Gym Class #8: Yacht Competition & 6 Schooner Rides

America's Cup, Photo by Krenda

America's Cup established in 1851, making it the oldest and most prestigious yacht racing.  America's Cup name came from the 1851 winning schooner America.  Six members of the New York Yacht Club built America and beat fifteen yachts in the UK during the World's Fair.  America finished miles ahead of the others and  it began a winning streak for Americans.  A famous line cam from Queen Victoria asking who came second and the simple response "Ma'a, there is no second." Americans won the trophy for 132 years.  Australia broke the winning streak in 1983.  

2016 marked the year of the first America's Cup race held on fresh water.  Fortunately for our family that location was off the shores of Chicago on the Great Lakes.  The America's Cup qualifying races included six teams from around the world:  1) Emirates Team New Zealand, 2) Softbank Team Japan, 3) Team France, 4) Oracle Team USA, 5) Land Rover UK, 6) Artemis Racing Sweden. 

 

Yacht races know the media well.  The first use of the wireless telegraph was to report cup races from the water.  ESPN began live coverage in 1987.  Rather than watch the event on tv, I took my family to watch the event from the water.  We took a ride on the schooner Tall Ship Red Witch.  The boat ride itself was joy, passing the Chicago shoreline under the sun.  Our captain did use media, turning up the radio so we could hear about the race while watching it.

The competing yachts seemed to fly above the water at approximately 35 knots or 40 miles per hour.  Foiling happens when the boats reach a certain speed and skim over the water.  Both powerful and graceful, the movement amazed me.  

Photo by Krenda

No doubt that yachting has been a sport for the wealthy.  It's involved business owners like French manufacturing tycoon Baron Marcel Bich (Bic pen).  Volvo and sixty other Swedish companies supplied money, technology, and research in 1977.  Now professionals sailors compete in the high stakes competition.

You can sail with your kids for under $50 per person.  Consider a short sail.  We took a special event sailing on Tall Ship Red Witch in Chicago, but Red Witch normally has low sailing price of $25 out of Kenosha Harbor in Kenosha, WI.  Here's other options:

1.  Schooner Pride (Charleston, SC), 2 hour dolphin sail $42 adult, $30 child

2.  Traverse Tallship Co. Manitou in Grand Traverse Bay (Traverse City, MI), 114-foot 19th century cargo schooner replica, Moomers ice cream sail $43 adult and $23 child; floating B&B overnight $217 to 245 couples

3.  Schooner Surprise (Camden, Maine), 2 hour sunset cruise $45 adult and $35 child 

4.  Inland Seas Education Association Great Lake Discovery Sails in Suttons Bay (Suttons Bay, MI), 77-foot schooner, various themed sails, Astronomy Under Sail or Breakfast on the Schooner, adult $45 

5.  Dennis Sullivan (Milwaukee, WI), 137-foot schooner, 2 hour sail $45 adult, $40 child

6.  Schooner America 2.0 in New York Harbor (NY, NY), 2 hour Day Sail to Statue of Liberty $60 adult, child $32