173 years of hurt: Ben Ainslie’s America’s Cup crew stands on the precipice of greatness

Ben Ainslie's INEOS Britannia crew has made history once already, if they can take the next step a place in the history books surely beckons

“If we go out there and get beaten, they’ll send us home. If, however, we win today, they’ll let us stay and fight again tomorrow. And if we keep winning, we’ll leave this country with the America’s Cup.”

That is the cold logic which John Bertrand laid out for his Australia II crew ahead of their fifth race in the 1983 America’s Cup, when the Australians were 3-1 down in the best-of-seven series.

What followed was one of the most historic moments in sporting history as the Australian crew took the win. And they continued to win until, on 26 September 1983, they crossed the finish line ahead of the New York Yacht Club’s Liberty to secure a stunning series victory.

That America’s Cup win was the end of 132 years of New York Yacht Club domination, the longest winning streak in sporting history, and it took the Cup out of America for the very first time.

One imagines Ben Ainslie may well use similar cold logic to temper any excitement in his crew as they look to make America’s Cup history later this month.

But make no mistake, history has already been made by his INEOS Britannia team. On Saturday 12 October 2024 they will become the first British crew to compete in the America’s Cup in 60 years.

All racing up to this point has been purely to see which Challenger would have the right to face the Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand in the 37th America’s Cup itself. The actual America’s Cup competition has not even started.

For Ainslie everything – despite his unrivalled Olympic record and all – has been leading up to this moment.

A long history

The last British boat to line up in an America’s Cup match was the 12-Metre yacht Sovereign, skippered by Peter Scott, in the 1964 Cup, well before Ainslie and most of his team were born. Ainslie would be wise to avoid referring back to this most-recent British effort, as Sovereign lost in a 4-0 trouncing.

Overturning a 60-year drought is but a sliver of the history the British team are looking to rewrite this October.

At a Royal Yacht Squadron meeting in 1851, a £100 Cup was waged for a race around the Isle of Wight, with which new club Commodore, the Earl of Wiltonwith, hoped to attract international participation, in particular from the United States.

The NYYC took it upon themselves to create a vessel capable of showcasing the great skills and innovations of US shipbuilding and thus America was born.

America crossed the Atlantic early that summer, raced around the Isle of Wight against 15 other British boats and duly beat them all, to claim the Cup.

During that win, the quote which has become indelibly attached to the trophy was supposedly uttered to Queen Victoria by a signalman onboard the Victoria & Albert Royal Yacht.

“Say signal-master, are the yachts in sight?” The monarch asked.
“Yes, may it please Your Majesty.”
“Which is first?”
“The America.”
“Which is second?”

“Ah, Your Majesty, there is no second.”

Misquote or otherwise, this has remained the motto for the event through 173 years of vigorous (and almost always controversial) competition.

Should Ainslie’s INEOS Britannia team go on to win the America’s Cup the trophy will return to British shores for the first time in nearly two centuries and this team’s names will be indelibly daubed into the history books of sport.

Should they lose, they simply become another failed attempt in a long line of failed attempts.

After all, there is no second place…

Italian hearts broken

It may be of little surprise that a competition that has run for so long – and which inspires dedication verging on obsession within those who challenge for it – is rich in history on all sides.

The team the Brits beat in a closely contested Challenger Selection Series, the Italian flagged Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, have been a consistent Cup presence and first competed in the 2000 edition of the event.

Since that time, the team has taken part in every event since (with the exception of the unique 2010 Deed of Gift match and the 2017 event from which they withdrew after an argument around a change of boat in the cycle). The commitment of former Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli in backing the Italian team is almost unrivalled. This was Bertelli’s sixth Cup campaign, with loyal team director Max Sirena.

In 2021 the Italians went through to the America’s Cup itself for the second time, losing at the hands of Defender Emirates Team New Zealand.

One of their helmsmen, in both 2021 and this edition, is another name which has become synonymous with America’s Cup racing: Jimmy Spithill.

Incredibly this is Spithill’s eighth America’s Cup campaign and – even more incredibly – this will be the first America’s Cup in 17 years which will not feature the Aussie. However, it seems that the Spithill may well be retiring from America’s Cup racing.

The all-powerful Kiwis

If the British America’s Cup Challenger wants to make history they will need all their skill, technical ability and no small amount of luck to emerge victorious.

The team the Brits will face in Emirates Team New Zealand is one of the most storied in the modern America’s Cup era.

With four America’s Cup wins (two as Challenger, two as Defender) under their belts, Team New Zealand can claim to be the most successful America’s Cup team in modern history.

And though the Kiwis may style themselves as ‘David’ up against various billionaire-backed Goliaths, make no mistake they are the all-conquering powerhouse of this competition.

The personnel has changed over the years but 2024’s Emirates Team New Zealand is, in many respects, a continuation of the 1995 team who first won the America’s Cup for the Kiwis.

Their ability to learn over the years, to keep improving as a unit, and to adapt and innovate, has long been key in making the New Zealand team so strong.

Integral to the current DNA of Team New Zealand is deeply embedded experience of decades of Cup racing. Each failure or mistake rectified in the future, each wrong decision informing the next campaign to make a team that is incredibly strong.

The Kiwis will be using all of their skill and all of their phenomenal technical knowhow to ensure that, come the close of the best-of-17 series, 173 years of British hurt continues just a little further.

Follow all of our 2024 America’s Cup coverage

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