America's Cup Arrives In Cowes
Jubilee Regattas Begin on Sunday August 19
August 17, 2001
Photos by Carlo Borlenghi www.seasee.it
150 years ago the America's Cup left England. At dawn this morning it returned, escorted by flag officers of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Maori warriors. The Americas's Cup Jubilee is now open, promising to be the most spectacular sailing event of this century.
Following the daybreak arrival of The America's Cup, and the Maori challenge, the Jubilee will officially open on Saturday evening August 18.
The America's Cup returns for just the second time to the Isle of Wight for 150 years, since it was known as the 100 Guineas Cup. On August 22, 1851, the yacht America beat the Royal Yacht Squadron fleet on a race around the Island, and took the Cup home to America, where it stayed for the next 132 years. After spending time in Australia, and now New Zealand, the America's Cup has come home for a birthday celebration.
The America's Cup Jubilee will be officially opened in the evening in the presence of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. The opening ceremony takes place in the Jubilee Village from 1815-2000.
Photos by Carlo Borlenghi www.seasee.it
Take the waterfronts of Newport, Fremantle, San Diego and Auckland from years in the past half century, season liberally with the sands of time and focus on Cowes, Isle of Wight. The narrow brick-paved, banner-bedecked High Street and Cowes Yacht Haven are an America's Cup watchers delight as the hours tick down to the Jubilee of the famous yachting trophy.
"It's amazing, isn't it!" said New Zealand's veteran trimmer Simon Daubney, now sailing with his skipper Russell Coutt's for Switzerland, and seemingly unaware of his own legendary status. "You walk down the High Street and it's filled with legends."
As Daubney spoke in Tiffin's lunch bar, Aussie Alan Bond's voice boomed out from the other end of the room, while a crowd of French sailors tested Britain's version of baguettes.
American designer Olin Stephens II, who steered Harold Vanderbilt's J-Boat Ranger in the final race of the 1937 Cup is expected in Cowes this week. At 92 years of age, Stephens can fairly claim more Cup memories than anyone else in this town.
Out on the docks and moorings there is a veritable floating museum of Cup and yachting history. Immaculately restored vintage yachts lie side by side with hastily re-launched Cup veterans like Britain's 12-Metre Victory II which one wag reported had grass growing in its vang tracks.
Photos by Carlo Borlenghi www.seasee.it
Daubney, who is racing next week with his Swiss Alinghi crewmates aboard the 1986-87 Australian defender trialist 12-Metre South Australia, is relishing the experience. "We were out practicing the other day and Cambria sailed past," he smiled. Think of that! I wanted to drop the genoa sheet and grab my camera." Cambria, the Fife 23-Metre was launched in 1920 for British newspaper baron Lord Beaverbrook, and today sails under the Australian ensign and the burgee of the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club.
Hosted by those old America's Cup rivals, the Royal Yacht Squadron and the New York Yacht Club, the Jubilee has fired the imagination of Cup adherents from around the world. Two transport ships, one from Newport and one from the Mediterranean, arrived this week jam-packed with yachts destined for the regatta.
Photos by Carlo Borlenghi www.seasee.it
Last weekend, the three J-Boats still sailing met and raced on Christchurch Bay, just South of the Solent. It was the first J-Boat competition in England since before World War II and a flotilla of 150 spectator boats turned out to watch the mighty Js thundering to windward in short, steep seas and a 25-knot southwester. It was cold, with rain showers but the amazing thing, reported one race watcher, was the delighted smiles on the faces of all the spectators.
After days of feverish preparation, activity picked up this morning with the official registration of 208 entrants, and this afternoon when the Louis Vuitton Media Centre opened for the vanguard of more than 550 journalists expected here over a one week period.
The Jubilee Week officially opens at daybreak on Saturday morning when the America's Cup lands in Cowes, escorted by Commodore Peter Taylor, flag officers of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and representatives of Team New Zealand. On hand to greet and guard the Cup will be the 29-person strong Maori Ngati Ranana performing arts group, headed by well-known New Zealand Maori leader Pita Sharples.
It will be the first time the Cup has returned to Cowes in 150 years.
Photos by Carlo Borlenghi www.seasee.it
The Maoris will offer a contemporary Maori challenge to Commodore Peter Nicholson and the flag officers of the Royal Yacht Squadron, checking out their peaceful intentions. However, just in case anyone has doubts about New Zealand's future plans for keeping the Cup, the Maoris will also perform a haka, or fearsome war dance, signifying the strength and resolution of the Kiwi defenders.
Racing and receptions, exhibitions, dinners, parties, a ball and fireworks will crowd the subsequent days, with a race around the Isle of Wight, over the original America's Cup course one of the highlights of the week on Tuesday, exactly 149 years and 364 days after the schooner America claimed the Cup as its own - tidal conditions precluded racing on the exact anniversary.
Event website: www.americascupjubilee.com
