The 100 Guineas Cup, also known as the Hundred Guinea Cup (£100 Cup), or the Cup of One Hundred Sovereigns, was a regatta in 1851 which was the first competition for the trophy later named America's Cup. The trophy was valued at 100 pounds-sterling which led to its various names, all variations on 100 Pound Cup.Guinea, Sovereign, Quid, Pound, and Pound-Sterling are frequently used interchangeably, though there are slight differences in value. The race was won by the yacht ''America'', leading to the trophy being renamed "America's Cup". The official event known as "The America's Cup" was founded in 1857, when the deed of gift established the racing regattas. The 1851 competition was a fleet race, whereas modern America's Cups finals are match races.

History

The race originated with an invitation for

the Great Exhibition of 1851 The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, also known as the Great Exhibition or the Crystal Palace Exhibition (in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held), was an international exhibition which took pl ...

by the

Earl of Winton The title Earl of Winton was once created in the Peerage of Scotland, and again the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is now held by the Earl of Eglinton. The title was first bestowed on Robert Seton, 8th Lord Seton. His descendants held it unt ...

, then Commodore of the

Royal Yacht Squadron The Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) is a British yacht club. Its clubhouse is Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. Member yachts are given the suffix RYS to their names, and are permitted (with the appropriate warrant) to w ...

(RYS), inviting the recently formed

New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...

(NYYC) to enjoy the facilities of the clubhouse of the RYS. John Cox Stevens, Commodore of the NYYC responded positively, and anticipated racing. Due to the RYS rules of the time, other races in the 1851 RYS Regatta were restricted to RYS members and their self-owned yachts, so the R. Y. S. £100 Cup was established, open to anyone to enter. At a RYS meeting on 9 May 1851, the race was scheduled for 22 August 1851. This race was to be the first of a series of challenge races for successive £100 Cups. At the time, it was normal practise for the winners to own the cups that were won, and not to return them for the next race to be won by others.

Trophy

The trophy is a bottomless ewer made out of of silver, and is tall. The ewer was a stock item obtained from jeweler Robert Garrard in 1848. After the race, it was engraved with the names of the yachts that raced against America, except the runner-up ''Aurora''.

Race

The regatta, held on 22 August 1851, raced clockwise around the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

in a fleet race. The course was called "The Queen's Course". The course was near Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight, where the

headquarters are located. The race took place as part of the ''1851 Royal Yacht Squadron Regatta''. The signal gun for sailing was fired at 10am, and the winner saluted by a gun from the flag-ship at 8:34pm (8:37pm

railway time Railway time was the standardised time arrangement first applied by the Great Western Railway in England in November 1840, the first recorded occasion when different local mean times were synchronised and a single standard time applied. The key ...

). 18 yachts were entered for the race, but only 15 yachts started the race. The yacht ''Fernande'' did not make the start, while ''Strella'' and ''Titania'' both got to the starting line, though did not start the race. Those yachts that raced were ''America'', ''Alarm'', ''Arrow'', ''Aurora'', ''Bacchante'', ''Beatrice'', ''Brilliant'', ''Constance'', ''Eclipse'', ''Freak'', ''Gipsy Queen'', ''Ione'', ''Mona'', ''Volante'', and ''Wyvern''.

Gallery

File:33rd America's Cup Valencia.jpg, The trophy File:1851 Royal Yacht Squadron Regatta promo.jpg, A flyer from the RYS for, among other things, the race. In it, the race is referred to as the "R.Y.S. £100 Cup". File:The Yacht 'America' Winning the International Race Fitz Hugh Lane 1851.jpeg, ''America'', the winner, crossing the finish line File:The 193 ton yacht Alarm in a light swell.jpg, ''Alarm'', largest yacht in the regatta

Footnotes

References

{{Authority control America's Cup regattas 1851 in England Sailing in England History of the Isle of Wight Sport on the Isle of Wight August 1851 sports events