Boat International – June 2017

http://www.boatinternational.com | June 2017

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n the words of Sir Thomas Lipton,

the America’s Cup was “the most elusive piece of

metal in all the world”. He should know. The

grocery tycoon launched no fewer than five

attempts to capture it, all in vain. Sir Thomas, a

canny Scot, spent vast resources of money,

energy and time in pursuit of what he called “the

Auld Mug”, causing many to question why a man

of his acknowledged acuity would chase an

apparently impossible dream. The answer lies in

the strange magic that is attached to the

America’s Cup.

For almost 166 years it has exercised a

bewitching magnetism, drawing in generation

after generation of tycoons, sailor-owners and

brave but doomed hopefuls. Among the

challengers, only a handful have prevailed but

that stark fact seems only to have burnished the

allure. As another titanic contest to claim the Cup

reaches its endgame in Bermuda this summer,

some may wonder what all the fuss is about. What

is it about this ancient lump of silverware that

makes it such an irresistible prize?

In essence, it’s a story about people. If we look

at the long saga of the America’s Cup we see layer

upon layer of colourful history laid down by the

remarkable individuals who vied with each other

to win it. The Earl of Wilton, commodore of the

Royal Yacht Squadron, began it all in 1851 when

Above: after his 1895 Cup challenge,

Lord Dunraven accused the defenders

of “irregular behaviour” and never

competed again. Right: Baron Bich on

France III in the 1980 Cup. Below: Sir

Thomas Lipton on Shamrock

1851

The New York Yacht

Club schooner

America beats

a fleet of British

yachts in a race

around the Isle

of Wight to win

the Cup of One

Hundred Sovereigns

1870

Cambria, of the

Royal Thames

Yacht Club,

makes the first

challenge for

what is now the

America’s Cup

and loses to the

defender, Magic

1871 to 1895

Six British

yachts and

two from

Canada fail

to lift the Cup

1934

Aviation pioneer Thomas Sopwith takes the

first two races with Endeavour, then loses

the next four to the defender, Rainbow

1937

Sopwith returns

with Endeavour II

but is outclassed

by the much

swifter Ranger

he invited his opposite number at the New York

Yacht Club to visit the famous clubhouse at

Cowes. John Cox Stevens accepted with alacrity,

suggesting he and his friends bring a yacht,

adding that they would “take with good grace the

sound thrashing we are likely to get”.

The boat was America, a schooner that was to

lend its name to the oldest international trophy

in sport. Stevens was a larger-than-life, high-

rolling gambler (his family owned Hoboken,

New Jersey) and he planned to wager a huge sum

on America beating the British opposition, but

there was no enthusiasm for big stakes and he

returned home with modest winnings and the

RYS’s “Cup of One Hundred Sovereigns”, often

(and mistakenly) known as the 100 Guinea Cup.

It was enough. America hailed Stevens and his

syndicate heroes and moves were made to make

the Cup a permanent challenge trophy. The

American Civil War intervened, but soon after it

ended in 1865 challengers appeared. Yachts from

Britain and Canada tried and failed to beat the

American defenders. Then came Lord Dunraven,

a vastly rich landowner and passionately keen

yachtsman whose Valkyrie III was reckoned to be

a match for anything the Americans had.

Dunraven challenged in 1895 (his second

attempt) but there was uproar when he suggested

he was being cheated. He accused the

defender of “irregular behaviour”,

suspecting she was shipping extra

ballast after measurement, and

demanded an investigation. The

verdict went against him and he

returned home in a huff, never to

compete in international racing again.

The affair added another element to

the Cup’s charisma that prevails to this

day – controversy.

Memorable characters like Stevens

and Dunraven were early threads in the

fabric of mystique now indivisible

from the trophy itself. Indeed, all the

main players in this tale are exceptional

in their own way. Sir Thomas Lipton,

for example, turned his parents’ corner shop in

Glasgow into a corporate colossus that straddled

the empire. He was a close friend of the Prince of

Wales, later Edward VII, and although all five of

his yachts, all called Shamrock (he was of Ulster-

Irish descent), were soundly beaten by the New

York Yacht Club defenders between 1899 and

1930, Americans took him to their hearts. The

genial Sir Thomas was presented with a special

cup for being “the best of all losers”.

There was great affection, too, for an earlier

challenger, William Henn, a wealthy former naval

officer who crossed the Atlantic in his Galatea

with Mrs Henn, their five dogs and a pet monkey,

Peggy, who was adept at sail handling. Galatea’s

fabulous interior, with mahogany panelling,

fireplaces, potted plants and leopard skin rug,

was left virtually intact for racing. She was

thrashed but Henn was a great sport and took it

so well he made many friends. When Peggy died,

four American yacht skippers carried her coffin.

After Sir Thomas’s final challenge there were

two more, in 1934 and 1937, by the aviation

pioneer Thomas Sopwith, later Sir Thomas. He

ran his campaign virtually singlehanded and

helmed his Endeavour yachts himself – coming

close to victory in 1934.

When racing resumed after the Second World

War there would be others whose exceptional

qualities would add to the magic. Names from the

modern era, as it were, include Baron Marcel

Bich, manufacturer of the Bic ballpoint pen, who

made four attempts for France. The Aga Khan

joined an Italian challenge and, in 1980, the late

Sir John Oakeley, one of Britain’s sailing heroes,

campaigned with Lionheart. They were all

magnificent losers on the Cup course.

Then along came Alan Bond. “Bondy”, as he

was known, was born in London and emigrated

to Australia with his parents in 1950, aged 12. He

was a signwriter by trade but speculated in

property and by the 1970s had a business empire

based in Fremantle. Australian media magnate

Sir Frank Packer had had a stab at the Cup by

then, without success, and Bond resolved to

launch a challenge of his own. Bondy was no

great sailor but his drive and personality

TIME TRAVEL WITH THE AMERICA’S CUP A quest for “the most elusive piece of metal in the world...”

1899 to 1930

Sir Thomas Lipton is

the only challenger,

with five attempts

in his Shamrock

boats. He is beaten

by defending yachts

including Reliance,

Resolute and

Enterprise

1962

Sir Frank

Packer’s Gretel

sees Australia

enter the fray.

She takes one

race but is

beaten by

Weatherly

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