Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-09-15
The Americas Cup.

The Americas Cup.
The Americas cup, homely, old
fashioned piece of silver as it is, has
by thirty-hve years of generous rival
ry between England and America,
the two greatest yachting nations, be-
come the emblem of the yachting
supremacy of the world. 1t was first
offered by the Royal Yacht Squadron
of England as the prize of their an
nual regatta to be sailed around the
Isle of Wight on August %. 1851.
The schooner yacht America, which
had been built and launched in New
York during the earlier months of
that same year, had been sailed across
the ocean as one Of the contributions
from the United States to the great
Worlds fairs, then being held in Lon
don, and was finally permitted to
enter this regatta. In it, though she
sailed against Il fleet of fourteen
schooners and cutters, she won so
easily that at the finish, the Aurora,
which came in second, was eight miles
behind her, and the rest were nowhere
to be seen. With this splendid vic
tory the Americas cup was first won,
and never since that day has it left
our hands.
In 1857 the gentlemen who owned
the America, when she won the cup,
presented it to the New York Yacht
Club, to be held and defended by it
a perpetual challenge trophy, and to
be raced for by the representative
yachts of any foreign club. Although
the conditions of the gift were pub.
lished throughout the world, it was
not until nearly fourteen years later
that the holders of the Americas cup
were challenged to race for it,
The second race for the cup was
sailed in New York Bay on August
s, 1870, between the English schoon-
er-yacht Cambria, owned by James
Ashbury, and twenty American
yachts. 1t aroused the most wide
spread interest, and was witnessed by
a greater number of people than any
similar event has ever drawn out.
Although it was most exciting race,
the Cambria was easily beaten by the
American scbooner-yacht Magic.
Mr.. Ashbury returned to England
determined to try again for the cup,
and the following year he came over
with the new schooner-yacht Livonia,
which he had built OH purpose to race
for it. Then followed a series OF
six match races, in every one of which
the Livonia was beaten-three times
by the Columbia, twice by the Sappo
and once by the Dauntless.
The next challenge for the cup
came from Canada in 1876, and in
July of that year the schooner-yacht
Countess of Duferin, representing
the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, APP
peared in New York bay, and began
to make ready to win it. This she
did not do, however, for she was very
badly beaten by the Madeleine, Of
the New York club, in two races, and
so the cup did not 60 to Canada.
Captain Cuthbert, the builder and
commander Of the Countess OF DUFF
J ferin, went home very much dissap.
pointed, but determined to try again
for the cup if he ever got chance
Nothing was heard from him unit
: 1881, when he again appeared in New
, York with a new sloop-yacht named
Atalanta, which he had brought from
. Lake Ontario by way of the Eri'
canal and the Hudson river. Sh'
represented the Bay of Quinte Yach
Club. The New Workers were ready
: to give Captain Cuthbert a race, ant
they selected the iron sloop-yach
Mischief to meet and beat the new
Canadian yacht. This the Mischie
did SO thoroughly in two races thai
in the second the Atalanta's time a
! the finish was not taken at all, as sh'
!, did not come in until long after every
g body else had gone home.
Last year the famous English cut
ter-yacht Genesta came across tn
ocean to try and capture the Amer
2 ica's cup. She was so much large
and more powerful than any existing
American sloops that something hat
to be built to race with her. So tn
Priscilla was built in New York, ant
: the Puritan in Boston. After the,