President John F. Kennedy waves to the crew of the yacht, “Weatherly”, while watching the first race of the 1962 America’s Cup aboard the USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., off the coast of Newport, Rhode Island.
Ah well, only one race today, but it was just about everything you would want from a race– close racing, mostly within 100 meters, speeds over 40 knots, lead changes, and a come-from-behind victory!
I’ve been watching America’s Cup races as long as they’ve been televised, and that was one of the best races I’ve ever seen.
After 4 races it’s tied 2-2. With all the talk about NZ supposedly having a faster boat it actually has all depended on tactics in the minute before and the minute after the start: Whichever boat ekes out an advantage there has gone on to win every race. And it’s always been the boat with port-tack entry.
All those people who predicted sweeps or 7-2: yeah, not so much. Can’t wait to see the rest of it.
When you watch them race against each other or by themselves during practice they look fast and all. But this real-time commentary from a couple of kiwi boatniks getting a close flyby adds important perspective.
Reliance at the finish, 27 August 1903 Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Detroit Publishing Company Photograph Collection LC-DIG-det-4a15412
The 90-footers were amazeballs. (Note that “90-footer” refers to the waterline length. When they heeled over they got way longer. With the bowsprit and boom their overall length was more like 200 feet.)
The Captioner: Reliance passing the Brenton Reef light ship at high speed, 1903. Photograph by Nathaniel Livermore Stebbins.
