BMW Oracle Racing Team won Race 2 of the 33rd America’s Cup off the coast of Valencia and took the America’s Cup trophy. The team, founded a decade ago by successful software entrepreneur Larry Ellison, crossed the finish line in the high-tech trimaran USA a full 5 minutes ahead of the Alinghi team. For the first time Ellison was on board the USA, enjoying victory on his first American’s Cup match race. The Valentine’s Day win made BMW Oracle Racing the first victorious American team in the America’s Cup since 1992.

The America’s Cup 34 will be held in 3 or 4 years and defended by The Golden Gate Yacht Club, Larry Ellison’s club. Many are wondering if it the venue will be San Francisco Bay, which has heavy cargo traffic. Other possible locations that have been mentioned are San Diego, California, Newport, Rhode Island and Valencia.

The 33rd Americas Cup is now underway in Valencia, Spain. The race is between just two teams, defender Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing. The 2010 America’s Cup has been one of the most controversial to date. Following several months of litigation, both teams agreed to a one-on-one Deed of Gift match. The boats, named Alinghi 5 and USA 17, are 90 ft. sailing multi-hulls. We’ve written here before about the benefits of multi-hulls, and this race is proving us right in the extreme. These vessels are capable of going “faster than the wind.” Power boats carrying film crews and race officials are having a hard time keeping up.

The first two days of scheduled racing were postponed due to rough wind and wave conditions. The first race was held today and the winning team was BMW Oracle Racing. The next race in this “first to two” competition will be Sunday, Feb. 14. See Race 1 in this YouTube video:

Queensland is being considered as a possible venue for February’s America’s Cup challenge.  The location is currently being decided in court after Oracle, the challenging American team, disputed the Swiss team’s choice of the Persian Gulf.  Now it appears that the Swiss are willing to move the event to the coast of Australia.  Sydney was initially considered until it was conceded that the waters outside Sydney harbor are not conducive to yacht racing.  Southport in Queensland was then suggested and is now under consideration.  The decision is now before the New York State Supreme Court.  Read more about the America’s Cup in Australia on the Sydney Morning Herald website.

The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) was established in 1844 aboard the yacht of John Cox Stevens, who became the first commodore. The original club membership consisted of 8 of Stevens’ friends. The first clubhouse was built in 1845 on land which was once part of the Stevens family estate, at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey. The opening of that first clubhouse, which overlooked the Hudson River, was celebrated by a regatta which has since become the Annual Regatta. With only a few interruptions, the Annual Regatta has been held each year since that first event. In 2009, the NYYC help the 155th Annual Regatta.

In 1987, the NYYC acquired Harbour Court, the former summer home of Commodore John Brown, in Newport, Rhode Island. Since then, Harbour Court has been the site of many prestigious NYYC yachting races and events. NYYC was the owner of the America’s Cup for 132 years, until 1983. The victories of NYYC boat’s in the America’s Cup from 1870 to 1980 is often called the longest winning streak in sports history.

Lithography of the 1851 America's Cup champion yacht America.

The Boston Yacht Club is the oldest yacht club in New England.  It was founded in 1866 with 90 original members.  The Club grew through a series of mergers with other clubs and by 1910 was operating from six stations: Rowe’s Wharf in Boston, Hull, City Point in South Boston, Marblehead, Dorchester, and Five Islands in Sheepscot Bay, Maine. The Boston Yacht Club now operates from a single station in Marblehead, with membership at 400 yachts.

Since its beginning, the Boston Yacht Club has been associated with the America’s Cup race, the most prestigious regatta and match race in sailing.  Club members designed and built successful cup defenders dating back as far as 1885. Boston Yacht Club member Ted Hood was involved in 11 sucessful cup defenses from 1958-1977 in the various roles of sail maker, skipper and designer.  The original America schooner flew the Boston Yacht Club burgee for over 27 years, until being decommissioned in 1901.

The United States Power Squadron (USPS), a preeminent boating organization with more than 45,000 members, also traces its roots to the Boston Yacht Club.  USPS is a non-profit educational organization which teaches classes in seamanship and navigation.