Quest for the America's Cup Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1851

In its many years of history, the quest for the Cup has undergone many changes from the original race in 1851 to the present day. Not only in the type of boats competing but the people sailing them. Still, it breaks down to a contest between one defender and one challenger, head to head.

Answer: A schooner

The original "America" was a 110-ton, two-masted schooner. Typical of her day, she was gaff rigged (main and foresail four squared, held and controlled at the upper leach by a wooded pole or Gaff.) She was 101 feet LOA (length overall), 23 foot beam, and had a draft of ten feet. She carried three cannons, perhaps to defend against sore losers in the race.

She was built on the lines of a New York pilot boat, specifically to compete in this race. She sailed to England, in 1851, in response to an invitation, issued to the New York Yacht club, by the Royal Yacht Squadron of England. America competed against 14 other sailing yachts in the "Around the Island" (Isle of Wight) race, which is still held in the 21st century.

Answer: A large silver ewer (pitcher)

The Cup was originally called the "Royal Yacht Squadron Cup" or the "RYS Cup for 100 Sovereigns" until the "America" won the Cowells race, when it was renamed The America's Cup. It was created in 1848 by R&S Garrard Ltd., silversmiths in England. The Cup is normally proudly displayed in the trophy case of the defending yacht club.

While in the custody of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in 1997, the Cup was badly damaged with a sledge hammer wielded by a deranged man (a power boater, no doubt). It was repaired, at no charge, by the original silversmith establishment in England.

It is affectionately known as the "Auld Mug".

Answer: The "J" Class

In 1903, to eliminate the need for complicated handicapping of America's Cup contenders, the Universal Rule for sailing boats entering the cup challenges was established. It, as were subsequent racing rules, was based on a complex formula involving length overall of the hull (LOA), sail area, and displacement, as well as other factors.

This resulted in the "J" class America's Cup contenders. The boats varied in LOA from 119ft to 135ft, with an average displacement of 150 tons and an average sail area of 7,500 square feet.

The class first appeared as conversions of existing craft in 1893 and continued with as many as ten "hull up" "Js" trying for cup competition. In 2001 a revival of the class was started because of their beauty. Nine "J" class boats existing today are replicas of America's Cup contenders.

Answer: Sir Thomas Lipton

For over thirty years, Sir Thomas Lipton, a self-made millionaire (from tea), seemed obsessed with winning the America's Cup. He built, maintained, and sponsored, at his own expense, five cup contenders over the years. His five "Shamrocks", I thru V, were all unsuccessful. His last effort, was the "J" Class "Shamrock V" in 1930. At age 79, he sailed onboard during the unsuccessful challenge, and died the next year.

The "Shamrock V" still sails today, a tribute to the glory of the "J"s.

Sir Thomas Sopwith, (WW1 aircraft designer/builder of the Sopwith "Camel") challenged twice, unsuccessfully, in "J" boats.

J.P. Morgan, a Wall Street Financier was an avid yachtsman, but never challenged for the America's Cup. His is famous for supposedly saying "If you have to ask the price (of a yacht), you can't afford it."

Nathanael Herreshoff was the designer of many of the successful, and unsuccessful, America's Cup challengers.

Answer: No

There is no monetary prize associated with winning the America's Cup. With the exception of the owners of the original "America", no single person, group, or syndicate has come close to recouping the cost of building and campaigning an America's Cup defender or challenger. The original "America" cost $20,000 to build and $3,750 to sail to England. The owners sold the Schooner for $25,000 and divided the $1,750 profit among themselves.

Mounting a modern day America's Cup challenge and defence is akin to organizing and financing the Super Bowl. This will give you an idea of the cost of managing a modern day challenge. Millions more are certainly spent on designing, building, crewing and campaigning just a single contender. Not even Sir Thomas Lipton could afford to campaign a boat today.

It is estimated to be the most expensive "amateur" sporting in the world today.

Answer: The yacht club currently holding the cup

The actual America's Cup trophy was deeded to the New York Yacht Club with a "gift of deed" after the original win by the club in 1851. The deed gave custody and control of the cup and set forth conditions of challenge to the club that won or successfully defended the cup.

From 1857 to 2017 the "Gift of Deed" has undergone two amendments and two major revisions, plus many "minor" changes to accommodate the realities of expensive challenges. Original provisions, such as the requirement to construct challengers in the country of the challenging club, and the requirement that the crew be citizens of that country and members of the challenging club, have long disappeared. The only acknowledgement of the "deed" that remained was the rule that at least one member of the crew be a citizen of the challenging country.

Over the history of the 35 challenges for the cup, some general rules have evolved concerning class of contending yachts as well as determining where, when and how the challenges would be conducted. In broad terms, the defending and challenging clubs come to an agreement over the conduct of the challenge.

Answer: Development of the small marine engine

Engines on an America's Cup contender? Heresy! Turn in your yachting cap and club burgee. All the other answers are true and more, including hull shape testing in a special water tank to determine the optimum shape for a fast hull. This is now standard procedure for almost all new ship designs for all sizes of vessels.

Factoid...After the original victory of the schooner "America", the English losers wouldn't believe she did not have an auxiliary engine and propeller. The "America' was hauled out of the water to prove she was a true sailing craft.

Answer: The Royal Perth Yacht Club

After mounting defenses of the cup for 126 years, and 24 consecutive challenges, the Cup was lost to the Royal Perth Yacht Club in 1983. The club defender, "Liberty", was skippered by two-time successful defender, Dennis Conner. (He was, of course, summarily executed on the steps of the New York Yacht Club - just kidding). Conner came back to win the cup back for the U.S. in the next two defenses.

Until 1970 only one boat or club challenged for the Cup. Since then each defense has produced several yachts vying to be the one challenger sailing against the defender. The winner of these challenge trials wins the "Louis Vuitton Cup" for the challenge series.

Answer: Switzerland

You did pick Switzerland, didn't you? If you're a true follower of the Cup challenges, you know that the Swiss, a nation with a vast population of open ocean sailing enthusiasts, first won it in 2003. The Societe Nautique de Geneve also went on to successfully defend it in 2007.

The challenge rules for the 2007 defense required the match be held in "open ocean waters". It was sailed in the Mediterranean Sea at Valencia, on the east coast of Spain. The Swiss lost the Cup to the U.S. Golden Gate Yacht Club of San Francisco.