

In 1851 the Royal Yacht Squadron of Great Britain held a yacht race around the Isle of Wight. The best seamen in the country showed up sailing some of the most impressive yachts of their time, including a cutting edge schooner from a relatively new country, the United States. As Queen Victoria of England witnessed the America, the foreign challenger, cross the finish line first, she asked who came in second. The reply came, "Your Majesty, there is no second." This phrase has been used to describe the skill and prestige associated with this race that came to be known as the America's Cup, after the first victor. 

Since its inception, the America's Cup, also known as the Auld Mug, has been primarily controlled by one entity. The New York Yacht Club, the owner of the America, held the cup for one hundred and thirty two years, the largest wining streak in sporting history (Cushman). During those one hundred and thirty two years, not only did the club control the rules of the competition, giving themselves the edge wherever they could, they also became the face of cutting edge sailing. Everyone on the water emulated the yachtsmen that were able to dominate the international sailing world and strived to model their modest boats after the vessels that competed in the cup.

This rigid reign the New York Yacht Club enjoyed over the America's Cup throughout history has severely damaged the general opinion of sailing as a sport because it has primarily been enjoyed by the wealthiest class. The introduction of multihulls, a design that has always been treated like a red headed stepchild, into the America's cup has changed the face of sailing and sparked intrigue in the general public. Although conventionalists claim this undermines the historical integrity of the event, the America's Cup has always been a showcase for countries' best designers. In fact, multihulls provide a new challenge for modern day sailors and designers. 

We live in an era of extreme change, especially in the boating world. I have watched the waters of my hometown become infused with catamarans as sailors discovered the error of their previous misconceptions. However, after spending a season in Newport Harbor Rhode Island, I discovered that these misconceptions have not been entirely discredited. The traditional yachtsmen of New England are still cautious of the multihulls entrance into the boating world. From the day that we sailed into the harbor, clearly the only catamaran, we had to prove our worth among traditional monohull designs, even some America's Cup champions. As the season came to a close, it was apparent to all that challenged us, multihulls were the future of professional sailing. 

The America's Cup is one of the oldest international sporting events in history and the goal of most professional sailing careers. Since it's inception, the participating nations have battled for prestige both on the water and in the courtroom. The history of this cup, riddled with controversy, is tied to the traditions set by the Yacht Club that dominated the competition for years. From their mouths to the actions of others, their word was law.  

A prime example of this phenomenon is the treatment of multihulls. Today, it is hard for many conventional sailors to overlook the connotations linked with these eccentric looking vessels. However, when you look into the history of why multihulls were bared from racing in the first place, it becomes harder to justify. It all dates back to 1876; Amaryllis, the first catamaran to enter a New England yacht race, came from behind to win the Centennial Regatta. The closest competitor, an America's Cup champion, crossed the finish line more than twenty minutes later. As a result, The New York Yacht Club barred multihulls from all regular classes (Herreshoff). Even though the skipper of Amaryllis, Nathanael Herreshoff went on to develop a few America's Cup champion yachts, catamarans are still not seen as racing material. This one race influenced the opinions of yachtsmen for centuries to come, resulting in a lack of the experimentation needed to develop this design into a safe vessel.

Prior to their loss in 1983, the New York Yacht Club controlled what kind of boats could be entered into the competition. For many years J-boats were used, yachts at least one hundred and twenty feet in length. However, for economic reasons, they decided to reduce the length requirement by using the twelve-meter class, reducing length to sixty-five feet. This also allowed the yachts to be used outside of the race as private sailing yachts (Rogers).

However, the America's Cup has recently gone in a different direction. In fact the yachts used are so different, some say the new cup is hardly the same competition. People complain that the competition no longer features stretches of precise tacking to windward with crewmembers grinding away, to trim the sails more quickly, as the skippers attempt to maneuver each other into compromising positions (Neuman). The space age multihulls used today require a completely different technique. It has become a battle of precision rather than brawn. Furthermore, these catamarans are so expensive that many countries are not able to compete. 

Today, the America's Cup yachts qualifications have changed. Although these rules were intended to promote innovation, they have caused some problems. It is still a match race. However, the yachts being used are so expensive that many countries are excluded from the race just for economic reasons (Pesca). Although the twelve-meter boats were generally owned by upper class citizens, they were still affordable enough to be used as day sailors. This new multihull class is so specialized that it is no longer possible for sailors to use them as private yachts. The changes America's Cup campaigns have to undergo when the rules are changed so drastically have created some backlash from challenging yacht clubs.

The America's Cup was originally intended to be a friendly competition between countries. Since multihulls were introduced, it has been anything but cordial. The first multihull to win the Auld Mug, in 1988, created such controversy that the two competing countries had to settle the contest in court. In fact, they went to court five times before the issue was settled. Since the court stated that the Deed of Gift, the original rules set out by the New York Yacht Club, did not explicitly prohibit the use of multihulls, the winner of the Auld Mug has been decided in a courtroom more frequently (Peter).

The America's Cup is moving in a new direction. Gone are the days of Wednesday night yacht club sailors in bow ties, celebrating their win by sipping scotch. The new technology does not allow for such dead weight. There is no longer room for strategists or financial backers on board an America's Cup champion vessel. The catamarans now used get their speed from how light they are, unlike the monohulls that get their speed from the length of their waterline. Multihulls are the future of the competition. They have turned the sport from something traditionally witnessed with a top shelf cocktail in one hand and a cigar in the other into an extreme sport that gives the general population something to get excited about (Museler).

