In a protest against colonialism, on March 13 a sledgehammer-wielding Maori man clobbered the venerable America’s Cup at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. “The Cup has been very, very badly beaten up,” reported squadron commodore John Heise to the Associated Press.
The three-foot-tall trophy, the world’s oldest sporting prize, was expected to be sent back to Gerrards, the original English manufacturer, for repairs. “Gerrards has all the original drawings, so they should be able to take care of it pretty well,” said Phil Crowther, archivist at the Museum of Yachting in Newport, R.I.
Interestingly, several full-scale replicas have been made, according to Crowther. “Bill Koch had three commissioned after he won the cup in 1992 and Ted Turner has one in his office in Atlanta.”
