Competition: | 17th America's Cup |
Image Alt: | Photograph of Columbia on the right overtaking two other yachts. |
Defender Country: | United States |
Defender Burgee: | Burgee of the New York Yacht Club.svg |
Defender Club: | New York Yacht Club |
Defender Yacht: | Columbia |
Challenger Country: | United Kingdom |
Challenger Flag Variant: | civil |
Challenger Burgee: | Royal-Yacht-Squadron-Burgee.svg |
Challenger Club: | Royal Yacht Squadron |
Challenger Yacht: | Sceptre |
Location: | Newport, Rhode Island, United States |
Dates: | 20–26 September 1958 |
Rule: | 12-metre |
Winning Club: | New York Yacht Club |
Score: | 4–0 |
Next: | 1962 |
Prev: | 1937 |
The 1958 America's Cup marked the first Cup match sailed in 12-metre class yachts. Twenty years had passed since the last Cup match, held between immense Universal Rule J-class yachts in 1937 besides World War II, and the New York Yacht Club sought a more affordable alternative to restart interest in the Cup. In 1956 Henry Sears[1] led an effort advancing class yachts. The Royal Yacht Squadron of Great Britain agreed to challenge with a new 12-metre, Sceptre. The New York Yacht Club defended with theirs, Columbia, winning the Cup in a four-race sweep.
Four yachts competed in a summer long regatta to determine which the NYYC would name as defender, Columbia (US-16), a new Olin Stephens boat, Weatherly (US-17), Easterner (US-18), and the Olin Stephens designed Vim (US-15) from 1939. Columbia was chosen after a very close set of races resulted in only beating the 19-year-old Vim by 12 seconds in the final competition.
Date | Course | Winner | Loser | Winning Time | Delta | Score | Winner's Velocity on Course |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 20, 1958 | 24nmi, windward leeward | Columbia | Sceptre | 5:13:56 | 7:45 | 1-0 | 4.59 |
September 24, 1958 | 24nmi, triangular | Columbia | Sceptre | 3:17:42 | 11:42 | 2-0 | 7.28 |
September 25, 1958 | 24 nmi, windward leeward | Columbia | Sceptre | 3:09:07 | 8:20 | 3-0 | 7.61 |
September 26, 1958 | 24 nmi, triangular | Columbia | Sceptre | 3:04:22 | 7:05 | 4-0 | 7.81 |