The Tour of the Isle of Wight at the origin of the Cup
America's Cup is the oldest sports trophy in the world. It was born in 1851, on the occasion of the World Exhibition in London and opposed British and Americans. John Cox Steven, a founding member of the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) in 1844, heard about the interest of English shipping merchants in seeing pilot schooners, fast American sailboats and English yachts compete. He then joined 5 other members of the club to form a union and built the schooner America.
Thus, on August 22, 1851, a regatta around the Isle of Wight called"The 100 Guineas Cup." And it was none other than the schooner America that won the Royal Yacht Squadron duel. Rumour has it that Queen Victoria attended the game and, seeing the schooner America taking the lead, asked one of her attendants who was second. The latter would have replied"Majesty, there is no second!" And even today, this replica perfectly qualifies the America's Cup.
Birth of the Deed of Gift
Back in the United States with the cup in his hands, John Cox Stevens, at the origin of the project, kept it until his death in 1857. It was then presented to the New York Yacht Club by the other members of the America union. The Trophy was then renamed after the American yacht and it was decided to create a challenge open to all yacht clubs from all countries, in the spirit of the regatta organised around the Isle of Wight.
The New York Yacht Club then established the first rules of the challenge, known as the Deed of Gift, on July 8, 1857 and specified that any rule could be challenged by mutual consent.
This is how the America's Cup was born, but it will be almost 20 years before the second edition, in 1870 in Newport (US), after the Civil War.
