The America’s Cup
February 17, 2010. The winner of the 2010 America’s Cup yatch race came down to the seventh and final race . The US entry, the BMW Oracle trimaran (a three hulled boat), pulled through to win three out of the first seven races. The defender, Alinghi 5, a Spanish catamaran (a double hulled boat), took the other three races over the huge trimaran. The deciding race was taken by the BMW Oracle Racing trimaran, coming from behind in the fifth leg and kept her lead strong to the finish.
This yachting race dates back to 1851 when the America’s Cup was awarded to the schooner America after beating a whole fleet of schooners from England. The “Cup” was sent back to America on the winning yacht. The cup stayed in New York until 1930 before it was taken to Newport, Rhode Island.
These high performance yachts have 6,000 square feet of sail area. They have small aerodynamically designed thin wings to increase speed. The yachts are made of lightweight aluminum for easier gliding through the water. Their 16.5 foot deep keel is not weighted to increase speed underwater.
The 34th Americas Cup series is going to be held off the coast of Newport,R.I. 2013 or 2014.
By Powell.