Bermuda to host America's Cup 35

The 2017 America's Cup finale will be raced in the waters of Bermuda, a British colony some 700 miles off the Atlantic seaboard of the USA. The island was selected ahead of San Diego, despite the fact that the defender, Team Oracle USA, is based in San Francisco. However, at a press conference yesterday afternoon, representatives from all the competing teams made encouraging noises and seemed keen to get on with their preparations for the upcoming events, which include a two-year world series and a lengthy finale event in Bermuda in 2017.

So the sailing world turns its attention to the island itself, which is known chiefly for being one end of the Newport-Bermuda race and the birth place of the Bermuda rig, with additional contributions to the worlds of fashion – Bermuda shorts – and mythology as one corner of the Bermuda Triangle. But, as this video explains, the island is also home to a sail racing tradition that goes back as far as the America's Cup itself. The annual Bermuda fitted dinghy race series is a fascinating relic within the sport of sailing and was a favourite past time of one of the island's most famous sailors, who features in the video: Jordy Walker.

 

 

The 14ft-long dinghies are crewed by six, including one team member almost exclusively devoted to bailing out the open boat in rough weather. And the racing rules are in many respects unchanged for the last 150 years – and it shows. Unlike most modern sailing rules, Bermuda fitted dinghy rules do not require teams to finish with the same number of crew as they started, so in light winds, crew can dive off the stern of the boat to propel it forwards and lighten the load. The race starts are also unique to the island.

Bermuda Fitted Dinghy racing - part of the history of sail racing.