​175 years of the America’s Cup: The 5 key facts about the greatest sailing rivalry

The 175-year history of the America’s Cup has been an extraordinary journey. It began with a wooden schooner nearly 30 metres long and has led to boats whose hulls glide above the water as they race. In between, there have been duels, inventions, legal battles and some of the greatest surprises in the history of sailing.

If you’re not yet familiar with the Cup, there’s no need to start with the dates. Here are five simple facts to get you started:

America’s Cup: The 5 key facts

1. The cup is named after a boat

At first glance, the name ‘America’s Cup’ sounds like the trophy for an American championship. But that’s not what it is.

It is named after the schooner ‘America’. On 22 August 1851, the American vessel won a race round the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. The winners took the trophy back to New York and later named it after their yacht.

So the competition is called the America’s Cup because the ‘America’ won the first race.

2. The America’s Cup is not a normal championship

At a World Cup, many teams face each other according to a fixed fixture list. The America’s Cup works differently.

The cup belongs to a yacht club. Another yacht club may challenge the holder. If the challenger wins, they take the trophy and become the defending champion the next time round.

You can therefore think of the cup as a challenge cup. Its holder is waiting for the next challenge.

3. In the end, only two teams will be competing against each other

Nowadays, there are usually several teams keen to take on the defending champions. That is why they first compete in their own qualifying round. In the next Cup, this series will once again be named the Louis Vuitton Cup, after its sponsor.

Only the winner is then allowed to compete against the defending champion in the actual America’s Cup. The final is a head-to-head contest. Whoever reaches the required number of wins first will take home the trophy.

In 2027, the search for a challenger will begin with races in which several AC75s start at the same time. This will be followed once again by one-on-one duels. The The schedule for the Louis Vuitton Cup shows how six challengers become New Zealand’s opponent in the final.

4. The boats do not have to be the same

The America’s Cup is also a competition between designers. The teams are given rules governing dimensions, weight and technology. Within these limits, they try to build the fastest boat.

That is why a Cup yacht often looks different from its rivals. Even small differences in the hull, sails or attachments can decide the outcome of a race.

Designers often spend years working on their ideas. Some parts are kept hidden from the other teams. That is why it is not just good sailors who win the Cup. Engineers, boat builders, sailmakers, meteorologists and IT specialists are also part of the team.

5. For a long time, the victor wielded a great deal of power

In keeping with tradition, the defending champion had a significant say in how the next cup would be organised. Together with the top challenger, they determined, amongst other things, the rules, the type of boat and the format.

This made the competition dynamic, but also difficult to plan for. If the two sides were unable to reach an agreement, the dispute would sometimes be taken to court.

Ahead of the 38th America’s Cup, the participating teams have therefore set up a joint organisation. This New partnership between the cup teams spreads the burden of decision-making across several people.

Nevertheless, the old charter remains the legal basis for the competition.

1851: A race that changed the world of sailing

The story did not begin with a plan to create a competition spanning the next 175 years. A group of American owners led by John Cox Stevens brought the ‘America’ to England. The fast schooner was intended to demonstrate what American shipbuilding was capable of. However, the owners were also motivated by bets and prize money.

At first, hardly anyone wanted to compete against the ‘America’. The American boat had previously overtaken the English schooner ‘Lavrock’ with apparent ease. Eventually, the crew entered the Hundred Guinea Cup Race round the Isle of Wight.

The start on 22 August 1851 went badly. At the time, the boats were waiting at anchor for the starting signal. The ‘America’ failed to weigh anchor quickly enough and set off last.

Nevertheless, she caught up with the British fleet and was the first boat to cross the finish line off Cowes at 8.37 pm. The detailed A look back at the race of 1851 describes the journey from a botched start to victory.

This day is associated with the most famous quote in the history of the Cup. Queen Victoria is said to have asked which boat was in second place. The traditional reply was:

"There is no one else, my lady."

It is now almost impossible to determine whether the conversation actually took place word for word as described. Nevertheless, the statement fits the Cup perfectly. For many decades, victory was almost the only thing that mattered.

How a silver jug became a famous sports trophy

The trophy was originally the prize for the Hundred Guinea Cup Race. It was crafted in 1848 by the London court jeweller Garrard and was 71 centimetres tall at the time.

Today it measures 109.5 centimetres and weighs 17.7 kilograms. Over time, plinths were added so that the winners could be immortalised on them. Because of its shape, it is known as the ‘Auld Mug’. This roughly translates as ‘old mug’.

