THE AMERICA'S CUP LEAVES AMERICA

In 1970, the New York Yacht Club was confronted with more than one yacht club interested in challenging for the Cup, and for the first time the challengers had a competition to determine the single Challenger that would face the Defender.

The French malletier Louis Vuitton became involved with the America's Cup in 1983, supporting the Challenger Selection Series; what came to be known as the Louis Vuitton Cup. The idea was twofold; to develop and identify the strongest possible challenger for the America's Cup and ensure that they were sufficiently battle hardened through competition to beat the Defender. The defenders had been involved in this type of selection series for most of the century, but until recently, there had been but one Challenger.

Australia was one of the challenging countries in 1983, and the 'Men from Down Under' had brought a secret weapon. Australia II sported a boxing Kangaroo flag in the rigging as she was towed out to sea, and under the water, a radically designed winged keel gave the 12-Metre Class boat superior speed under most conditions. The Australians kept the secret to themselves, draping large 'modesty skirts' from the deck to the ground when the boat was hauled from the water, keeping prying eyes away, and all the time building speculation as to what could be under there.

Dennis Conner, 'Mr. America's Cup', was charged with defending against the upstart Australians, who whipped through the challenger fleet and carried off the first Louis Vuitton Cup. That summer, in 1983, the America's Cup had pride of place on every newscast, and front-page status in every paper. There was a sense of history about that season; that somehow, finally, the New York Yacht Club's 132-year winning streak was going to come to an end. Equipment problems on the Australian boat allowed Conner to jump ahead early in the best of seven series, but Australian skipper John Bertrand battled back, eventually bringing the series to a score line of 3-3.

The seventh and final race was symbolic of the entire series, with Conner's Liberty leading for most of the course in a light and shifty breeze. It was not until the final spinnaker run that Australia II was able to jump into the lead, and then hold on to it despite a ferocious, last-gasp assault over the last few minutes. For the first time in 132 years, the America's Cup was leaving the New York Yacht Club.

Conner, now representing the San Diego Yacht Club won it back four years later, in 1987, in Fremantle, first winning the Louis Vuitton Cup to become the Challenger and then 'pasting' the Defender 4-0. For its only foray outside America, the Cup put on a spectacle, the famous Fremantle Doctor, strong afternoon sea-breezes, blowing up incredible sailing conditions with giant white-capped seas, to challenge both men and equipment.