RW>  > Not sure of the reasoning behind it, other than it would be
RW>  > inconvenient for foreign contingencies to get there in the
RW>  > earlier years of the Cup races.  As the Cup races had always been
RW>  > held in Newport, you'd have thought that that would have been the
RW>  > venue.
RW> I believe it was always held in Newport because the Americans never lost
RW> at one point in time... and the winners were always from that area....
RW> but I really don't know that much history about it....
Whom ever has the Cup sets the terms of the challenge. 12 Meter boats were
a tradition... as were the J boats which preceded. The original yacht America
which first won the cup was a schooner. BTW - it's called the America's Cup
because of the name of the original winning boat... not because it was an
American yacht that won. 
 
Anyway, the races were held at Newport for so long because the YC there was
the home club of the defenders - who set the rules. After the unthinkable
happened and someone other than an American won the silverware the Newport
stranglehold on America's Cup was broken. 
 
When Dennis Connor and his syndicate retreived the cup from down under it
went to the San Diego YC as Connor's home club.
ENJOY!!!
Something's Cooking in Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen
... MS-DOS = the corner church; Amiga = pagan sex magick under a full moon
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