The fairy tale of Stars & Stripes winning the 1987 America’s Cup is well documented in books, photographs and videos.
It started in 1983 when Dennis Conner lost the America’s Cup on “Liberty” in the 7th and final race against the faster “Australia II.”
This fairly tale culminated in redemption and triumph off Freemantle, Australia when Dennis and his crew sailed “Stars & Stripes” to victory, reclaiming the Cup for America.
It was one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
This was the most exciting America’s Cup ever. The Freemantle Doctor provided the winds. The riveting television coverage brought in huge new audiences. This proved it is not the speed of the yachts, but the closeness of the competition which makes sailing exciting.
There were 25 yachts from 6 countries. And there were 6 syndicates from the United States of America!
When the dust settled, one team stood on top of it all. Dennis Conner and his crew on Stars & Stripes won the Cup back for America.
Dennis became a famous celebrity and Stars & Stripes was the best known yacht in the world.
This was a time when America stood on top of the world. We were proud of our country, and proud of our accomplishments.
In a White House ceremony, President Ronald Reagan said, “I just have to believe, it says something about the competitiveness of American technology, that this time around the United States entered perhaps the best designed, most technologically advanced 12 Meter yacht ever christened.”
After the 1987 America’s Cup, the game changed. New Zealand issued a Deed-of-Gift challenge. Then the Cup organizers decided to switch out of the 12 Meter class.
Stars & Stripes sailed a few more times but was eventually sold to a company in St Maarten which reenacted America’s Cup races for cruise ship passengers. Then in 2017, Hurricane Irma sank Stars & Stripes.
Because Stars & Stripes has been gone from the United States for so long, the next generation does not know her story. Today there are many people in our country who do not understand or appreciate the great achievements of our nation.
The story of Stars & Stripes needs to be retold.
President Reagan said, “Altogether, the United States of America was represented by six syndicates in Australia. Each had it’s own yachts and each involved literally hundreds of people, bringing the best of American technology to bear on the complicated challenges of 12 Meter racing. In designing Stars & Stripes herself, engineers used computer techniques to provide the yacht with a winged keel and a special rounded nose. Plastic experts gave the hull a coating that sheathed the yacht with thousands of tiny v-shaped grooves called riblets. Sailmakers used a mixture of Kevlar, Mylar and an entirely new fabric Spectra, to produce hundreds of sails suited to every conceivable weather condition. Stars & Stripes was fitted with an onboard computer to monitor her performance and communicate before the race with computers onshore and in her tender.”
Stars & Stripes is a story about technological innovation and overcoming adversity.
President Reagan ended his remarks by noting, “No matter how sleek the yacht, it still all comes down to what the skipper and crew do with her in the open ocean. To the skipper, the navigator, tactician, mainsail trimmer, pitman, bowman, sewerman, grinders, trimmers of Stars & Stripes, congratulations!”
Although there were winners and losers, when you look at this past in terms of America as a nation, the combined 1987 America’s Cup was the greatest moment in our sailing history.
Stars & Stripes has an unmatched history, and with the help of patriotic sailors all over America, her story is about to be retold to a new generation.