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• The America's Cup - The Biggest Prize In Yachting

The America's Cup - The Biggest Prize in Yachting

Known worldwide as the oldest international sporting competition, The Americas Cup, affectionately known in the sailing community as the ‘Auld Mug’, is the biggest prize in the yachting world.

The first race was won in 1851 by The New York Yacht Club with their 101ft Schooner ‘America’. Commodore John Stevens of the NYYC had put together a 6-person team to build a yacht with hopes of making money competing in races in England. America raced against 15 yachts from the Royal Yacht Squadron in their annual 53-mile race around the Isle of Wight, coming in first place, 8 minutes ahead of the second finisher. Their prize was a trophy called the ‘£100 Cup’ (also known as ‘The 100 Guineas Cup’), subsequently renamed after the winning yacht, to the Americas Cup.

Queen Victoria, who was watching at the finish line, reportedly asked one of her attendants who was in second place, from which came the famous answer, "Ah, Your Majesty, there is no second.".

The first challenge against America came from British railway tycoon James Lloyd Ashbury in 1870, after his Topsail Schooner Cambria beat Americas ‘Sappho’ in a race on the Solent in 1968. Ashbury’s confidence was to no avail, as Cambria finished 10 th in the 17-boat fleet.

Canada was the next to try and win away the trophy, they challenged twice but fell short of the mark on both attempts. Canadas second attempt was a disaster, the Canadian challenger ‘Atalanta’, representing the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club, was entered into the race despite being unfinished due to lack of funding. Such a spectacularly bad performance paved the way for the NYYC to change the deed of gift to accommodate new rules.

Deed of Gift - 1857 The Deed of Gift was a letter written to the secretary of the NYYC to formalize the rules that would govern the future of the Americas Cup. The deed of Gift originally stated that any foreign yacht club could challenge the current holder of the trophy, that the race would be held on the waters of the current holder, and that any challenger was to sail to the race destination on their own hull, so the boats could not be disassembled and rebuilt at the destination.

The deed of gift has been changed many times since the first race, rules such as the NYYC Rule (1885-87) , put in place after Canadas failure, the rules were changed so that any challenger should belong to a yacht club based on an arm of the sea, which excluded any yacht clubs situated on the great lakes, and that any challenger accepted should sail to the venue on her own hull. They also imposed penalties on any challenger with a waterline longer than 85ft (25.91 m).

The Seawanhaka Rule (1889–1903) saw the waterline limit reduced to 70ft in 1889, although in the coming years this would increase to 85ft, and then 90ft. This rule led legendary yacht designer Nathanael Herreshoff to bend the rules by designing ‘Reliance’ the largest racing sloop ever built, described by some as a ‘racing freak’ due to her long overhangs, which ultimately increased her

The Universal Rule (1914–1937) was introduced by Herreshoff, this rule determined that only J-Class yachts were eligible to race in the Americas Cup, single mast yachts between 65-76ft in length.

The Twelve-Metre Rule (1956–1987) was brought in after 21 years without a challenger, post-war economic realities meant that it was too expensive to build, maintain, and crew much larger vessels, so the 12-metre rule made way for smaller and more affordable boats.

In 1983, the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron collaborated with Paul Madden of the NYYC to bring into play ‘The Challengers Cup’. Louis Vuitton was then contracted to be the sponsor of this cup, thus creating ‘The Louis Vuitton Cup’. This was to be the ‘decider’ race whose winner would go on to challenge the current holder of the Americas cup.

The New York Yacht Club held the trophy for an incredible 132 years, until they were challenged, and beaten by Australia in 1983 with a 63ft racing Yacht named ‘Australia II’. The nail-biting finale saw Australia II beat Americas defender ‘Liberty’ to the finish line breaking a 3-3 tie to win 4-3 on the 7 th race. Australia’s secret weapon was a winged keel that they kept hidden from the competition under a ‘modesty skirt’ that was draped from the deck when the boat was being hauled from the water.

In 1987, the Americas cup was defended for the first time in the waters of Australia, off the coast of Fremantle, WA. Dennis Conner of the San Diego Yacht Club won the trophy back for the USA with his 12-metre challenge boat ‘Stars & Stripes 87’.

Soon after Conner had won back the Americas cup, New Zealander Sir Michael Fay of Mercury Bay Boating Club, surprised Conner by challenging with an enormous 90ft waterline yacht named ‘New Zealand (KZ1)’ or the ‘Big Boat’. Since the SDYC wanted to continue to race under the 12-metre rule, they contested this decision and took Fay to court, which ultimately saw the ‘Big Boat’ deemed eligible to race. With limited time to prepare for the race, the SDYC decided that a Catamaran was their best bet. With its lower mass and wing sail, the Catamaran, named after the last American winning boat ‘Stars & Stripes’, easily took the lead and America were declared the winners yet again.

Though this was not taken well by Fay, who considered the race unfair and thus took Conner back to court, winning the case and thus New Zealand were declared the winners by default. This decision was appealed and subsequently overturned and SDYC were once again declared to have successfully defended the cup, in what was described as the most controversial match since the cups inception.

After the controversy of the 1988 match, the International American Cup Class (IACC) Rule (1992-2007) came into play. The IACC yachts were to be designed to the same formula, but non-identical, so still giving the designers some free reign. The yachts were designed to be slightly longer than the 12-metre class but much lighter. The IACC yacht specs would be:

• LOA - 75’0”
• LWL - 57’0”
• Bea - 18’0”
• Draft - 13’0”
• Mast Height - 108’0”
• (Main & jib) - 3,000 2 ft
• (Spinnaker) - 4,500 2 ft

In 1995, New Zealand took the cup in ‘NZL 32’, nicknamed "Black Magic" due to her jet-black hull. She challenged Dennis Conner’s defender yacht ‘Young America’ and sailed into an easy win beating Young America 5-0, making the 1995 Americas Cup New Zealand’s first official win.

On March 14 th 1996 tragedy struck when Maori activist, Benjamin Peri Nathan, slipped past the security at Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's clubroom and attacked the Americas Cup trophy with a sledgehammer. He was subsequently convicted and jailed for 34 months. The cup was so badly damaged that it was feared to be irreparable. The New Zealand team who won the trophy reportedly tried to make light of the situation claiming "We heard we are going to be racing for the America's Plate now." The original manufacturers of the cup, Garrards Silversmiths of London, spent 3 months slowly and carefully restoring the cup to its former glory.

New Zealand went on to successfully defend the cup from the Italian challenger ‘Prada Challenge’ (AKA Luna Rossa) in 2000, this was the first Americas cup without an American challenger or defender.

Whilst holders of the cup, Team New Zealand went on to change the rules further, in 2003 they removed the rule that stated that all crew members be of the challenging teams nationality.

The Swiss team Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), took full advantage of this change and went on to hire some of the best and most experienced Americas Cup Sailors for their team ‘Alinghi’. This included many of the members of Team New Zealand, alongside sailors from countries such as the USA, Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia and South Africa to name a few.

Team Alinghi sailed to victory, winning 5-0 against New Zealand in the 2003 Americas Cup, this was a historical moment as it saw the Americas Cup trophy returned to Europe for the first time in 152 years.

2007 saw Société Nautique de Genève amend the rules even further, leaving ‘constructed in country’ the only original rule concerning nationality. The 2007 Americas cup was held in Valencia, Spain, due to Switzerland not bordering an arm of the sea or the sea itself, this was the first time in the history of the Americas Cup that the race had been held in Europe, and also in a country other than the defenders own. Switzerland’s team Alinghi successfully defended the cup winning the match 5-2 against New Zealand challengers the ‘Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron’.

After their win against team Alinghi, SNG accepted a challenge from Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV). After the protocol between the two yacht clubs was signed and made public, American club ‘Golden Gate Yacht Club’ (GGYC) filed their own challenge and also filed a court case claiming that CNEV were unqualified under the rules of the Deed of Gift and that they should be disqualified and GGYCs team ‘Oracle’ be named the official challenger. The court case filed by GGYC questioned the credentials of CNEV for reasons such as the fact that CNEV hadn't run an annual regatta on an open water course on the sea, or an arm of the sea, as required by the America's Cup's deed of gift. CNEV fought back but ultimately lost their case and GGYC were named the rightful challengers.

The match was set as a one-on-one, best-of-three race, Alinghi were unsuccessful in their defence and team ‘Oracle’ won 2-0 with their 113ft (LOA) trimaran ‘USA 17’.

2010 saw Italian yacht club Club Nautico di Roma (CNR) file a challenge against the current Americas Cup holders GGYC. The match was scheduled for 2013 and the protocol announced the AC72 class, an 86ft wing sail foiling catamaran, to be the competing boat style.

Also introduced were the AC45 class boats, 44ft one-design wing sail foiling catamarans that were based on a smaller scale version of the AC72s. These are known as the ‘training’ or ‘practice boats’ that were used in the America's Cup World Series, the pre-trials to determine the official challenger. in May 2011, CNR withdrew from the competition due to financial struggles, following this decision the second team to file a challenge, the ‘Royal Swedish Yacht Club’ (RSYC) took their place.

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Club won their way to the challenger position by easily beating its swiss opponents RSYC in the Louis Vuitton cup and looked well on the way to taking the Americas Cup home once again.

For the cup match, USAs Team Oracle recruited England’s own Sir Ben Ainslie as their tactician. The match was decided to be a first-to-nine race, with the winners being the first team to score nine points, one point being awarded for each race won.

USAs team Oracle trailed behind New Zealand, at one point being only one point from failure as NZ lead 8-1, but Oracle came back from the brink with a phenomenal display, winning 8 straight races and sailing to victory with a 9-8 score.

The Teams for the 35th America's Cup

In May 2017, the 35 th Americas Cup will begin in Bermuda. The racing will start on 26 th May with the Louis Vuitton Americas Cup Qualifiers.

5 teams will compete against the defender Oracle Team USA for the challenger position, the teams are:

• BMW Oracle Racing - USA (Defender & Current Cup Holder)
• Land Rover BAR - UK
• Emirates Team - New Zealand
• Softbank Team - Japan
• Groupama Team - France
• Artemis Racing - Sweden

All 6 teams will compete in 2 Round Robin between May 26 th and June 3 rd and the top 4 will advance to a best-of-9 semi-finals between June 6 th -8 th .

The winner of the semi-final will take the title of official challenger and race Team Oracle for the 2017 Americas Cup.

The Americas Cup final will be a best-of-13 race held between June 17 th -27 th 2017 .

The 35 th Americas Cup will be held in the beautiful blue waters of Bermuda.

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This Day In History : August 22

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U.S. wins first America’s Cup

On August 22, 1851, the U.S.-built schooner America bests a fleet of Britain’s finest ships in a race around England’s Isle of Wight. The ornate silver trophy won by the America was later donated to the New York Yacht Club on condition that it be forever placed in international competition. Today, the “America’s Cup” is the world’s oldest continually contested sporting trophy and represents the pinnacle of international sailing yacht competition.

The history of the yacht America began with five members of the New York Yacht Club, who decided to build a state-of-the-art schooner to compete against British ships in conjunction with England’s Great Exposition of 1851. Designed by George Steers, the 100-foot, black-hulled America had a sharp bow, a V bottom, and tall masts, making it strikingly different from the traditional yachts of the day. In June 1851, the America set sail from its shipyard on New York City’s East River, bound for England. Manned by Captain William H. Brown and a crew of 12, the America raced and overtook numerous ships during the Atlantic crossing.

After being outfitted and repainted in France, the America sailed to Cowes on the Isle of Wight to challenge the best British sailboats in their own waters. At Cowes, America welcomed all comers for a match race, but no English yacht accepted the challenge. Finally, on August 22, the America joined 14 British ships for a regatta around the Isle of Wight. The prize was the Hundred Guinea Cup, a 2-foot-high silver jug put up by the Royal Yacht Squadron.

In the 53-mile race, the America trounced the competition, beating the cutter Aurora by 22 minutes and finishing nearly an hour ahead of the third boat, the schooner Bacchante . Queen Victoria watched the race from her royal yacht, and at one point asked, “What is second?” after seeing the America come over the horizon. Her attendant reportedly replied, “Your Majesty, there is no second.”

A few weeks after its victory, the America was sold to an Irish lord for about $25,000, giving its owners a slim profit over what they paid for it. It later went through a series of other owners, one of whom changed the America ‘s name to Camilla . As the CSS Memphis, it served briefly as a Confederate blockade runner during the Civil War . The Confederate navy sunk it in Florida to keep it from falling into Union hands, but it was found, raised, and rebuilt by the U.S. Navy, which renamed it the America and used it as a Union blockade ship.

Meanwhile, the first owners of the America deeded the Hundred Guinea Cup to the New York Yacht Club in 1857 to be put up as the prize in a perpetual international challenge competition. The first race for the trophy, renamed the America’s Cup, was not held until August 1870, when the British ship Cambria competed against 14 American yachts in Lower New York Bay. The Cambria finished 10th. The schooner Magic won the race, and the America, refitted by the navy for the occasion, finished fourth. After service as a navy training ship, the America fell into disrepair under private owners. Today, it exists only in fragments.

From 1870 until the late 20th century, New York Yacht Club-sponsored U.S. yachts successfully defended the America’s Cup 24 times in races generally spaced a few years apart. Since the 1920s, the America’s Cup race has been between one defending vessel and one challenging vessel, both of which are determined by separate elimination trials. In 1983, the United States lost the trophy for the first time in 132 years when Australia II defeated Liberty off Newport, Rhode Island.

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America’s Cup: The rising cost of sailing’s ultimate prize

by Patrick Kidd

The America’s Cup is a peculiarly ugly trophy — and it lacks a bottom, so you can’t even drink from it — yet some of the richest men in history have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in an attempt to own it.

Spending oodles on the Cup is a tradition that goes right back to its beginning. John Cox Stevens, commodore of the New York Yacht Club, led a six-man syndicate that brought a 31 metre schooner called America across the Atlantic Ocean in 1851 to make money. They began by placing adverts challenging all-comers (with no age, ability or experience restrictions) to race for a wager of £10,000 (the equivalent of about $1.5 million today), but got no takers.

America made its name later that summer when it joined 15 yachts for the Royal Yacht Squadron’s race around the Isle of Wight. The prize was a trophy costing just £100, but such was America ’s reputation after its convincing win that the syndicate sold the boat for $25,000 — about $5,000 more than they’d paid for it.

Since then, countless sums have been spent on attempts to win the America's Cup. The most persistent challenger was Thomas Lipton. Born in Glasgow, where his family owned a grocery store, he left for the US aged 14 with just $8 in his pocket and returned a millionaire. By the time he launched the first of his five challenges for the America’s Cup in 1899, he controlled 10 per cent of the world’s tea supply, yet he won only two of the 16 races he competed in for the trophy.

In nine contests between 1937 and 1983, the challenger won only three races. Two were by Australian media mogul Frank Packer, who spent more than $700,000 to win one race in 1962.

Eight years later, he had to dig deeper to come through the competition’s first qualification regatta, in which he faced Baron Marcel Bich, founder of Bic pens, who led four unsuccessful Cup campaigns. In the final, Packer won two races, but one was stripped after an acrimonious protest by the host club. His effort did at least show the world that Australians, who were dominant in tennis at the time, could be competitive in another sport.

The breakthrough came in 1983 when Australia II became the first foreign winner. It was owned by Alan Bond, who made his money in property, brewing and broadcasting, and reportedly spent $5 million on his successful America’s Cup campaign — after three failed attempts. He arrived in Rhode Island for the decisive contest with an innovative winged keel and a golden wrench with which he said he would remove the trophy from its plinth.

Perhaps this pursuit of sailing’s Everest took Bond’s attention away from his business empire. Within a decade, he was declared bankrupt, his company owing more than $6 billion. Five years after that he began a four-year spell in prison for fraud – yet most people will remember him for what he did on the water.

$65 million

The Aussie's supremacy was short lived, with the USA winning the trophy back in 1987. In 1992, US oilman Bill Koch spent $65 million on defending the America’s Cup. Ten years later, the qualification series featured five billionaires, including Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, and Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of Prada. In all, $500 million was spent by the challengers. “It’s so cheap, I’m surprised more people don’t do this,” Ellison quipped at the time.

There is a greater reason than financial gain, though. The America’s Cup is the last billionaires’ plaything where those with money can join in. Newspaper owners don’t get their fingers inky; football club owners never strap on their boots. An America’s Cup backer gets to sail with his staff, even if the speed of modern boats makes it unwise to do so in competition. “I want to be driving the winning boat,” Ellison said in 2002.

Photo: Andrew Flynn

$75 million

Few enter the Cup to make money, but it has commercial benefits. Auckland did very well out of hosting the America’s Cup in 2000 and 2003. It created 1,000 jobs and brought $75 million into the local economy, which explains why the New Zealand government supports its country’s bids.

Hosting the Cup does not always pay out in the long run, though. The Spanish port of Valencia, which staged the 2007 event, received $500 million of investment for regeneration and supposedly brought $3 billion in benefit to the city. It even helped to attract a Formula One race to Valencia.

Yet it was all built on sand. Cheap credit and corrupt politicians turned a boom town into a ghost town. Today, many of the America’s Cup buildings lie empty.

Photo: North Sails

$300 million

When you are worth more than $40 billion, as Ellison is, losing battles matters more than losing money. Some say that he spent more than $300 million on Oracle Team USA's successful defence of the trophy in September 2013 in what turned out to be one of the greatest sporting stories, with the Oracle racing team beating Emirates Team New Zealand 9-8 after trailing 8-1.

Building two massive catamarans — a racer and a spare — and running a 130-strong team of sailors, designers and so on, does not come cheap, especially with the leading staff on salaries of at least $20,000 a month, often a lot more.

Meanwhile, Land Rover BAR's bid for the 2017 America’s Cup is expected to cost at least $100 million. One thing is for certain ahead of next summer’s Bermuda showdown — whoever wins will have seriously deep pockets.

Photo: Abner Kingman/ACEA

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Everything you need to know about the 37th America’s Cup

Follow the build-up to the 37th America’s Cup as the teams prepare to fight it out for the oldest sporting trophy in the world.

Which teams are in the 37th America’s Cup?

In 2021 four teams raced in fully foiling AC75 monohulls which were conceived specifically for the event by then Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand and Challenger of Record, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

These same four teams return for the 2024 America’s Cup and will be joined by two additional teams, bringing the total number of entries up to 6.

Emirates Team New Zealand – America’s Cup Defender

As the current holder of the America’s Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand will be racing again in the 37th America’s Cup. As the Defender, the Kiwis will be guaranteed a spot in the America’s Cup regatta itself.

Any other challengers will need to race each other in preliminary regattas for the right to be the single challenger in the America’s Cup regatta itself.

Emirates Team New Zealand represent the Royal Auckland Yacht Club in America’s Cup racing.

INEOS Britannia – America’s Cup Challenger of Record

The Challenger of Record is the name given to the first yacht club to challenge the holder of the America’s Cup once it has been won.

When Emirates Team New Zealand successfully completed their defence of the America’s Cup in 2021, the Royal Yacht Squadron immediately issued a challenge on behalf of Ben Ainslie’s INEOS Team UK (now called INEOS Britannia), so they are Challenger of Record for the 37th America’s Cup .

INEOS Britannia and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team has strengthened an exhausting relationship, with the British challenger standing to benefit from the technical and engineering experience of the multiple World Champion F1 team.

Luna Rossa perform a tight leeward mark rounding

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli has a very long America’s Cup history having first competed in 2000 and has taken part in every Cup since (with the exception of the unique 2010 Deed of Gift match).

For the 36th America’s Cup Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli were the challenger of record. They also won the challenger selection series so it was this Italian team who took on Emirates Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup itself.

The team will return for the 37th America’s Cup though this time they are not the official challenger of record.

American Magic

In 2021 the New York Yacht Clubs’ American Magic was also competing, though their event was ultimately ruined by a capsize in the early part of the regatta . They did get the boat rebuilt but it never got back up to speed and they made an early exit.

The 2021 campaign marked the return of the New York Yacht Club to the America’s Cup. The NYYC held the America’s Cup from its inception in 1851 right the way through to 1983, when they were defeated by the Royal Perth Yacht Club’s Australia II .

American Magic have confirmed their entry into the 37th America’s Cup and will, once again, be representing the New York Yacht Club.

Alinghi Red Bull Racing out training in their training AC75, purchased from Emirates Team New Zealand. Photo: Alinghi Red Bull Racing media

Alinghi Red Bull Racing

Another team making a return to the America’s Cup scene after a long break will be Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi team. The Swiss team won the America’s Cup in 2003 and then completed a successful defence in 2007.

However, a serious falling out over the potential rules for the next America’s Cup saw Alinghi taken to court by Larry Ellison and his BMW Oracle team, the 2010 America’s Cup was held between Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing in a Deed of Gift match that saw the teams fight it out in huge multihulls.

BMW Oracle won the contest and Alinghi stepped away from America’s Cup racing. Their return is a welcome one and their Cup history alongside their partnership with Red Bull Racing should see them a solid challenge from the off.

Orient Express Team France

The French entry to the 2024 America’s Cup was long rumoured but it was not until quite late in the day that they officially announced their intention to challenge.

It was in early 2023 that the official announcement came of a French AC entry, backed by Accor Group and its brands Orient Express and ALL-ACCOR Live Limitless.

As a fairly late challenge they will have a lot to do to be competitive.

What boats will be used in the 37th America’s Cup

The Protocol for the 37th America’s Cup has been released including the rules for the class of boat to be used in the next edition of the event. Once again the America’s Cup will be raced for in AC75s . These boats were first brought in ahead of the 36th America’s Cup so this will be their second outing.

The foiling monohulls will be slightly different, with rules being tweaked partly aimed at improving light wind performance and reducing crew numbers from 11 to 8.

Teams will only be allowed to build one AC75 and nationality rules are strict this time around requiring 100% of the race crew for each competitor to either be a passport holder of the country of the team’s yacht club or to have been physically present in that country for 18 months of the previous three years prior to 17th March 2021.

Emirates Team New Zealand saw success in 2017 in Bermuda with their Cyclors . These may well return for the 37th America’s Cup.

When it comes to the events, there will be up to three Preliminary Regattas, the first two raced in a new one-design class of AC40s , the last one at the Match venue in AC75s. The Challenger Selection Series and the America’s Cup Match will be held in 2024.

Barcelona, the venue for the 37th America’s Cup

Where will the 37th America’s Cup be held?

Barcelona, Spain was selected in 2022 as the venue for the 37th America’s Cup , marking the first time a New Zealand team has chosen to defend a Cup win overseas.

The home city of Emirates Team New Zealand and the venue for the 36th America’s Cup, Auckland, had an exclusive period in which to tender for the regatta immediately after the Kiwis’ successful defence in 2021, but the sums on offer were not enough, and Emirates Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton cast the net wider internationally after rejecting a NZ$99 million (£50 million) offer from the New Zealand government.

A number venues were mooted including: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Cork, Ireland; Malaga, Spain, but Barcelona eventually won out.

When will the 37th America’s Cup be raced?

The America’s Cup will be held in 2024 in Barcelona. Racing in the 37th America’s Cup Match itself, which is a best of 13 (first to seven) format will start on Saturday 12th October 2024 and could run all the way to the 27th October should all the races be needed to pick a winner.

The America’s Cup will be proceeded by the challenger selection series, which will see which of the five challenger gets the honour to race New Zealand for the Cup itself.

The stated aim was to hold the event in the September-October window, which will allow for the Olympic Games in Paris, France to conclude and also offers a decent range of weather with wind speeds usually around the 9-15 knot mark.

Match Racing

Though the America’s Cup was first raced for in 1851 ( and won by the schooner America from which the trophy gets its name), this race was between a fleet of boats. A challenge by the British in the 1870s was also conducted as a fleet race.

By the 1880s, following a protest from the British, the America’s Cup was decided in a head-to-head match race where two boats sail against each other.

Match racing is a particular skill and encourages aggressive manoeuvres using the rules to put your opponent at a disadvantage. This cut-and-thrust racing, where the only objective is to beat your opponent, has long been at the heart of America’s Cup racing and produces a thrilling spectacle.

You can catch all the latest America’s Cup news, analysis and videos right here on Yachtingworld.com

Watch: The Design Secrets of Alinghi Red Bull Racing’s America’s Cup boat

• May 24, 2024

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The History of Yacht Racing | Tracing the Evolution of the Sport

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Customer registration, the history of yacht racing.

Introduction

The Beginnings of Yacht Racing

The Evolution of Race Formats

Modern Yacht Racing

The Future of Yacht Racing

The Impact of Yacht Racing on Local Communities

The Impact of Environmental Awareness

Yacht racing is a sport that has been enjoyed by sailors and spectators alike for centuries. From the earliest forms of yacht racing to the modern-day sailing regattas, this thrilling sport has a rich history across the globe. In this article, we'll explore the origins of yacht racing, its evolution through the years, and Several notable events that have shaped the sport's history.

Yacht racing has its roots in the 17th century when the wealthy elite of Europe would race their luxury sailboats for sport. However, the first recorded yacht race occurred in England in 1661, organized by King Charles II. The race, which was held on the River Thames, was a competition between two of the king's yachts: the Catherine and the Mary. Catherine won, and the sport of yacht racing was born.

Yacht racing became popular among the European aristocracy in the following years. In 1720, the first recorded yacht club was founded in Cork, Ireland. The Water Club of the Harbour of Cork held its first regatta that same year, and yacht racing soon spread to other parts of the world, including the United States.

Over the years, yacht racing has seen many changes in the formats of races. In the sport's early days, races were often simple point-to-point events. However, as the sport grew in popularity and technology advanced, new formats were introduced to make races more challenging and exciting.

One of the most significant developments was the introduction of round-the-world races. The first of these was the Whitbread Round the World Race, which was first held in 1973. This grueling event covers over 30,000 nautical miles and takes competitors through some of the world's most challenging and unpredictable waters.

Another popular race format is America's Cup, the oldest international sporting trophy. The America's Cup is a match race between two yachts, and the event has a rich history dating back to 1851.

In the early 20th century, yacht racing began to evolve rapidly. Introducing new materials, such as aluminum and fiberglass, made building faster and more agile sailboats possible. In addition, the sport became more accessible to the general public, with new yacht clubs and sailing schools opening up worldwide.

In the 1960s and 1970s, yacht racing grew in popularity due to several high-profile races. The inaugural Whitbread Round, the World Race, took place in 1973, swiftly establishing itself as one of the sport's most demanding and esteemed competitions. The race, which covered over 27,000 nautical miles, took sailors worldwide and tested their endurance and skill in some of the world's most challenging sailing conditions.

The 1980s saw the introduction of the America's Cup World Series, a series of races leading up to the main America's Cup event. The World Series allowed teams to compete against each other in a variety of different sailing conditions and helped to raise the profile of the sport.

Looking ahead, the future of yacht racing looks bright. Yacht racing maintains its allure for fans and competitors worldwide, and ongoing technological innovations create exciting opportunities for faster, more streamlined vessels.

Concurrently, there is an increasing recognition of the importance of making the sport more sustainable and eco-conscious. Consequently, racing teams actively search for novel solutions to minimize their environmental impact and foster sustainable initiatives.

As yacht racing continues to evolve and adapt, it will remain a thrilling and captivating sport that celebrates the beauty and power of the sea. Whether you're a skilled sailor or a spectator watching from the shore, there's nothing quite like the thrill of a yacht race.

Yacht racing can significantly impact the local communities where events are held. Major racing events often attract large crowds of spectators, which can boost the local economy.

For example, the America's Cup has a significant impact on the economy of the host city. The event can generate millions of dollars in revenue for local businesses, from hotels and restaurants to souvenir shops and tour operators.

However, yacht racing can also hurt the environment and local communities. Using motorized support vessels can cause noise pollution and disturb marine life. The large crowds of spectators can also strain local infrastructure and services.

Racing organizers are increasingly working with local communities to minimize the impact of events. This includes implementing measures to reduce noise pollution, promoting sustainable practices, and investing in local infrastructure.

The environmental impact of yacht racing has become increasingly evident in recent years, prompting a heightened awareness and urgency for sustainable practices within the sport. Burning fossil fuels can result in detrimental effects on both air and water quality, as well as contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases.

Many racing teams are now exploring alternative forms of energy, such as solar and wind power. Some races have also introduced rules to encourage more sustainable practices, such as using biofuels and reducing plastic waste.

Yacht racing is a thrilling and dynamic sport that has evolved over the centuries. From simple point-to-point races to round-the-world events and match races, the sport has seen many changes in format and style. Technological advancements have played an important role in the evolution of yacht racing, from the development of faster and more agile boats to the use of virtual reality and live streaming to bring the excitement of the race to a broader audience.

With the sport's ongoing evolution, there is an increasing recognition of the imperative to enhance its sustainability and ecological consciousness. As a result, racing teams and organizers are exploring new ways to reduce their environmental footprint and promote more sustainable practices. Despite the challenges, yacht racing remains a sport that celebrates the beauty and power of the sea. Whether you're a sailor or a spectator, there's nothing quite like the thrill of a  private yacht in Dubai .

Fall Exhibition

Capturing the cup: yacht racing during the gilded age, october 16, 2012 - january 6, 2013.

Capturing the Cup: Yacht Racing During the Gilded Age , on exhibit at the Flagler Museum from October 16, 2012 through January 6, 2013, tells the exciting story of yacht racing in America during America's Gilded Age, the period that has also become known as the Golden Age of the sport. Works of art, artifacts, historic films, and elaborate gold and silver trophies made by the most important silversmiths, illuminate the history of the great yachts, races, and personalities of the period, like "the Gamest Loser in the World of Sports," Sir Thomas Lipton, who won the hearts of Americans in spite of losing five America's Cup challenges. Among the significant objects on display is a rare perfect replica of the silver America's Cup, the oldest and most coveted prize in the world of sport.

Competition for what came to be known as the America's Cup helped ignite a craze for yachting and advanced nautical design in this country. The international competition has been a showcase for the best in the world of yachting ever since. During the late nineteenth century, America's Cup competition between the United States and Britain was fierce. Competitive tensions came to a head during the unsuccessful 1893 and 1895 challenges by the Earl of Dunraven, resulting in disagreements over the rules, an allegation of cheating, and ill will on both sides of the Atlantic.

Though he didn't race his yachts, Henry Flagler was keenly interested in the sport. A member of several clubs including the New York Yacht Club, Flagler owned sailing and steam yachts and attended regattas. In 1883 or 1884, Flagler purchased the famous schooner Columbia , a successful 1871 America's Cup defender. Flagler and his steam yacht Alicia , built for him in 1890, served on the New York Yacht Club patrol for the 1895 America's Cup races. A number of artifacts and works of art related to Flagler's yachts are featured in the exhibition, including a rare painting of the Columbia by maritime artist William G. Yorke.

While it could cost enormous sums of money to compete in the major regattas, winners were awarded large cash purses and costly trophies. Leading silversmiths of the Gilded Age such as Tiffany & Co.; Black, Starr & Frost; Gorham Manufacturing Company; and Dominick & Haff were commissioned by yacht clubs and wealthy sportsmen to create some of the most lavish presentation pieces ever made. The high cost and elaborate design of yachting trophies are evidence of the prominence of the sport in America during the Gilded Age.

Capturing the Cup will feature a number of important yacht racing trophies, including: the Goelet Prize for Sloops, offered annually by Ogden Goelet; the Drexel Cup, provided by John R. Drexel; the Brokaw Trophy, donated by W. Gould Brokaw; the Ogden Goelet and James Gordon Bennett Cup, co-sponsored by two of the period's most important yachtsmen; and two King's Cups, presented by Edward VII and George V. Capturing the Cup will present the fascinating stories of the donors of these prestigious prizes, the champions, and their yachts.

Image caption: A rare perfect replica of the silver America's Cup, the oldest and most coveted prize in the world of sport since it was won in 1851 by its namesake, the yacht America. William I. Koch Collection.

Sponsored by:

Special Lecture - Sir Thomas Lipton and His Race for the Cup

By michael d'antonio , author and journalist december 11, 2012 6:30 p.m..

In conjunction with the exhibition Capturing the Cup: Yacht Racing During the Gilded Age , on exhibit at the Flagler Museum from October 16, 2012 through January 6, 2013, author Michael D'Antonio will present Sir Thomas Lipton and His Race for the Cup . D'Antonio is the author of many acclaimed books, including A Full Cup: Sir Thomas Lipton's Extraordinary Life and His Quest for the America's Cup , and he previously presented The Sweetest Company Town Ever Built: Hershey, PA as part of the 2007 Whitehall Lecture Series. Among his many awards is the Pulitzer Prize, which he shared with a team of reporters for Newsday.

Today he is more famous for his tea, but in the world of Gilded Age yachting, Sir Thomas Lipton's name was synonymous with a passionate love of yacht racing and good  sportsmanship. After great success building his empire of markets, factories, and tea plantations, Lipton set his sights on winning America's Cup. He spared no e xpense to capture the most coveted of all sporting trophies, despite the fact that he didn't even know how to sail. For his five attempts to challenge American champions between 1899 and 1930, Lipton built five state-of-the-art racing machines, Shamrocks I through V. Lipton also promoted yacht racing by donating elaborate trophies to encourage yachting competitions around the world. Lipton's generosity and unwavering good will, despite repeated and expensive America's Cup losses, earned him the admiration of sporting fans worldwide, and the nickname "The Gamest Loser in the World of Sports."

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Match Racing Championship of the Great Lakes

Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation Representatives to the Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes Richardson Trophy

The winner of the LMSRF Match Racing Championship qualifies to represent LMSRF at the Richardson Trophy of the Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes .  As the Richardson Trophy now accepts two teams from each of the six Great Lakes  (the YRUGL includes Lake St. Clair as the 6th lake), LMSRF sends the top two from our Championship.  

Tradition calls for the trophy to be filled with Stingers and nobody leaves until it's empty!

  RICHARDSON WINNERS FROM THE LAKE MICHIGAN SAIL RACING FEDERATION

The 2013 Richardson Trophy was held September 12-15 at Buffalo Yacht Club in New York as a Grade 3 Event, sailed in J/22's. * LMSRF will reimburse the entry fee for contestants representing Lake Michigan for these championship events. Contestants must apply in advance for LMSRF Grant-In-Aid to help defray certain travel & housing expenses involved with competing in the event.

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YACHT RACING UNION OF THE GREAT LAKES

INFO ABOUT SAILBOAT RACING ON THE GREAT LAKES 

Who We Are:

Our Mission

  The mission of The Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes is to provide the ultimate challenges for sailing in the Great Lakes region and grow sailboat racing in Great Lakes region as a whole. Although seasoned, and many times ranked competitors are the norm, an emphasis on encouraging youth and the uninitiated is always a goal and specifically as it relates to match racing.  

Our History

Our history and our future.

The Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes (YRUGL) has a long and storied past. 

Founded in 1896, the original Union of three lake associations. 

 YRUGL continues to be the current guardian of two prestigious sailboat racing trophies, The Richardson Trophy and the Barthel Trophy. These trophies are awarded to sailors of the highest abilities in the disciplines of Match Racing and Off-Shore Racing, the two most challenging types of sailboat racing.  

Our Trophies

Starting in 1913, prestigious trophies were deeded to help stimulate this competition. 

The most prominent was the Richardson (above) for match racing, but others were also to become memorable for their elegance and deed of purpose. The Barthel trophy (right) is now for the Tri-Lakes Offshore challenge.  

Today, the Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes is truly an international sailing organization of world class sailors hailing from the geographic region of the Great Lakes.   

Our Member Clubs

The original Union of three lake associations, Lake Ontario (LYRA), Lake Erie (I-LYA), and Lake Michigan (LMYA), was formed to promote sailing competition amongst its members on the Great Lakes. 

Over time additional lake associations were added, in order 1967 Detroit (DRYA); 1970, Lake Superior (LSYA); and in 1976, Lake Huron (LHYA). 

Richardson Cup: Match Racing Competition

The 2024 richardson cup.

The 2024 Richardson cup is tentatively scheduled to be held in Bayview YC in Detroit MI. No specific date is yet determined, but it will be in the fall and not to conflict with other major events. 

Become a Competitor

Each lake has match racing run-offs to determine who will compete for each lake, or by resume, as determined by YRUGL President, Scott Spaeth, as the organizing authority.

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Download the app or access via PC, and following each of the FOUR race courses. The public have a number of ways of taking in Swiftsure, a long-standing part of Victoria’s maritime history, including CHEK doing a live stream from 09:55 on Saturday.

Registration for Swiftsure 2024 is now complete and division splits are available in ‘ Registered Yachts ’. With 128 boats registered, the Swiftsure Lightship Classic has 7 boats competing, the new Cape Flattery ORC currently has 42 (2023 had 9), PHRF Cape Flattery has 23, Juan de Fuca Monohulls has 32 while the Multihulls have 6. In the Inshore Race, 18 boats are evenly split between racing and cruising divisions. Compared to 2023, the big growth is in Swifture Lightship Classic and Cape Flattery ORC boats. A little over 1/2 of the boats are from the USA, typical of most years, this being the Memorial Day weekend. Preparation for skippers and crew is nearly done, and race boats began arriving in Victoria’s Inner Harbour on Thursday.

Swiftsure International Yacht Race

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Royal Victoria Yacht Club 3475 Ripon Rd. Victoria, BC V8R 6H1   Canada P: 250.592.2441 E: [email protected]

Visitors to swiftsure.org

THE GLOBAL MBA TROPHY

London business school and the yacht club of greece proudly hosts the 18th global mba trophy a sailing race amongst alumni and students of the world’s top business schools in microlimano, piraeus, greece with two days of races & networking events on 12th and 13th april, 2024.

Welcome to the Global MBA Trophy

A sailing race amongst alumni and students of the world’s top business schools.

This is a high profile, international sailing event that brings together accomplished business men and women from across the world – alumni of the world’s best business schools, who come together to sail in the name of their School

• An opportunity to effectively exercise the skills of high achieving MBAs: Planning and decision making, leadership, teamwork, endurance, effective communication, crisis management…
• A promise of interesting discussions, thought-provoking debates, fun & entertainment
• A stimulating and exciting experience
• An exemplary organisation, offering the best in facilities, sailing waters, race preparation & execution
• A two-day racing and networking event with on- and off-shore activities
• A formal award ceremony attended by distinguished guests: business people, diplomats, politicians and academics

Schedule: 2024 regatta

09 april2024.

Practice Day1

10 April2024

Practice Day2

11 April2024

Crews Arrive/Opening

12 April2024

Racing day1

13 April2024

Racing day2

14 April2024

Practice day

Practice day for individual crews, by arrangement with the regatta organisers

Practice Day

Division B+

Boat registration and pick up.

Boat registration and pick up opens at Yacht Club of Greece, Microlimano. Check in point is the YCG secretariat office. A refundable deposit of €500 will need to be paid for Division A, €1,000 for Division B+. Note: Crew lists, sailing CVs and participation fee need to be sent to the Organising Committee prior to boat pick up.

Practice sailing in Faliron Bay

Boat registration and pick up opens at boat home marina, Location and details of deposits etc to be confirmed.

Leisure sailing and delivery of boats to Microlimano.

All Sailors

Welcome drinks at yacht club of greece clubhouse:.

Dress Code: Smart Casual/ Team kit

Opening Ceremony at Yacht Club of Greece

Breakfast at istioploikos restaurant.

Skippers Briefing

Briefing and introduction to the race committee, details on the day’s event, skippers' briefing.

All Divisions

First race. 4 races maximum, depending on weather conditions

Dinner at Istioploikos Restaurant

dinner at local restaurant followed by dancing. Dress Code: Smart Casual/ Team kit

4 races maximum, depending on weather conditions

Award Ceremony and dinner

Award Ceremony and dinner at the Yacht Club of Greece. Dress Code: Black Tie

Boats check out

Boats Check out. Divsion B and Division B+ boats to be vacated by 09:00,

Guests depart

(No dinner provided)

Microlimano, Piraeus, Greece

How to get there

A Division: To pick up the boats on Thursday, competitors should come to Microlimano , to the office of the secretariat of the Yacht Club of Greece , which is located at the South Western corner of the harbour. The hotel for A division competitors will be announced nearer the time of the regatta.

For more details of how to get here: https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Athens-Airport-ATH/Mikrolimano

B Division: The boats for B division crews will need to be picked up from Agios Kosmas Marina   which is within easy sailing distance of Microlimano.

The nearest major airport is Athens International Airport(ATH). This is a long taxi ride away, alternatively competitors can take buses and Metro system trains.

Accommodation

A Division: A Division crews will be hosted at the Cavo D’Oro hotel .

B Division: Accommodation for crew (8) is available on board the boats. Sheets, blankets and towels are provided.

Other links & info

Athens International Airport

Athens Metro

The Global MBA Trophy is excited to announce that there will be major prizes for the top teams in each class, courtesy of our performance clothing partner Henri-Lloyd

The Global MBA Trophy is pleased to announce the following regatta sponsors. We are proud to be associated with these fine companies.

OUR SPONSORS:

Weather Info

Please click on the link below to view more detailed weather information:

Windfinder Piraeus

Participating Schools

Schools that have competed for the Global MBA Trophy include:

Athens University of Economics and Business 2024 PARTICIPANT

Cambridge Judge Business School 2024 PARTICIPANT

Chicago Booth – Winner 6th edition, April 2011

Columbia Business School

Cornell University the Johnson School

Cranfield School of Management

HEC Paris   2024 PARTICIPANT

Henley Business School

INSEAD – Winner 15th edition, Apr 2019, 5th edition, Apr 2010 & 4th edition, Apr ’09 2024 PARTICIPANT

IE Business School 2024 PARTICIPANT

Imperial College Business School 2024 PARTICIPANT

Kellogg/WHU 2024 PARTICIPANT

London Business School – Winner 9th edition, Apr ’13, 8th edition, Nov ’12 & 2nd edition, Apr ’07 2024 PARTICIPANT

Michigan Ross School of Business

POLIMI GSOM – Winner  16th edition, Apr ’22; 14th edition, Apr ’18; 13th edition, Apr ’17. 2024 PARTICIPANT

Reichman University Arison School of Business , Tel Aviv

Rotterdam Erasmus School of Management 

Said Business School University of Oxford 2024 PARTICIPANT

Skolkovo Moscow School of Management – Winner 10th edition, Apr 2014, 11th edition, Apr 2015, 12th edition Apr 2016

SDA Bocconi – Winner 7th edition, Apr 2012 & 1st edition, Apr ’06 2024 PARTICIPANT

Trium Global Executive MBA

Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth – Winner 3rd edition, Apr ’08 2024 PARTICIPANT

Warwick Business School

Wharton 2024 PARTICIPANT

Yale School of Management   2024 PARTICIPANT

Buy Tickets: 2024 regatta

Division b – up to 8 crew.

Earlybird price. Deposit €2,500

• 40 - 50 ft cruising boat with pro skipper

Division A – up to 5 crew

Earlybird price. Deposit €1,800

• Platu 25 racing boat

Division A – 6 crew

Division b+ – up to 8 crew.

• Beneteau First 53 racer/cruiser

Additional Guest for Saturday Night Gala

• Additional Guest

Additional Guest for Friday night events – Race dinner & Party

The registration fee per boat includes:

Hire of boat Race entry fee and all race organisation costs (setting, racing, protest  & redress committees etc.) Overnight accommodation in local hotel (Div A) or on board the boats (Div B+, Div B) Use of the facilities of the marinas Welcome drinks at launch ceremony Friday evening events: race dinner & party Saturday night Gala: Formal award ceremony, dinner and entertainment Prize giving Merchandise Please note that a refundable security deposit will be requested at the time of boat pick up.

Earlybird pricing ends 31 January  2024

From 1 February, Division A will be  €300 more, Division B+ and Division B €400 more.

Balancing payments due 1 March 2024

Division A: Practice Day: €300 by arrangement

Division b: additional crew: €400 where possible, by arrangement., division b: professional first mate: €400, by arrangement, notice board.

Follow this link to go to the Official Notice Board for the 2024 regatta

Download Event Documents here.

Notice of Race 2024 Regatta

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Interesting Engineering

Photos: World's 1st hydrogen-powered yacht set to compete in The Ocean Race

Posted: May 25, 2024 | Last updated: May 25, 2024

OceansLab project accelerates clean technology adoption.

OceansLab yacht is a groundbreaking zero-emission vessel.

OceansLab's clean energy system enables energy security.

Hydrogen fuel cell propulsion powers OceansLab with zero emissions.

Solar and hydro power enhance OceansLab's energy sustainability.

Recyclable materials in OceansLab's construction.

Ready to showcase hydrogen power in The Ocean Race.

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Russian Disinformation Videos Smear Biden Ahead of U.S. Election

Many of the videos are trying to appeal to right-wing voters with fake messages about President Biden, experts say.

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By Julian E. Barnes and Steven Lee Myers

Julian Barnes, who covers U.S. intelligence agencies, and Steven Lee Myers, who covers misinformation, have been reporting on Russian efforts to influence the 2024 presidential election.

Last month, a video began circulating on social media purporting to tell the story of an internet troll farm in Kyiv targeting the American election.

Speaking in English with a Slavic accent, “Olesya” offers a first-person account of how she and her colleagues initially worked in support of President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. Then, she says, after a visit by mysterious Americans who were “probably C.I.A.,” the group began sending messages to American audiences in support of President Biden.

“We were told our new target was the United States of America, especially the upcoming elections,” the woman in the video says. “Long story short, we were asked to do everything to prevent Donald Trump from winning the elections.”

The video is fake, part of an effort to cloud the political debate ahead of the U.S. elections.

U.S. officials say the video is consistent with Russian disinformation operations as internet warriors aligned with Russia appear to be honing their strategy. Some of the old tactics of 2016 or 2020 could be used again, with new refinements.

An analysis of the video done by U.S. intelligence agencies found that the voice of “Olesya” was synthetically generated, an intelligence official said Thursday, a potential sign of how Russian operatives are blending new techniques with old tactics.

While there has been much hand-wringing over the role that artificial intelligence could play this year in fooling voters, current and former officials said that videos were one of the most immediate threats.

Microsoft said the video featuring “Olesya” probably came from a group it calls Storm-1516, a collection of disinformation experts who now focus on creating videos they hope might go viral in America.

The group most likely includes veterans of the Internet Research Agency, a Kremlin-aligned troll farm that sought to influence the 2016 election. The agency was run by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner mercenary group who led a rebellion against the Kremlin and then was killed in a plane crash that American and allied officials believe was orchestrated by Russian intelligence agencies.

Microsoft said the group also included people associated with Valery Korovin, the figurehead of an obscure Moscow-based think tank called the Center for Geopolitical Expertise, a conservative organization affiliated with Aleksandr Dugin, an ultranationalist writer who faces U.S. sanctions for his role in recruiting fighters for the war.

Russian operatives are leaning into videos, many of them that falsely purport to be made by independent journalists or whistle-blowers. The videos, opposed to blog or social media posts, are more likely to spread beyond the conspiratorial fringes of America and become part of mainstream discourse.

