It might seem hard to believe, but America’s Cup sailing is coming back to New York Harbor for the first time in nearly a century — but don’t expect your great, great grandfather’s yacht race.
Six sailing teams will hit the harbor on May 7 and 8, but the ships and the sport have come a long way since 1920, the last time an America’s Cup race was held in New York City.
Gone are the days of old-fashioned wooden boats and calm sailing. This is “NASCAR on water” with high tech boats flying by at speeds up to 60 mph, Team USA Skipper Jimmy Spithill told the Daily News.
“When you see these boats, they stop you in your tracks,” he said of the large carbon-fiber catamarans. “These races are a quantum leap from where we started.”
