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The America's Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport with a rich heritage and tradition dating back to 1851. It is, without doubt, the most difficult trophy in sport to win.

In 1851 the newly founded New York Yacht Club was challenged by Great Britain's Royal Yacht Squadron, then the most prestigious yacht club in the world, to take part in The Solent Races. Answering this challenge, the New York Yacht Club assembled a team to cross the Atlantic and race with their contender, the yacht America. The schooner America was designed and built by George Steers in 1850 at the urging of the New York Yacht Club to build a fast sailboat. Of all the races held on The Solent, the Royal Yacht Squadron decided that America was only eligible for the "All Nations Race", a 74 mile race around the Isle of Wight starting and ending in Cowes. The prize for the winner of this race was the 100 Guineas Cup, an award commemorating Queen Victoria's Jubilee year. When the starting gun was fired at ten in the morning on August 22, 1851, the America was the last over the starting line. However, in the end the speedy America stunned the British fleet and crossed the finish line 19 minutes ahead of all 15 of her British competitors thus winning the 100 Guineas Cup. The schooner America brought its prize across the Atlantic, and the New York Yacht Club renamed it "The America's Cup" after the winning boat.

Originally known as the "One Hundred Pound Cup", the trophy was made by the Crown Jeweler Robert Garrard from sterling silver in 1848. It became known as the America's Cup when the owners of the schooner America donated it in 1857 as a "perpetual challenger trophy to promote friendly competition amongst nations". Originally the trophy was 22 inches tall, but it was extended in the 1950's and the 1990's to allow further engraving of the match results.

Tags:   sailing San Francisco America's Cup trophy history sports International sport heritage tradition New York Yacht Club Royal Yacht Squadron The Solent Races America George Steers All Nations Race One Hundred Pound Cup Robert Garrard sterling silver schooner competition Queen Victoria Great Britain England award

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Russell Coutts of New Zealand has won the America's Cup four times. He has a perfect record in America's Cup racing and is the most successful skipper in the 161 year history of the America's Cup. In July, 2007, Coutts was named CEO and Skipper of BMW Oracle Racing sponsored by the Golden Gate Yacht Club. In the 2010 America's Cup, Coutts yacht 'USA' beat the defending yacht 'Alinghi 5' by considerable margins in both races.

The America's Cup is one of the most fiercely competitive and sought after trophies in all of sport. It was first raced in 1851 around the Isle of Wight, 45 years before the modern Olympics. The U.S. yacht 'America' won that race giving the international sailing competition its name. The 2013 race will be the first time the competition for the Cup will be held in San Francisco, a perfect natural sailing arena that will afford many spectators with views like this.

Tags:   America's Cup sailing Oracle team San Francisco San Francisco Bay California Russell Coutts Greatphotographers skipper BMW Oracle Racing competition trophy Isle of Wight America catamaran

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The AC-45, designed for the America's Cup World Series in San Francisco, is a 45-ft. long catamaran with a 70 1/2 ft. mast. The vessel was designed by Oracle Team USA and is powered by a fixed wing that's capable of speeds of up to 30 knots. The boat holds a crew of five and is currently being used to allow the team to build experience with wingsailed catamarans before next year's switch to the much larger AC72 (that holds a crew of 11) for the Louis Vuitton Cup on San Francisco Bay. Eleven AC45's will compete during the America's Cup World Series in 2013.

The AC-45 was skippered by Sir Russell Coutts, a New Zealand competitive sailor and five-time winner of the America's Cup including three times as skipper where he has a perfect 14-0 record on the water.

Tags:   America's Cup San Francisco Bay AC-45 catamaran racing sailing fixed-wing wingsailed sports Russell Coutts team sports Oracle competition race skipper

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Team New Zealand tipped its AC-45 boat into the water during a training race at America's Cup 2013 in San Francisco Bay. Onlookers watched in amazement as the racing craft dug its bow into the water, heaved and slammed sideways into the bay. No one was hurt in the incident and the 11 member crew did not require outside rescue assistance.

Tags:   America's Cup San Francisco capsizing Emirates New Zealand sport flip

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