Please select your home edition
Edition
A+T Instruments BFD 2024 Leaderboard

New York Yacht Club Commodore congratulates Emirates Team New Zealand on 36th America's Cup win

by New York Yacht Club 20 Mar 2021 16:59 PDT
Emirates Team New Zealand win the 36th America's Cup © ACE / Studio Borlenghi

On behalf of the membership of the New York Yacht Club, I want to congratulate the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Emirates Team New Zealand for winning the 36th America's Cup. It was a memorable competition, sailed in the remarkable AC75 yachts, and it reinforced why the America's Cup remains a singular trophy in the world of sport. I also want to thank the people of New Zealand, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, for successfully hosting this competition during such a challenging time. I was privileged to be in New Zealand to witness it in person.

Among the most unique aspects of the America's Cup is that the competition is reborn after every victory, when the newly minted Defender and the Challenger of Record form a partnership to craft the rules, known as the Protocol, for the next match. It's a tremendous responsibility to represent all potential challengers. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the Royal Yacht Squadron hold the future of our sport's premier trophy in the palm of their collective hands.

As part of the New York Yacht Club's return to this great competition after two decades away, we spent significant time developing a draft Protocol that would blend the history, tradition and idiosyncrasies that makes the America's Cup so special with the commercial tools and non-partisan governance required to succeed in the world of modern sport. When our challenger, New York Yacht Club American Magic, was eliminated from the competition, we shared this Protocol with every competitor in the 36th America's Cup and a number of key Cup stakeholders. It was very well received by nearly everyone who read it. We are encouraged to see that, according to the press release from Emirates Team New Zealand, the Protocol for the 37th America's Cup will incorporate at least some of the tenets of our vision, including stronger nationality rules, a commitment to multiple cycles in the same boat, a more powerful event authority and cost-reduction measures.

However, a Deed of Gift match off the Isle of Wight, as reported by the New Zealand Herald to be under consideration, would be a huge step in the wrong direction. The two previous Deed of Gift matches, in 1988 and 2010, were distinct low points in the history of the America's Cup. Regardless of the conditions, the New York Yacht Club will not support a Deed of Gift match or an America's Cup competition that, due to the schedule and rules for competition, is effectively open to only the Defender and Challenger of Record.

The AC75 is a remarkable boat that will only produce closer and more exciting competition in future cycles. As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be a thirst for the fusion of competition, tradition and social interaction that the America's Cup can provide like no other sporting event. With the right schedule and match conditions, there is every expectation we would see a competition to rival Perth in 1987, Auckland in 2003 and Valencia in 2007. Each of those America's Cup cycles drew 10 or more teams to compete for the Auld Mug and the significant commercial interest necessary to support such a grand event. To waste this confluence of opportunity on a two-team event, to potentially once again plunge the competition into the New York State Courts, is not in the best interests of the America's Cup or the sport of sailing.

Our passion and commitment to the America's Cup are as much a part of the New York Yacht Club now as a century ago. We can't thank enough the Principals of American Magic—Hap Fauth, Doug DeVos and Roger Penske—and the more than 500 members of the Club who contributed to the campaign for the opportunity to re-engage with the competition our Club founded more than 150 years ago and successfully defended 25 times. We are hopeful that the rules for the next Match will allow the Club to compete once again, and will put the competition on the road toward regaining its place alongside the Olympics and the World Cup of Football as one of the world's most popular and successful sporting events.

Related Articles

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup: Defining excellence
The 2025 edition featured two world titles The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup brings together some of the finest yachts in world, combines them with elite sailing talent and sets them to compete in one of the most stunning locations yachting has to offer. Posted on 14 Sep
Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup overall
San Diego Rips Victory from the Jaws of Defeat "We've seen this movie before." - That thought had to be running through the minds of the 9 sailors on the San Diego YC team—and their fan base watching the live broadcast back at home—as they found themselves in the blender at the top of the first beat. Posted on 14 Sep
Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup Day 4
A Van-Tastic Day of Racing Lifts Canadian Club to Second In preparation for the 2025 Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup, the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club acquired an IC37 in the hope that better familiarity with the regatta's platform would lift the team into podium contention after a 12th in 2021 and a ninth in 2023. Posted on 13 Sep
Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup Day 3
Eastern Plays the Rabbit Eastern Yacht Club calls it the Reverse Rabbit. When Plan A—usually starting close to the pin—doesn't go to, well, plan, the Reverse Rabbit is the exit strategy. It's far from easy and success has to be measured against the alternative. Posted on 12 Sep
Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup Day 2
Homework pays dividends for Royal Canadian crew After what could only be described as a disastrous opening day for the Japan Sailing Federation team competing in the 2025 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup, the squad roared back into relevance with a fourth and a first to start Day 2. Posted on 11 Sep
Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup Day 1
Despite hurdles, familiar faces surge to the fore With a punchy 15-knot easterly and six-foot seas, the first day of the ninth edition of the Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup was a trial by fire for the 20 all-amateur crews pursuing Corinthian yachting's most treasured prize. Posted on 10 Sep
9th Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup starts tomorrow
After today's second and final day of mandatory practice racing April showers bring May flowers, but September showers, especially in New England, often leave behind a spate of dry late-summer perfection: crisp evenings, warm days and pleasant breezes. Posted on 8 Sep
Defending champions highlight list of favorites
San Diego Yacht Club is top of the list at the 2025 Rolex Invitational Cup With three consecutive podium finishes, culminating in a highly rewarding win in 2023, the San Diego Yacht Club (above, in 2023) is at the top of the list of favorites for the 2025 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. Posted on 4 Sep
Youth movement at Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup
Numerous teams are relying on their respective yacht club youth training programs Among the bigger surprises from the 2023 edition of the Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup was the preponderance of youth on the podium, particularly at the helm. Tyler Sinks, of the winning San Diego Yacht Club team, was the eldest of the three at 36. Posted on 28 Aug
2025 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup Preview
This year's edition takes place from 7-13 September at Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Each September, the waters off Sardinia's Costa Smeralda come alive with an exceptional spectacle: the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. More than a regatta, it is a celebration of human achievement, innovation and, most crucially, teamwork. Posted on 28 Aug
Lloyd Stevenson - AC ETNZ 1456x180px BOTTOMSwitch One DesignRooster 2025