The America's Cup
Author: Jonathon Hardcastle

When you talk about the best sailing competitions in the world,
all discussions start and end with The America's Cup. It is by
far the most popular and the most heralded regatta in the
sports of sailing. Known as the Holy Grail of yachting, The
America's Cup is also the oldest active international
competition where a trophy is at stake. It is older than the FA
Cup by over 20 years and older than the Modern Olympics by
nearly five decades. It is no wonder why the best sailors and
leading yacht designers and manufacturers in the world all come
out, eager to make their presence felt, when The America's Cup
comes around.

The Cup is named after the very first winner of this
competition, a schooner called America, which won the Cup in
1852. In this competition, the trophy stays in the hands of the
winner until the next competition and only changes hands if the
champion is dislodged. The schooner America prevailed in this
event for a stunning 132 years, a record for the longest
winning streak in sports history, before relinquishing it in
1983 to Australia II from Australia. After over a century, the
Cup left America for the land down under.

Today, the America's Cup comprises a best-of-nine series
between only two competitors. It pits the winner of the Louis
Vuitton Cup and the reigning champion. The Louis Vuitton Cup
has its own series of races and the winner earns the right to
compete in The America's Cup. It began in 1970. Like before,
whoever win The America's Cup race gets to take the cup home to
their local yacht club.

The prestige surrounding the Cup has also captured the fancy of
film makers. For example, in 1992, the film "Wind" was released
and it focused on Dennis conner's loss to Australia in 1983 and
his successful effort to re-capture the Cup during the next
series. In addition, the Goodyear Tire Company has established
a tradition of naming its commercial blimps after the America's
Cup champion. This is because the company's former chairman,
Paul Litchfield, believed that blimps are "aerial yachts" which
is why he started the tradition. Over the years, the blimps have
had such colorful names as Stars & Stripes, Mayflower,
Enterprise and, of course, America.


About The Author: Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles for
http://4boatingstuff.com/ - In addition, Jonathon also writes
articles for http://footballorbust.com/ and
http://igamerscorner.com/