Cup History: English lord who spat the dummy

Back in 1895

"LORD DUNRAVEN GIVES UP THE CONTEST" - Headline in the New York Times, September 13, 1895.

Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin, Lord Dunraven, set new lows in bad sportsmanship in the America's Cup.

He accused the defenders of cheating and snubbed their efforts at good will, making him one of the most disliked characters in cup history.

In 1895, Dunraven returned to New York two years after his unsucessful challenge with Valkyrie II, this time bringing Valkyrie III.

The United States again looked to Nathanael Herreshoff to build a single defender, called Defender. To save weight, Herreshoff created the boat's topsides from aluminium.

The trouble was, mixed with steel and bronze, the boat melted down within a few years when electrolysis set in.

Nevertheless, Defender was a superb boat at the time of her cup appearance. But the extent of her prowess was never fully realised - only one race was ever officially completed in the 1895 fiasco.

Defender won race one, but Dunraven immediately accused the Americans of cheating. He believed they had changed the waterline length of the boat by adding extra ballast before the race.

Once again, there were spectator troubles on the course.

Almost 50,000 people went out on the water to watch the racing. Dunraven properly asked the race committee to move the race to less-crowded waters, but there was no change.

His fears were realised when at the start of race two a large steamer blundered across the bows of the yachts, which almost collided.

In the fray, Valkyrie's boom caught in Defender's topmast shrouds and bent the US boat's mast.

Defender crossed the line 47s after Valkyrie III, but the defender was later awarded the race. Defender owner Oliver Iselin offered a resail, but Dunraven refused.

The Englishman then said he would not sail the next race if he did not have a clear course. At the start-line on the third day, he did not set Valkyrie's sails, floated over the line, and then turned and went home.

The Americans had won again, but not in the style they wanted to. When Dunraven returned to Britain, his accusations continued, and he was stripped of his New York Yacht Club membership.