The America's Cup is the most fiercely contested race in the world. It is certainly subject to the most controversies and is beyond doubt the most costly of all. In 1851, the trophy - originally known as the Hundred Guineas Cup - was presented by the Royal Yacht Squadron to the winner of a yacht race round the Isle of Wight. In this case, the winner was the schooner "America".
Renamed The America's Cup, the trophy was lodged in the keeping of the New York Yacht Club and held there until 1983 when Australia won. American won the trophy again in 1988 and American yachts won every succeeding challenge until the dramatic victory of New Zealand in 1995.
The photographs in this book are chosen by Keith Beken from the work of four generations of his family; pioneers in - and for more than a century the outstanding practitioners of - marine photography. They span the whole history of the America's Cup. Besides being an account of each challenge, these images reveal not only the genius of the craftsmen and designers who brought the yachts to life, and the crews that sailed them, but also the talent of these legendary photographers: the Beken family.
This new edition is complemented by images from other leading photographers and includes an introduction by Olin Stephens, the distinguished designer of America's Cup-winning yachts, and a foreword by Sir Peter Blake, leader of the victorious New Zealand team in 1995. The book describes the history of the race from a design point of view, and conveys the sheer drama and scale of this spectacular event.
