America’s Cup

The United Kingdom has never won the America’s Cup, but come 12 October, things may change. The almost 200-year-old competition happens every three years and spans from the end of August to the end of October. The United States, Italy, France, Switzerland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom all made it in the round-robin. This year's racing was intense, but the United Kingdom clinched a spot in the finals after they beat Italy 7-4. Their opponent, New Zealand, won the 2021 America’s Cup and continued to dominate in the round-robin this year. 

The Americans have the most wins of the trophy, with 25 consecutive (won by New York Yacht Club) and 30 total. The first was in 1851 in the United Kingdom, with the line filled with fourteen British boats and one American. The one American schooner ended up beating the rest by 24 minutes, and sadly the United Kingdom has yet to take home the trophy. But this year, the tides may turn. The United Kingdom has a great opportunity to win back the cup they lost in 1964. 

Helmed by Ben Ainslie, the Ineos Britannia team is looking to go for the gold. They have a long road ahead as the underdogs, but with three separate days of racing, they have plenty of time to prove themselves. Ben Ainslie — a record-breaking five-time Olympic medalist —  is also a large asset to the team, bolstering their chances at victory. 

The America’s Cup is the longest-running international sailing competition, upping the ante each year to uphold its prestigious position in the sports world. Each team spends tens of millions of pounds building and fine-tuning their boats, and with modern advancements in technology, the teams search for loopholes in the class qualifications to get ahead of their opponents. 

Even for non-sailors, the spectacle of the America’s Cup is something to witness. The boats are built on a foil, seeming to levitate as they cut through the water. Watching these high-powered yachts race each other — each able to reach speeds higher than 93 kilometres per hour (50 knots) — is exhilarating, as audiences and teams alike hope they can execute a better strategy than their opponents. The sheer athleticism of the sailors, paired with the quick thinking of the skippers, demonstrates the level of skill that goes into the sport of sailing. If you get the chance, tune in to watch and appreciate the speed and engineering of the America’s Cup yachts. 

Ineos Britannia had a rough start on the first day, but there is still hope that they can bring the trophy home. Hopefully, they can settle into a good flow in the upcoming days of their Barcelona races.America’s Cup