to be the first of a series of challenge races for successive £100 Cups. At the time, it was normal practise for the winners to own the cups that were won, and not to return them for the next race to be won by others.

Trophy

Main article: RYS £100 Cup

The trophy is a bottomless ewer made out of 134 oz of silver, and is 27 in tall. The ewer was a stock item obtained by the (original) Marquess of Anglesey from jewellers and silversmiths R & S Garrard in 1848. After the race, the trophy was engraved with the names of the yachts that raced against America, except the runner-up Aurora. The winning owners of the America considered melting the Cup down to make individual medals for each of them, but decided against it. They did however perpetuate a misconception, by engraving it "100 Guinea Cup" instead of "The £100 Cup". 100 guineas would have been 105 pounds.

Race

The regatta, held on 22 August 1851, The signal gun for sailing was fired at 10am, and the winner saluted by a gun from the flag-ship at 8:34 p.m. (8:37 p.m. railway time).

Eighteen yachts were entered for the race, but only 15 yachts started the race. The yacht Fernande did not make the start, while Strella and Titania both got to the starting line, though did not start the race. Those yachts that raced were America, Alarm, Arrow, Aurora, Bacchante, Beatrice, Brilliant, Constance, Eclipse, Freak, Gipsy Queen, Ione, Mona, Volante, and Wyvern.

• DSQ/DNF – competitor did not finish under the time limit
• DSQ/DNS – competitor did not make it to the starting line
• DNS – did not start – competitor did not make it off the starting line
• DNF – did not finish
• DSQ – disqualified

Gallery

File:33rd America's Cup Valencia.jpg|The trophy File:1851 Royal Yacht Squadron Regatta promo.jpg|A flyer from the RYS for, among other things, the race. In it, the race is referred to as the "R.Y.S. £100 Cup". File:The Yacht 'America' Winning the International Race Fitz Hugh Lane 1851.jpeg|America, the winner, crossing the finish line File:The 193 ton yacht Alarm in a light swell.jpg|Alarm, largest yacht in the regatta

Footnotes

References

References

1. ISAF. (2002). "History of The Auld Mug – Introducing the America's Cup". Boat Dusseldorf.
2. (28 June 2016). "America's Cup (Hundred Guinea Cup)". Britannica.
3. Yves Gary. (18 October 2015). "Pictures of the £100 CUP (1851)". America's Scoop: America's Cup 1851–1937.
4. (1 December 2016). "The British Want Their Cup Back". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
5. The trophy was valued at 100 pounds-sterling which led to its various names, all variations on '''100 Pound Cup'''.Guinea, Sovereign, Quid, Pound, and Pound-Sterling are frequently used interchangeably, though there are slight differences in value.
6. (2001). "The Yacht America". Royal Yacht Squadron.
7. "America's Cup yachts: Then and now". CBS News.
8. "Royal Yacht Squadron Racing". America's Cup.
9. https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350425554/explained-close-actual-americas-cup-cup