The America's Cup: The History of Sailing's Greatest Competition in the Twentieth Century [Hardcover]

Dennis Conner (Author), Michael Levitt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1998

Once a competition held exclusively for wealthy members of the New York Yacht Club, the America's Cup has undergone significant transformations in the 20th century. No longer a yachting event limited to Morgans and Vanderbilts, the race now includes boats skippered by athletes who are not among the country-club elite. In this book Dennis Connor, son of a commercial fisherman and thrice winner of the America's Cup, and co-author Michael Levitt, take readers inside the complex world of the Cup. Accompanied by vintage and contemporary photographs, the text provides a record of wins and losses and the diverse personalities who have populated the America's Cup's history.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As a skipper, Conner won the most coveted of all sailing trophies three times. He was also the first American ever to lose it. The prevailing winds of his sport have consistently blown such that if Conner could just direct as much hot air into his sails as he does into his complaints and protests he would probably never lose a race.

Conner's trademark impetuousness is on display throughout The America's Cup, but so is his substantial grasp of sailing history, technology, and strategy. He's a gregarious storyteller, adept at lowering the boom on boathouse intrigue, particularly when he comes out the better for it. If the portions of Cup that deal with his own career--and given his longevity, they are substantial--tend to sound like a series of advertisements and excuses for himself, that's always been the direction he's tacked. Conner may whine, but he's not boring, and neither is Cup: he refuses to drown his animosity toward Ted Turner, winner of the 1977 race, and Alan Bond, the Australian renegade by whom Conner was outsailed and outmaneuvered in 1983. Conner's personality, for better or worse, steers his book, just as, for better or worse, it's steered his ships in competition. --Jeff Silverman

From Publishers Weekly

In 1992 Levitt published a history of the America's Cup since its inception in 1851, subtitling it "the official record." But this collaboration with three-time Cup winner Conner is a livelier look at this international race, concentrating on the competition from 1903 to the present. Certainly the greatest change has been the democratization of the event: for the greater part of its life, the America's cup was the plaything of the super-rich like Harold Vanderbilt and Sir Thomas Lipton. Indeed, Lipton was such an admired perennial loser that, in his final attempt to win the Cup, most Americans were rooting for him. But in the 1970s such figures as American Ted Turner and Australian Alan Bond broke with the genteel tradition and, at a time when the race was taking on a more international flavor, focused on winning at all costs. Especially interesting are the Aussie win in 1983, ending the U.S. winning streak of 132 years, the longest in any sport, and New Zealand's victory of in 1995. Although much of the text, filled with sailing jargon and structural details of the ships, will interest only frequent sailors, the authors do a splendid job of bringing to life the eccentricities and egos of the participants. Photos.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (July 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312185677
• ISBN-13: 978-0312185671
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,083,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Candid, accurate, & timely., November 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The America's Cup: The History of Sailing's Greatest Competition in the Twentieth Century (Hardcover)

Dennis Conner and Michael Levitt have captured the essence of what the America's Cup is. From the first few chapters giving a good history of the orgin and classes of yachts used throughout the first 133 years of the America's Cup, to Dennis Conner's own first hand knowledge of the races he has been involved with, the reader is propelled into all phases of the event.

Of particular note are the accounts of the controversial 1988 races, the competition with the first editions of the International America's Cup Class yachts, and the story behind the story of "keelgate" in the 1995 Cup, which saw the trophy once again leave the U.S.

For true Cup affectionados, this is a must read of America's Cup history. No one individual has been as involved in the modern day evolution of America's Cup racing as Dennis Conner. His perspective of the history of the event is compelling, candid, and not without controversy.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars History and Entertainment, April 12, 2000

By 

Elly (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The America's Cup: The History of Sailing's Greatest Competition in the Twentieth Century (Hardcover)

For those who have read and enjoyed Conner's previous America's Cup book "Comeback", this book serves as a kind of sequel and overview of the competition that has become the obsession of many professional sailors and designers. While informative in its historical content, Conner can't seem to resist the temptation to tell a good story whether it be the imfamous Mariner design or the controversies surrounding the 1995 campaign. All in all, an enjoyable and informative book, and a must have for AC/DC addicts.