The first winners almost had the cup melted down. The intention was to use the silver to make medals for the crew. That did not happen. Instead, the trophy was handed over to the New York Yacht Club and turned into a challenge cup.

It remained there for 132 years. At times, the trophy was even bolted to an oak table.

Ever-larger boats, ever-new ideas

The Cup was not held regularly after 1851. It was not until 1870 that the first title defence took place. At that time, the British challenger, the ‘Cambria’, still had to compete against an entire fleet from the New York Yacht Club.

In the years that followed, this increasingly developed into a direct contest. At the same time, the organisers sought rules that would allow yachts of different designs to be compared.

But every rule offers opportunities to get round it. Designers sought out hull shapes that were as fast as possible on the water whilst still scoring well in the measurements.

One extreme example was the ‘Reliance’ in 1903. Its measured waterline was 90 feet long, but the entire boat was almost 144 feet long. The yacht could carry around 1,500 square metres of sail area. It took more than 70 people to sail her.

The comparison with today’s Cup boats is astonishing. The technology looks completely different, yet the challenge remains the same: the designers read every rule very carefully and build the fastest boat that just about fits the specifications.

J-Class and 12-metre yachts define the classic image

The J-Class era began in 1930. These huge monohull yachts, with their long overhangs, tall masts and large crews, continue to define the classic image of the America’s Cup to this day.

Sir Thomas Lipton made five attempts to bring the trophy back to Britain. His final attempt, aboard the ‘Shamrock V’, also failed in 1930. In recognition of his efforts, he was awarded his own gold cup, which was stolen in May 2026. The ‘Endeavour’, launched in 1934, is also one of the best-known yachts of that era.

After the Second World War, such campaigns were hardly affordable any more. The Cup needed smaller boats. That is why 1958 marked the beginning of the ‘Twelves’ era.

The name is slightly misleading. A ‘Zwölfer’ is not twelve metres long. The number comes from a formula used to calculate various dimensions of the yacht. The boats were usually around 20 to 22 metres long.

The 12-cylinder class remained until 1987. No other modern cup series has lasted for so many seasons.

1983: The Flügelkiel brings 132 years of rule to an end

It seemed as though the New York Yacht Club could never lose the Cup. From 1851 to 1983, the trophy remained in its possession.

Then came the Australian ‘Australia II’. Beneath its hull, it featured an unusual keel with wings on either side. Ben Lexcen’s design was kept secret from its rivals for as long as possible.

In the final against the American ‘Liberty’, the Australian team were already trailing 1–3. They won the following races to level the score at 3–3. In the seventh and final match, ‘Australia II’ emerged victorious once again.

This brought the New York Yacht Club’s reign to an end after 132 years. The A look back at the 1983 Cup Final tells the story of how the winged keel became a symbol of Australian success.

Dennis Conner won back the trophy – which he had been the first American to lose in 1983 – for the USA in 1987 with ‘Stars & Stripes’. It was the last America’s Cup to feature the 12-metre class.

1988: A huge monohull versus a catamaran

After that, the Cup revealed its strangest side. New Zealand challenged the Americans with a very large monohull. Dennis Conner’s team responded with a much smaller and faster catamaran.

The two boats were hardly a match in sporting terms. Nevertheless, they competed against each other because the parties involved had not agreed on a common class of boat.

The catamaran ‘Stars & Stripes’ won both races. The dispute then continued in court.

This one-sided contest illustrates why the rules of the America’s Cup are so important. The old charter sets out the basic principle of the competition, but it is not a comprehensive set of modern racing rules.

From the IACC to the foiling revolution

The International America’s Cup Class was introduced in 1992. The IACC yachts were large monohulls and remained in service until 2007.

During this period, the Cup changed hands several times. New Zealand won it in 1995 and successfully defended the trophy in 2000. Alinghi brought it to Europe for the first time for Switzerland in 2003 and won it again in 2007.

Following that, Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing spent years arguing over the terms of the next Cup. In 2010, a catamaran and a trimaran finally went head to head. BMW Oracle’s American trimaran won 2–0.

In 2013, the big step towards foiling was taken. The 72-foot-long AC72 catamarans lifted their hulls out of the water with the aid of foils. As less of the boat is in the water to create drag, the speed increases significantly.