Although the America's Cup has begun to race multihulls, conventional sailors still treat multihull sailors like the red headed stepchild of the yachting world. We are often referred to as "The Hells Angels of the Sea" (Martin). It is the general opinion that those who prefer multihulls at sea are not competent sailors. This notion is the result of bareboat charter companies that allow landlubbers to rent a sailboat for the week without supervision. These companies often use catamarans because of the ease of operation. These poor souls somehow got it into their heads that sea life is glamorous. That is until they find themselves stuck in a sticky situation without a clue as to how much danger they are really in. It is these people, with their unwarranted self-confidence, that have tainted the name of competent multihull sailors (Matthews). 

 The America's Cup had to change hands before multihulls were even considered a plausible option. Even still, many of those that stayed true to monohulls believe that multihull yachtsmen are not real sailors. However, after having surfed down twenty-foot waves without spilling my cup of coffee, I maintain that remaining a monohull sailor just seems uninformed. If you wont take my word for it, look at the traditional America's Cup skippers that have converted to multihulls.

These new boats preform at such high speeds and require so much skill that it is almost impossible to hold onto the elitist connotations that has plagued the sport of sailing for so many years. Successful America's Cup skipper, Russell Coutts, says, "It's completely different sailing these boats. The speed is much much faster than the old monohulls. That's because they are so much lighter and so much more powerful" (Neuman). This newfound speed increases the pace of the competition and allows spectators who prefer sports with more action to enjoy sailing. 

Since the introduction of multihulls into the America's cup, the discord between conventional and multihull sailors has been problematic, to say the least. When the Auld Mug changes hands, the new defenders are able to rewrite the rules. In order to do this, a committee of designers, sailors, and financial backers is assembled. The largest problem facing these committees is the inability to decide on a single set of rules. Designer Gino Morelli, part of the team in charged of writing the new rules, wanted to give designers free reign and said, "let's see what people can come up with" (Slade). However, this was vetoed and design restrictions were put in place. This, in turn, put a limit on innovation.

The essential fact is: the cup was always about countries bringing their best weapon and best sailors to the challenge. This competition was founded on the principle of cutting edge yacht designs. Banning a design because it sails so much faster than its contenders is not in accordance with the founding ideologies of the race. In fact, allowing these designs to compete moves the America's Cup away from its elitist connotation into a thrilling sport that can be enjoyed by the entire country.

A prime example of this notion is the 1983 America's Cup. For the first time in one hundred and thirty two years the New York Yacht Club did not successfully defend the Auld Mug. This was made possible by the cutting edge keel design employed by the challenging team from Australia (Cambell). Throughout history new boat designs begin in yacht races. This engineer was hired by the Australians to design a winning boat; the technology he invented is now used on leisure sailboats. 

However, these innovations are not always confronted with the idea of progress in mind that was originally intended on the Deed of Gift. The threat of new technology incites so much fear in the opposing team that they become willing to go to great lengths to stop these innovations. For example, before the 1983 competition, the New York Yacht Club went to extreme measures to reveal the exact designs of Australia II. They even went attempted to use backroom deals to get the boat disqualified. A member of the NYYC's selection committee had approached the head of the testing facility in an effort to get him to sign a document that said in effect that his staff, not the Australian architect, had been responsible for the design of the keel. This would have disqualified Australia from the competition (Pileggi). This happened only after the boats impressive record was revealed.

It is behavior like this that leads to race champions being decided in a court of law rather than on the racecourse. It is important for competitors to remember why this race was started. The Deed of Gift was donated under the condition that it remains a friendly competition between foreign countries (Peter). The fact that lawyers have become a necessary part of an America's Cup team is in direct conflict with the original purpose of the race.

The use of lawyers would not be such a large problem if the court were concerned with anything outside of the list of rules written in the Deed of Gift in 1852. For example, the previously mentioned 1988 America's Cup and its surrounding events created some the most impressive innovations the sailing world had seen in centuries. And if it weren't for the interpretation of one judge, it never would have been possible (Vaughan). The series of court cases that came to be known as "the big boat challenge" gave way to the boats competing for the Auld Mug today.

However, the loophole in the Deed of Gift that allowed the free reign enjoyed by designers that year has been closed shut. As a result, we are getting more of the same thing. Impressive designers like Gino Morelli are forced to put aside their exciting innovations in order to work on the restricted design of the America's Cup class yacht. The sole reason being, that's where the financial backers are. But if we were to loosen the rules and allow imagination to run rampant, the boating world may find another design that outperforms the rest.

New sailing designs and technologies often appear in the most expensive racing yachts, only later to be adopted by other racers and weekend sailors. Races with limited restrictions on design allow for the production of these new designs to reach the general public, even those who believe the America's Cup does not pertain to them (Vaughan). Decreasing restrictions on boat classes in the America's Cup not only leads to an exciting race, it also allows for more innovations that every sailor can enjoy whether they enter yacht races or spend their weekends leisurely cruising the bay.

The one thing no one seems to be questioning, these cutting edge new boats are unrivaled by anything else on the water. If that is the case, then sailors advocating for tradition need to take an in depth look at their argument. I concede that it is important to remember the past. However, you cannot choose which parts of history to remember. Ignoring the clause in the Deed of Gift that promotes innovation because you do not like the new designs is not in accordance with the history for which you are advocating. 

With that being said, it is important for every sailor to realize that this seemingly minute problem of hostility towards multihulls can have an effect on the boats that you enjoy. And for those readers who do not consider yourselves seamen, I ask you to imagine what your life would be like without innovation. What if the insecurities surrounding artificial intelligence had prevented companies like Apple and Xerox from developing the modern personal computer? It may seem like a bit of a stretch. However, when misconceptions control the behavior of an entire community, the results can be extreme. 

