CC MEMO -- THE WHAT CUP?

We have asked a few of the preeminent yachting and Cup historians to rule on the following question: "What is the correct name of the Cup awarded to the yacht America in 1851?"

It was only later that it became known as the "America's Cup," in honor of the yacht that first won it. Over the years the Cup that the Royal Yacht Squadron gave for that fateful race on Friday, 22nd August, 1851 has been called the "Hundred Pound Cup," the "Hundred Guinea Cup," and more.

After polling the experts via email this morning, ACM's Peter Rusch was quick to forward a pic of the RYS 1851 regatta week poster, copies of which many of you will have seen displayed at the New York Yacht Club or in various books about America's Cup history.

Alinghi's Hamish Ross was also quick to respond (saying, among other things, that anyone who had time to write emails asking such questions obviously has too much time on his hands -- one could say the same about prompt respondents?). We will save Hamish's thorough and erudite analysis until we have, hopefully, responses from a few of the other historians circulated.

If any of our readers has constructive input on this pressing matter, please email it to blog [at ] tfehman [dot] com.

In the meantime, from the poster kindly sent by Peter it would seem clear what the Cup was called in 1851. However, we await, and will of course post, any of the answer(s) received from the experts or others worth passing along.



Or, despite the penultimate headline on the poster,
was the Cup popularly called something else?