Anyone care?

Seems like this sport (if that's what you call it now) doesn't get as much attention lately but maybe that will change when the Cup is back in the hands of the Americans (Larry E), maybe not.

The technology employed and size of this year's boats are like comparing the technology found in the starship Enterprise to a BA707? I think I liked the old single hull 12-meter boats that anyone could race.

I liked it when Dennis was at the helm. The cat boat they came up with one year was wild and FAST! Now I could care less about it.

Gives extremely large ego-ed people a chance to spend extremely large amounts of money to do nothing.

It was never in the hands of the Americans--it was held by the NY Yacht Club, which is hardly representative of what we would consider America. If you asked the doorman at their clubhouse nicely, he'd take you inside and let you have a quick look at it in its glass case, when the big mucky mucks weren't there. For many years, they shaded the rules in their favor to screw the British and then the Aussies. Finally, the Aussies beat them at their own game by designing a superior keel. DC won it back for the San Diego Yacht Club once, and then they lost it in its next defense. When it wound up in the hands of a yacht club from land-locked Switzerland, I think the remaining 100 Americans with any interest in it finally gave up on following it.

My favorite America Cup moment was when Ted Turner defended it, got blind drunk when they were towing his boat back to Newport, and then put on a performance for the ages in front of all of those stuffed shirt bluebloods at the award ceremony. :rotf2:

I use to see them all the time in & just outside the bay . but never really cares / I felt like what s36 & MikeP posted /////////// high end snobs /passing time & millions of &&&& . floating boats .............................. another group who actually believe their S $%^ don,t stink :bshake:

My grandmother used to work for Person yachts in Portsmouth in the 70's and 80's and my famuly used to own Persons and race them. I remember the party scene in Newport even though I was a youngster. I always dreamed of being on a crew. My Uncle used to race in SIRA in Mount hope Bay and I was on his crew for years and we did well. Americas Cup has always been big in my family and when it's on my Uncle and I watch it. We're not rich and we don't think we are snobby so I don't think about it that way. It's so technical and you have to be on your game at all times during a race. I love the sport!

I sailed my boat out of Newport to the Americas Cup race grounds the last two weeks of September 83 when we lost the cup. I have a great picture of Australia II going by me under sail with John Bertrand looking under his sail to be sure he didn't hit me as he flew by when everyone had to move do to the course change caused by a wind shift. Its a perfect picture.

I also have a picture of Liberty , our losing boat US40 being towed into newport after its 3rd lose.

The Australia II was a far superior boat than any cup boat built previously. Yes the winged keel was famous but there were many other superior features of that boat. liberty on the other hand was the first (or second maybe) non Sparkman and Stebens design and it was a complete dog. The inside word in Newport at the time was that liberty could not even reliably beat Freedom the boat from a few years before and the last to successfully defend the cup for the NYYC. There was grumbling that they should just abandon Liberty and try to win with Freedom agaim but the 30 some million spent to develop liberty was such a political anchor around their neck that they had to go with it. Dennis conner knew he could never beat Australia II with Liberty but luck almost saved us when Australia II have many mechanical problems and also a broken mast during a race which eventually lead to a final 7th race with all the marbles on the line. I sailed out for the race but there was no wind that day and the race was postponed. I had to be at work the following Monmday so from the race grounds (way out there) I simply sailed back the 100 miles to CT and had to listen to the 7th race on the radio at work. we lost. That was the end of an era for the Americas Cup races and for Newport. Shortly after that lose the waterfront in Newport changes with all the boat yard space used for the cup challenges and races being eventually commercially developed for shopping plazas or condo.

It was a great 2 weeks in newport though. the Aussies are a bunch of party anumals and the town was rocking through the trials and the final races.

As was said above , the Cup Races turned into a fiasco as the rules got all screwed up and there were Cats racing mono hulls which was stupid , etc , etc. I will say that the first defense held in Australia after they beat us was an exceptionally good event and was run well with many great boats from aroud the world.

Most people hated Dennis Connor but the fact is that if two boats were at all evenly matched he could beat you in his boat and then swap boats and beat you in your boat. he was a great comnpetitive sailor but I guess not the most charismatic person.

Please post those pics!

Every dollar that is spent on this stupid race could end world hunger. . I used to be a serious competitive sailor and one day had a great epiphany that sailing around a bunch of buoys faster than someone else wasn't my cup of tea... kind of like the quest for a 50 lber. Life is meant to be enjoyed... im happy on a day sailor or catching schoolies now :hihi:

I hear ya Nebe! We raced with a 30 year old hull design against guys that spent serious dough out there with all the new stuff. We would beat them down with our old gear and laugh all the way home. It would get pretty intense out there especially with the guys that spent all that money and here we come in straight from work, 12 pack in the cooler with a couple of subs to wolf down after and beat the white collar teams with their team shirts and jackets.:biglaugh: We were the beer can sailors that kicked some butt. Wish we still had that boat.

1983 What summer. I was a doorman at the Pelham. The Aussies use to come in and go wild. Dance on the tables, sing drink with wild abandon. They were great, never causing trouble. The girls went crazy over them. I was a huge cup fan, my brother and I climbed own to Castle Hill light and got a picture of Ted Turner waving to us as he was towed in after winning the cup. Years later we ran into him and Jane Fonda at Ryans Sporting Goods. We told him how he was our hero growing up and he seemed pleased. After 1983 I meet Dennis Connors he walked into my office and the Old Newport Offshore Shipyard and asked to use my phone. It was during some MAXI Boat race, he was waiting for a protest hearing and wanted to call his wife and tell her he would be runing late.

A year later I was invited by Mike Benavides to crew on Couragous down in Australia. I knew they would not have chance, but it would have been fun. I decided not to go because I had a "real job" with Panasonic and I would have to quit. Anyways after they go eliminated some of the crew decided to steal the sail bags for souviners. The sponser had them arrested. They had to give all the stuff back. So a short trip down memory lane. Ask me about the time a fellow Newport Pineapple rugby player and I borrowed a huge Italian flag form the Italian syndicate. thats a good one. Or that we had a real live New Zealand All Black on our team. Man what a summer, I could write a book.

This was 83 when cameras used film. I may be able to scan the framed pictures . I will not unframe and unmat them to get scans though.

Please post those pics!