The Story of the America's Cup (1851-2024)

The America's Cup has been the world's most prestigious yacht race for over 170 years. The first contest, in 1851, around the Isle of Wight against the British fleet for a wager, was won by the New York pilot boat America.

Named in honour of the first winner, the America's Cup races were dominated by American yachts for well over a century. At last, in 1983, Australia II demonstrated that it was indeed possible for another country to win, though in 1987 Stars & Stripes grabbed the trophy back for America; and there it stayed until 1995, when Black Magic won for New Zealand.

With the arrival of foiling catamarans in 2013, the America's Cup entered a new era. These boats enthused those watching as never before, injecting the Cup with the dramatic change it needed. The 2017 match was notable for the last-minute appearance of Emirates Team New Zealand with cyclists on the winches. They won the Cup that year, and in 2021 introduced the amazing foiling monohull as the new race boat. At Barcelona in 2024, it produced one of the best contests yet, with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron winning the race for the fifth time, and a British yacht, Britannia, representing the Royal Yacht Squadron, competing in the finals for the first time in sixty years.

This superb book tells the story of the Cup from its inception and is illustrated by Tim Thompson's celebrated paintings.