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Alinghi 5 vs USA 17 First race, 33rd America’s Cup Match, Valencia 2010 In spite of what many people say, this was a traditional America’s Cup Match – two willful tycoons built the biggest, fastest boats possible, for racing over a 40 nautical mile course according the to 1877 Deed of Gift. Larry Ellison represented the Golden Gate Yacht Club with USA 17, a trimaran with a 69 meter high wing sail. USA 17 defeated Alinghi 5, Ernesto Bertarelli’s giant catamaran representing the Société Nautique de Genève, 2-0, off the coast of Valencia Spain.
USA 17 was the only America’s Cup yacht with a mast taller than 1903 Defender Reliance, whose topmast was 62 meters above the water.
As Defender, Golden Gate YC agreed with the original Challenger of Record, Club Nautica di Roma (who subsequently withdrew their challenge and were replace by the Royal Swedish Yacht Club) that the 34th America’s Cup Match would be sailed in 72 foot long wing sailed catamarans on San Francisco Bay in 2013.