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On this day…
15 April
In 1871 James Ashbury, launched Livonia to challenge for the America’s Cup for the second time. Ashbury managed to secure the permanent right of a challenger to face a single defending yacht rather than a fleet of yachts, and Livonia was the first such challenging yacht to match race for the America’s Cup. She lost the match 4-1, but Ashbury contested this and the resulting public quarrel caused racing for the Cup by English yachtsman to be suspended for many years. “The conditions under which the Cup is held, however, appear to unduly favour the holders and do not commend themselves to yachtsmen on this side of the Atlantic,” later wrote the Vice President of the British Yacht Racing Association.
On this day in 1988 The New York Supreme Court ordered that a Challenger Selection Series could only be held with the mutual consent of the Defender and the Challenger of Record (the first challenger to challenge). The Royal Burnham Yacht Club represented by English entrepreneur Peter de Savary attempted to force its way into the 27th Match without the approval of both the Defender and Challenger of Record and failed. The Match was eventually contested by a catamaran and a 90ft monohull.
On this day in 1992, during the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series Semi Finals, Nippon, skippered by Chris Dickson, broke the boom during the start in its race against Il Moro di Venezia and were forced to sail without a boom, losing by 1 minute 53 seconds. In the other Semi Final race New Zealand defeated Ville de Paris by 3 minutes 11 seconds, a healthy margin.
© Hamish Ross 2007
