The America's Cup Epic Battle On and Off the Water

The America's Cup finals began on September 7th with defender Oracle Team USA as the underdog with little homeland support, and Emirates Team New Zealand as the seasoned favorite with the hearts of its island nation steadfastly behind them.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

The America's Cup finals began on September 7th with defender Oracle Team USA as the underdog with little homeland support, and Emirates Team New Zealand as the seasoned favorite with the hearts of its island nation steadfastly behind them.

It ended on September 25 with the Oracle Team owner Larry Ellison triumphantly hoisting the gleaming trophy amid cheering throngs and the team and country of New Zealand stunned and heartbroken by what once seemed like an unimaginable defeat.

Indeed, the 34th America's Cup was historic in Oracle Team USA's unprecedented comeback and in that it rocketed sailing into the 21st century, both in technology and visibility. Set against the backdrop of the iconic San Francisco Bay, the 19 races comprising the world's most important regatta were at turns excruciating, exciting, jaw-dropping, wrenching, nail-biting and exhilarating.

Hollywood would be hard-pressed to script such a dramatic and improbable sailing race.

The Set Up

The America's Cup Epic Battle On and Off the Water

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot