The America’s Cup—The Power of Sail

About the Book

The yachts that have raced for the America’s Cup have always been special. They embody the spirit of yachting and yacht racing, powered by huge amounts of sail handled only by the manpower of vast numbers of crew, without modern technology. The early yachts were larger than those of the modern era. They were up to 200 feet long with beams of 26 feet and a sail area of up to 16,000 feet², with up to 64 crew members. They were characterized by the gaff rig and three headsails, with long, low displacement hulls to give them maximum speed. They were powerful and majestic to see, and their power has inspired the paintings in this book.

About the Author

Simon Shaw, 62, lives in Melbourne, Australia and is an Architect, by training. He has sailed and raced small and large Ocean Racing yachts all his life, around the East Coast of Australia. He started sailing with his father, in a 12 ft. dingy, and were Australian Champions in their Class in the 1970’s. He currently owns his own 34 ft. yacht, and sails on Port Phillip Bay, in Melbourne.