On Wednesday afternoon, Avril D. Haines, the director of national intelligence, told the Senate Intelligence Committee that Russia was the most active threat to the coming election. Russia, she said, tries to erode trust in democratic institutions, exacerbate social divisions and undermine support for Ukraine.

“Russia relies on a vast multimedia influence apparatus, which consists of its intelligence services, cyberactors, state media proxies and social media trolls,” she said. “Moscow most likely views such operations as a means to tear down the United States.”

China has a sophisticated influence operation and is increasingly confident in its ability to affect election results, Ms. Haines said. But she added that the intelligence community assessed that China did not try to influence the 2020 presidential election, and that so far there was no information that China would be more active in this year’s contests.

Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia and the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said that adversaries had a greater incentive than ever to intervene in elections but that the public had too often treated such meddling “as trivial or quaint.”

Clint Watts, the general manager of Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center, said pushing out written disinformation with bots was largely a waste of time — in 2024 it is disinformation video that has the best chance of spreading with American audiences.

The C.I.A. video, Mr. Watts said, was a classic Russian tactic: accuse your adversary of the very thing you are doing. “When they say there’s a troll farm operated by Zelensky in Ukraine going after the U.S. election, what they’re saying is this is what we’re doing,” Mr. Watts said.

Walter Trosin, a spokesman for the C.I.A., said the agency was not involved in the activities described in the video.

“This claim is patently false and precisely the type of disinformation that the intelligence community has long warned about,” Mr. Trosin said. “C.I.A. is a foreign-focused organization that takes our obligation to remain uninvolved in American politics and elections very seriously.”

At the Senate hearing, Ms. Haines praised the C.I.A. for calling out the video publicly, saying it was an example of how the government will identify disinformation by Russia or other countries during the current election.

Multiple groups in Russia push out disinformation aimed at America . In addition to the videos, researchers and government officials say, Russia has created a handful of fake American local news sites and is using them to push out Kremlin propaganda , interspersed with stories about crime, politics and culture.

Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, who retired from the Army this year and is the former director of the National Security Agency, said the best defense to Russian disinformation remained the same: identifying it and publicizing the propaganda push. The United States, he said, needs to expand its information sharing both domestically and around the world so people can identify, and discount, disinformation spread by Moscow.

“The great antidote to all of this is being able to shine a light on it,” said General Nakasone, who last week was named as the founding director of Vanderbilt University’s new Institute for National Defense and Global Security. “If they are trying to influence or interfere in our elections, we should make it as hard as possible for them.”

Some mainstream Republicans have already warned fellow lawmakers to be wary of repeating claims that originated in Russian disinformation or propaganda.

“We see directly coming from Russia attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor,” Representative Michael R. Turner, an Ohio Republican who is the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN’s “State of the Union” on April 7.

Russia’s information warriors have pushed fake videos to spread lies about Ukraine , aimed at undermining its credibility or painting it as corrupt. Republican politicians opposed to sending more aid to Ukraine have repeated baseless allegations that Mr. Zelensky has tried through associates to buy a yacht, disinformation that first appeared on a video posted to YouTube and other social media sites.

Most of the videos produced by Storm-1516 fail to get traction. Others come close. A video pushed out on a Russian Telegram channel purported to show Ukrainian soldiers burning an effigy of Mr. Trump, blaming him for delays in aid shipments.

The video was highlighted on Alex Jones’s right-wing conspiracy site, InfoWars, and other English-language outlets. But it was quickly discounted — the purportedly Ukrainian soldiers had Russian accents and were masked.

“This campaign has been working to advance some of Russia’s key objectives, particularly that of portraying Ukraine as a corrupt, rogue state that cannot be trusted with Western aid,” Mr. Watts said.

Since last August, Microsoft has identified at least 30 videos produced by Storm-1516. The first ones were aimed at Ukraine. But others are trying to influence American politics by appealing to right-wing audiences with messages that Mr. Biden is benefiting from Ukrainian assistance.

Intelligence officials, lawmakers and security firms have warned about the use of artificial intelligence by China, Russia and other nation states intent on spreading disinformation. But so far, Russian groups like Storm-1516 have mostly avoided using A.I. tools, according to security firms.

“Many of the A.I. campaigns are easy to detect or unwind,” said Brian Murphy, the general manager of national security at Logically, which tracks disinformation. “A.I. is getting better, but it is still not at the stage this year wherein it is going to be used at the scale and with the quality some predict. Maybe in a year or so.”

Both government officials and outside experts, however, have said that A.I.-altered audio had proved more effective than altered videos. At the hearing on Wednesday, Ms. Haines highlighted a fake audio recording released in Slovakia two days before its parliamentary election. While quickly identified as fake, news and government agencies struggled to disclose the manipulation and the target of the fake recording lost a close election.

Outside experts have said that artificial intelligence has been used in some Russian propaganda videos to obscure accents. It is not clear exactly why a synthetic voice would have been used in the fake video of the C.I.A. troll farm.

But on Wednesday, Ms. Haines said artificial intelligence and other innovations “have enabled foreign influence actors to produce seemingly authentic and tailored messaging more efficiently at greater scale and with content adapted for different languages and cultures.”

For now, though, basic videos like the C.I.A. troll farm or yacht video that purport to have authentic narrators with access to exquisite information are the most prevalent threat.

In 2016, Russian-controlled propagandists could push out fake news articles or social media posts and, in some cases, have an impact. But now, those old techniques do not work.

“No one will pay attention to that nowadays,” Mr. Watts said. “You have to have a video form to really grab an American audience today, which 10 years ago was just not even technically that possible.”

Julian E. Barnes covers the U.S. intelligence agencies and international security matters for The Times. He has written about security issues for more than two decades. More about Julian E. Barnes

Steven Lee Myers covers misinformation and disinformation from San Francisco. Since joining The Times in 1989, he has reported from around the world, including Moscow, Baghdad, Beijing and Seoul. More about Steven Lee Myers

Our Coverage of the 2024 Election

Presidential Race: News and Analysis

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Trump has baselessly and publicly cast doubt about the fairness  of the 2024 election about once a day, on average, a significant escalation since he announced his candidacy for president.

A state dinner held in honor of Kenya, with Barack Obama as a surprise guest , was more about keeping Democratic allies close as campaign season intensifies. Here is the full guest list .

Trump praised Nikki Haley , once his bitter rival for the Republican nomination, a day after she said that she would vote for him , opening the door to bringing Haley into his circle.

Special Legislative Session:  Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio has called a special session to resolve an issue  that would prevent Biden from being placed on the November ballot there.

Protest Zone Clash:  The Republican National Committee, alarmed by what it sees as a significantly worsening security threat, asked that the director of the Secret Service intervene  and move a designated protest zone farther away at an upcoming convention.

A.I.’s Role:  The era of A.I. has officially arrived on the campaign trail. But so far, the political uses of the much-anticipated, and feared, technology are more theoretical than transformational .