America³


America is the name of a syndicate that vied for the America's Cup in 1992 and 1995. One of their yachts shared the same name.

1992 Cup victory

The program was operated by Bill Koch and Harry "Buddy" Melges in the 1992 America's Cup. Four International America's Cup Class yachts were ordered:
  • Jayhawk
  • Defiant
  • Kanza
  • America3
The yacht selected for competition, America3, was fastest. It was built by Goetz Custom Sailboats Inc. in Rhode Island and the carbon fiber mast package was built by the Offshore Spars Co. in Michigan. After winning the Defender Series, America defeated the Italian challenger Il Moro di Venezia to successfully defend the Cup.

1995 Cup defense

In 1995, Bill Koch revamped the program to begin the first nearly all-female, America's Cup boat. The successor to America, Mighty Mary, was on her way to a race-off with Young America, the boat of the third syndicate that year, to determine who went through to the 1995 America's Cup, in the lead of what ended up being the last race of the Defender Series over Stars & Stripes. But with a commanding lead of nearly 5 minutes, Dave Dellenbaugh committed a crucial tactical error and Stars & Stripes skipper Dennis Conner made a series of moves to beat Mighty Mary to the finish line by scant seconds. After winning the Defender Series, Conner opted to use Young America to defend the cup, losing to Team New Zealand, 5–0.
The 1995 team consisted of the following members.