This Cup also made sporting history. Emirates Team New Zealand had already taken an 8–1 lead in the final. Oracle Team USA then went on to win eight races in a row and ultimately clinched the series 9–8.

In 2017, the catamarans were scaled down to 50 feet. Despite this, they still reached speeds of around 50 knots. That is more than 90 kilometres per hour. The AC50s did not disappear completely after the 2017 America’s Cup. Based on their design, SailGP the F50. Some of the very first F50s were even built on the basis of former Cup boats. However, new foils, rudders and cockpits, as well as electrical, hydraulic and digital control systems, turned them into a one-design class in their own right, which has been undergoing constant further development ever since.

New Zealand regained the Cup in 2017 with a 7–1 victory. Some of the crew generated the power for the hydraulics by pedalling on fixed bicycles.

AC75: Monohulls that glide above the water

For the 2021 Cup, the New Zealanders returned to the monohull. That didn’t mean things slowed down, though.

The new AC75s have large foil arms on both sides. Wings are attached to the ends of these arms. When the boat reaches a certain speed, these wings generate lift. The hull lifts off and glides over the water.

Only one foil is submerged deep in the water. The other is raised on the windward side. A wing on the rudder stabilises the boat.

How this interaction works is explained in the Explanation of AC75 technology illustrated with diagrams and examples.

New Zealand successfully defended the Cup in 2021 in Auckland, beating Luna Rossa 7–3. The New Zealanders remained successful in Barcelona in 2024 as well. They defeated the British team Ineos Britannia 7–2 to secure their third consecutive victory.

In 2027, the journey continues off the coast of Naples

The next Cup match will take place on 10 July 2027 off the coast of Naples. Emirates Team New Zealand are the defending champions. Six challengers will compete for the right to face the New Zealanders.

The teams will once again be sailing on AC75s. For cost reasons, existing teams are not permitted to build a completely new hull. They must modify and upgrade their existing yachts.

There are also many changes on board. Instead of eight sailors, only five active crew members will be on board. At least one crew member must be a woman. The four ‘Cyclors’, which generated power for the hydraulics using their legs in 2024, will no longer be used. In future, more of the power will come from batteries.

There is a spending cap of 75 million euros on the campaigns. That is still a great deal of money, but it is intended to limit the technical arms race. The Roadmap to the 2027 America’s Cup describes how the teams are preparing for the race off the coast of Naples.

This brings an unusual story full circle after 175 years. In 1851, the ‘America’ was one of the fastest sailing boats of its time. Today, it is the AC75s. In the intervening years, almost everything has changed, yet the quest for the fastest boat has remained.

​The historical turning points

• 1851: ‘America’ wins the race around the Isle of Wight; the story begins.
• 1870/1871/1876: The principle of the duel gradually evolved from a relatively unrestricted system of challenges.
• 1903: ‘Reliance’ is a prime example of the first extreme excesses of the design race.
• 1930: The J-Class was launched.
• 1958: The start of the ‘Twelve’ era.
• 1983: ‘Australia II’ and the wing keel brought an end to the NYYC’s 132-year reign.
• 1987: Dennis Conner brings the Cup home; the last 12-boat Cup.
• 1988: Catamaran versus mega-monohull – a mismatch shaped by legal considerations.
• 1992: Launch of the IACC class.
• 1995: New Zealand win for the first time.
• 2003: Alinghi brings the Cup to Europe for the first time.
• 2007: the international highlight of the IACC era, featuring twelve teams.
• 2010: Trimaran versus catamaran following a legal battle lasting several years.
• 2013: AC72 and the definitive breakthrough of foiling; Oracle turns a 1–8 deficit into a 9–8 victory.
• 2017: AC50, New Zealand regains the title.
• 2021: AC75, flying monohulls.
• 2024: New Zealand wins for the third time in a row.
• 2025/26: The America’s Cup Partnership largely brings an end to the old ‘winner-takes-all’ model.
• 2027: AC75s to remain; Naples to host the 38th Cup; new race format and new crew concept.

Book recommendation

Regatta sailing explains the basics of tactics and strategy step by step. The book guides regatta sailors from preparation through the start and the race itself to the subsequent analysis. Its illustrations help readers to understand manoeuvres and decision-making on the course. In doing so, it enriches the history of the Cup with the knowledge that can make all the difference to the final placings, even in a small club regatta.

Classic yachts or the high-speed AC75s: which era of the Cup excites you more? Join the discussion.