America's Cup Jubilee Preview

Everything from racing schedules to social extravaganzas for next week

Among the thousands of people coming to sail and spectate in Cowes for the America’s Cup Jubilee are at least ten of the men who have won the America’s Cup.

Olin Stephens
Designer and alternate helmsman Ranger 1937

Olin Stephens is the doyen of America's Cup yacht design, his influence spans 50 years, a third of the time over which the Cup has been contested, starting in 1937, and lasting until 1987, though even today ideas originated by Stephens still influence Cup design.

He made his debut alongside the renowned Starling Burgess, when they designed Ranger, the last of the J-Class boats to contest the Cup in 1937, which was the last match before the Second World War.

Ranger was the first of two "breakthrough" boats in which Olin Stephens had a hand, the second was Intrepid, the 12-Metre that successfully defended the Cup in 1967 and '70.

Of course the majority of Olin's influence has been over the period during which the 12-Metre Class was used for Cup competition, he designed all but one of the successful New York Yacht Club defenders, and it is notable that the boat which lost the Cup was not designed by Stephens.

An innovative designer, he was always ready to give credit to others for their good ideas, and his was one of the few voices coming out of the New York Yacht Club in 1983, that praised Ben Lexcen and his radical winged keel, on Australia II.

The man that Lexcen referred to as god, described the Australian's keel as, "a genuine and legitimate breakthrough in 12-Metre design."

The Stephens influence reaches far beyond America's Cup design, with a list of successful offshore racers, and cruising boats that seems endless, and ranges in size from "pocket cruisers" to "super yachts".

Olin Stephens is also a very accomplished sailor, who not only sailed on the boats he designed for the America's Cup, but also won trans-Atlantic races in his own designs.


Briggs Cunningham
Skipper 1958

Described universally as a "Californian, millionaire, sportsman and racing car driver", he was the skipper of the New York Yacht Club's first successful defender after World War Two, which was of course the first Cup series sailed in 12-Metres.

Sailing the Olin Stephens designed Columbia, with the designer as tactician, he inflicted a crushing 4 - 0 defeat on Britain's Sceptre.

It was Cunningham who introduced to sailing the mainsail luff control system that now bears his name.

Originally from Cincinnati, the 91 year old Cunningham now lives in California, but attended Yale, and was resident in Green's Farms, in Fairfield County, Connecticut, during the days he rose to prominence in sailing.

Briggs Cunningham's achievements in racing cars are even greater than in sailing, being known as a driver, builder and team leader, he built the renowned "Cunningham C4R", which achieved success in his hands, and being driven by others.

In 1954 Cunningham and his car appeared on the front cover of Time magazine, and the car influenced the design and designer (Zora Arkus-Duntov) of the Corvette, the best known sports car in America.

Describing his single-mindedness, another senior member of the New York Yacht Club said of Cunningham, "his presence guaranteed a tireless seeking for perfection; neither a smoker nor drinker, he would insure an almost monastic devotion to the quest."


Ted Hood
Skipper 1974

Skipper of the successful defender of the Cup, Courageous in 1974, Ted Hood defeated the Australian challenger Southern Cross in four straight races, the first of two occasions this boats held the Cup for the New York Yacht Club.

Hood is one of the most multi-talented sailors of all time, being a boat designer, sailmaker, boat builder, skipper, navigator and tactician, he built up one of the most diverse marine businesses in America, and probably the world.

He has been described as "the quietest man to defend the America's Cup, Ted Hood lets his sailing and sail making skills speak for him," the first two races were close and could have gone either way, but smart tactics and clever use of wind shifts got Courageous into early leads, thanks to his expertise, and after that the Australian challenge collapsed.

Hood's first foray into the America's Cup arena was in 1962, with the 12 Metre Nefertiti that he designed himself, but was defeated in the defender selection trials.

He had another go with a boat of his own design, Independence, in 1977, but was again beaten for the right to defend, this time by Ted Turner sailing Courageous.

Hood also had an illustrious offshore sailing career, including victories in the Newport to Bermuda race, and the Southern Ocean Racing Conference, and boats to his design have achieved far wider ranging success.