Mary and all:

The cup was actually known as the 100 Guinea Cup....

In 1848, Queen Victoria authorized the creation of a "One Hundred Guinea Cup" of solid silver (134oz), 27" tall for a yacht race "open to all nations."
In 1851 one American boat challenged 16 English ships. The Royal Yacht "Squadron" of Cowes, England was the host. The New York Yacht Club entry was the schooner "America." W.H. Brown, the designer, was so confident of his design that he refused payment if "America" did not win. The oft-quoted remark by the Queen was sparked by a great lead and victory around the Isle of Wight over the 16 other yachts. She asked, "Who is first?" "America" has won, she was told. "Who was second," asked the Queen? The reply still echoes - "Your Majesty, there is no second."

In 30 defenses since then, the interplay of national pride, giant egos, wide-ranging brilliant designs, and now modern technology, have kept the cup very much alive. The 132 years of successful defense by the New York Yacht Club remains the longest record in sports history. Sir Thomas Lipton tried for 31 years to win The Cup, commencing in 1899. From schooners, to J-boats, to 12 meters to the current IOAC designs, men's brains, wits, skills and money have been locked in sea-swept combat.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Historical Chronology 1851 "America"
1870 "Cambria, the British challenger loses against 14 New York Yacht Club yachts in New York Harbor
1871 New York Yacht Club used two yachts (allowed for the last time) & defeated the English boat "Livonia"
1876 Madeleine defeats the Countess of Dufferin
1877 Canada joins battle, loses 2-0
1881 Canada encore loses 2-0
1885 Centerboard cutter "Puritan" wins over England's "Genesta" 2-0
1886 Another "Burgess" design for the New York Yacht Club "Mayflower" bests England's "Galatea" 2-0
1887 A "hat trick" for "Burgess"; his third win, "Volunteer" wins over Scotland's "Thistle" 2-0
1893 A truly great design, Nat Herreshoft creates "Viligant" and wins 3-0 against "Valkyrie"
1895 "Defender," another Herreshoft, defeats the Earl of Danraven again
1899 Sir Thomas Lipton's "Shamrock" loses to "Columbia" 3-0
1901 "Columbia" 3-0 over "Shamrock II"
1903 16,000 sq.ft. of sail on the Herreshoft designed "Reliance" triumphs over Lipton's "Shamrock III"
1920 The First World War and other events left a gap in challenges until Lipton, on "Shamrock IV" raced against Herreshoft's last Cup boat "Resolute", losing 3-0
1930 The great boats of the J-Class series debut with masts as tall as 165 ft. and over 80 ft. in length. Vanderbilt's "Enterprise" meets Lipton's "Shamrock V" in Newport, R.I., winning 4-0
1937 Ranger beats Endeavour II
1958 - 1987 The 12 meter boats dominate
1958 "Columbia" over England's "Sceptre" 4-0
1962 Australia challenges with Alan Payne's "Gretel" losing 4-1 to Weatherly
1964 "Constellation" swamps England 4-0
1967 Australia's "Dame Pattie" loses to Sparkman's and Stephen's "Intrepid" 4-0
1970 The introduction of the multiple challenger concept. "Gretel II" defeats "France I," and Sweden's "Sveridge" to challenge
1974 Dennis Conner as helmsman on "Courageous" beats "Intrepid" to defend. "Courageous" defeats Alan Bond's Australian boat "Southern Cross" 4-0
1977 Ted Turner's "Courageous" 4-0 over "Australia" that had defeated "Gretel II," "France I," and Sweden's "Sveridge" to challenge
1980 "Freedom" with Conner defeats Turner and Russell Long, then historic win over Bond's "Australia" 4-1
1983 The stage was set. The "winged keel" helped Australia to wrest The Cup from the New York Yacht Club after 132 years as "Australia II" won 4-3 over the New York Yacht Club's "Liberty". The Cup goes to Perth
1987 A true world match: 13 challengers, six from the United States. "Stars and Stripes" from the San Diego Yacht Club with a Conner-Burnham team slamming the "Kookaburra", Australia's defender, in four straight
1991
1992

1995
The Cup resides in New Zealand after 1991
The Cup comes back to the United States with Bill Koch aboard America 3.

Peter Blake and company out sailed all in 1995 returning The Cup to New Zealand.

The rest of the story is current news and most of you probably know it