On July 30, 1844, nine men sat aboard a schooner floating near Manhattan Island’s Battery. John Cox Stevens had invited eight of his friends to join him on his yacht, the Gimcrack. Stevens was an outdoorsman, a steamship and railroad promoter, and a descendant of one of New York’s most prominent families. The Stevens family had risen to prominence by their efforts and sacrifices during the American Revolution. John Cox Stevens would rise to prominence from the proposal he made on that Tuesday.
Stevens grew up on the water, sailing and steaming across the Hudson River and along the coastline of the eastern seaboard. His father, after serving as a colonel in the Continental Army, turned his attention to steamboats. He was one of the early inventors of this new method of water transportation, competing with the likes of Robert Fulton. Stevens continued his father’s business of building boats and steamships. His steamboat ferry was the world’s first to cross the Hudson to and from Hoboken. In addition to his maritime acumen, he was a successful businessman in a booming industry.
New York City was full of men like Stevens—wealthy, industrious, and seeking camaraderie with like-minded people. It is what brought the nine together. New York City had been the nation’s largest city for half a century. It was three times larger than Boston and about 30 times larger than Detroit, yet both of those cities had something New York City didn’t: a yacht club. When Stevens broached the subject of founding the New York Yacht Club (NYYC), all eight fellow yachtsmen readily agreed. They also voted Stevens as the new club’s commodore.
The RYS and the RSA
About 3,000 miles away and 30 years before the NYYC opened the doors to its first clubhouse, the British founded The Yacht Club (later named the Royal Yacht Squadron in 1833) in the seaport town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight. About a decade later, the club began hosting races. As more and more yacht clubs formed around the globe, the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) decided in the 1840s to begin inviting other yacht club members to compete in races. Toward the end of the 1840s, a combination of things transpired that would culminate in one of the great moments in sailing history.In 1846, Henry Cole, a member of the Society of Arts, was introduced to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria. The two men became fast friends, and both wished to promote the arts and industry within Britain. Shortly after their introduction, the Society of Arts was granted a royal charter, changing its name to Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce (or more briefly, the Royal Society of Arts). In 1843, Garrard, a London-based jewelry maker, was appointed as Britain’s first official Crown Jeweller. In 1848, Garrard made three silver cups in the shape of ewers. As the 1840s moved into the 1850s, these two entities—the RSA and Garrard’s—incidentally brought the NYYC and the RYS together.
An Open Invitation
Prince Albert and Cole were both taken with the Paris expositions of the 19th century, specifically the most recent ones of 1844 and 1849. The two decided that London would host its own. Instead of focusing solely on national products and industry, however, this exhibition would be open to “All Nations,” making it the first international exposition “for the purpose of exhibition of competition and encouragement.” In February of 1850, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition announced its plans for the event. A few months later, construction for the Great Exhibition of 1851 began.
The Right Men for the Yacht
William H. Brown was a prominent boat builder in New York. He had made a fortune building yachts, schooners, and steamships. Brown was well acquainted with the yachtsmen of the NYYC and decided to make a wager with them. For $30,000 (about $1.2 M today), he would build a yacht that would be “faster than any vessel in the United States brought to compete with her.” Stevens and the founding members of the NYYC accepted.Brown had built a reputation on building beautiful, durable, and fast boats. His success was contingent upon having the right people working with and for him. Lucky for him, and probably the reason he felt confident enough to make such a bet, he had recently hired George Steers.
Steers was born in 1819 to a maritime family. His father David Steers was a native of the Isle of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, and had been a captain in the Royal Navy and had later joined the U.S. Navy. In 1841, 21-year-old George Steers designed his first pilot boat. Before the decade was up, Steers was revolutionizing boat design. In 1848, his design and build of the schooner Mary Taylor proved unconventional with its narrow bow and stern, and widest section near the middle. The end result, however, vastly improved the speed and handling of the traditional pilot boat. The following year, Steers was hired by Brown.
Off to the Races
On June 17, 1851, about six weeks after the start of the Great Exhibition of 1851, the New York Customs House issued the Certificate of Registry for the new yacht. Her first voyage would be to sail across the Atlantic Ocean toward Europe. The Royal Society of Arts had declared that the purpose of the exposition was for the “exhibition of competition,” and the American yachtsmen were chomping at the bit for the opportunity to compete. To add flavor to the occasion, the yacht was appropriately named America.
America arrived in Le Havre, France, on July 9. After the long voyage, it was refitted, its topsides painted black, and its racing sails tied to the spars. Stevens and his brother, Edwin, who took over the yacht once it had reached Le Havre, had orchestrated to keep it out of sight from the British until sailing to the Isle of Wight. When it sailed to the island on July 31, it did not disappoint.
The Great Race Begins
When America arrived at port, Egerton boarded and welcomed the crew to the Isle of Wight. All eyes, however, were on the black-painted yacht. Once the crew settled in, the Americans visited London, spending time at the Great Exhibition of 1851. The focus, though, was on the oncoming race. Eighteen teams had entered the race for the silver ewer that had several names: “The £100 Cup,” “Hundred Guineas Cup,” “Cup of One Hundred Sovereigns," and “The Queen’s Cup.”On the morning of the race, 15 of the 18 teams arrived in time, their boats ranging in size from the 393-ton Brilliant, the largest of the seven schooners, to the 47-ton Aurora, the smallest of the cutters. All 15 sat at anchor awaiting the start. At 10 a.m. a cannon was fired by the Royal Yacht Squadron and the counterclockwise race around the Isle of Wight began. Throughout the first hour and half, position for first changed intermittently, primarily between America and the cutters. By the halfway mark, near St. Catherine’s Point, America had increased its lead by about a mile. The only concern remained the cutters. As Volante neared St. Catherine’s Point, it sprung her bowsprit, causing it to drop out. The closest boat to America now was the cutter Aurora.
St. Catherine’s Point was apparently a relatively hazardous spot. Not only had the Volante suffered damage there, but America had as well. Its jibboom had snapped. Luckily, the jibboom was a mere innovation and an unnecessary one at that. Once the team cleared the boat of the debris, America actually increased its speed. Now it was about coming down the final stretch where thousands of spectators waited in Cowes to see who would win the coveted prize. One of those spectators was Queen Victoria.
There is a famous story about the queen awaiting the finishers. As the boats came around the final turn, Queen Victoria asked the signal master, “Are the yachts in sight?”
“Yes, may it please Your Majesty,” he responded. “Which is first?” “The America.” “Which is second?” “Ah, Your Majesty, there is no second.”
It was during this week in history, on Aug. 22, 1851, that the American-made yacht America won what was the very first America’s Cup race, beating her next rival, Aurora, by 8 minutes. After receiving the Garrard silver ewer, the “£100 Cup/Hundred Guinea Cup/Cup of One Hundred Sovereign Cup/Queen’s Cup” was renamed America’s Cup after the yacht.
America’s Cup quickly became the most prestigious and famous sailing race in the world, with more and more countries competing for the coveted prize. The Americans held onto the cup from 1851 to 1983, making 24 defenses against various international challengers. It is considered the longest winning streak in sports history. Oddly, the British, who created the race, have never won.
The international boat race continues to this day, with the 37th America’s Cup scheduled to take place on the 173rd anniversary. The signal master’s response to Queen Victoria, whether fictitious or not, has remained the race’s slogan: “There is no second.”
