Word: cups
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Australia II's heist of the ex-America's Cup raises all sorts of questions about the future of the World Series of sailing. First, what will the races be called three years from now in Perth? The Cup was not named for this country but for the yacht which beat a fleet of British boats in the first series way back in 1856. Calling it Australia II's Cup for the next few years would be a fitting barb to leave in the NYYC's flesh...
Most intriguing are the limitless possibilities for how the races will be run. Ever since first claiming the Cup, the races have been run solely on the whims of the NYYC, which made up the rules as it went along. The actual races were officiated by an international race committee, but the yacht club had free reign in choosing where and when to hold them and in what kind of boats...
...this century the most expensive yachts ever built, the majestic J boats, were used, but economy forced the switch to the current 12-meter boats in the 1950s. If the Australian syndicate wanted to switch to Sunfish, rafts with bedsheet sails, or Spanish galleons, they could. Switching the Cup to a board sailing, wave-jumping competition would do much to bring Cup racing within the grasp of everyone who ever said "I think I could do that...
...inspiration for the prank came to Getzler on Saturday, after poor winds postponed the final race of the Cup...
Prof. Mumford, while listening to the final hour of the America's Cup on the radio, added that the Australian-American rivalry in the department has been "a bit of a joke" around the office for the past few years...