HAMILTON, Bermuda — At this thrill-seeking stage of the America’s Cup, foiling catamarans with helmeted crews of six will hit speeds approaching 50 knots (about 57 m.p.h.) while skimming across the powder-blue waters of Bermuda’s Great Sound.
But the Cup, which is set to begin Saturday, one day later than planned because of high winds, is also more than ever a competition between visions of its future.
Winner-take-all has long been the leitmotif of this enduring and unusual event, which began in 1851 when sailboat speed was about commercial and military advantage, not just bragging rights over cocktails.