Courageous is a
12-metre classThe 12-metre class is a group of sailing vessels which, while not identical, are all designed to a particular formula - The International rule - so as to make the boats involved in a competition roughly comparable, while still giving individuals the freedom to experiment with the details of their...
yacht. It was the third boat to win the
America's CupThe America’s Cup is the most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The sport attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its long history and prestige...
twice, in 1974 and 1977, after
IntrepidThe Intrepid is a 12-metre class yacht which won the America's Cup in 1967 and again in 1970.-Design:Intrepid was designed by Olin Stephens, and was built of double-planked mahogany on white oak frames. She featured important innovations both above and below the waterline. The rudder was separated...
in 1967 and 1970, and
ColumbiaColumbia was the defender of the tenth America's Cup race in 1899 against British challenger Shamrock as well as the defender of the eleventh America's Cup race in 1901 against British challenger, Shamrock II...
in 1899 and 1901. All three of these boats won for the NYYC and thus the USA.
Courageous successfully defended the
America's CupThe America’s Cup is the most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The sport attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its long history and prestige...
for the USA in 1974 with
Ted HoodFrederick E. "Ted" Hood is a distinguished American Yachtsman and Naval Architect. He started the company in Marblehead, Massachusetts which makes sails...
at the helm. After the 1974 cup, Hood built a new boat which he thought was faster than Courageous, and sold Courageous to
Ted TurnerRobert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable television network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
.
Courageous is a
12-metre classThe 12-metre class is a group of sailing vessels which, while not identical, are all designed to a particular formula - The International rule - so as to make the boats involved in a competition roughly comparable, while still giving individuals the freedom to experiment with the details of their...
yacht. It was the third boat to win the
America's CupThe America’s Cup is the most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The sport attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its long history and prestige...
twice, in 1974 and 1977, after
IntrepidThe Intrepid is a 12-metre class yacht which won the America's Cup in 1967 and again in 1970.-Design:Intrepid was designed by Olin Stephens, and was built of double-planked mahogany on white oak frames. She featured important innovations both above and below the waterline. The rudder was separated...
in 1967 and 1970, and
ColumbiaColumbia was the defender of the tenth America's Cup race in 1899 against British challenger Shamrock as well as the defender of the eleventh America's Cup race in 1901 against British challenger, Shamrock II...
in 1899 and 1901. All three of these boats won for the NYYC and thus the USA.
Courageous successfully defended the
America's CupThe America’s Cup is the most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The sport attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its long history and prestige...
for the USA in 1974 with
Ted HoodFrederick E. "Ted" Hood is a distinguished American Yachtsman and Naval Architect. He started the company in Marblehead, Massachusetts which makes sails...
at the helm. After the 1974 cup, Hood built a new boat which he thought was faster than Courageous, and sold Courageous to
Ted TurnerRobert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable television network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
. Turner won the 1977 America's Cup defender trials in Courageous, beating
Ted HoodFrederick E. "Ted" Hood is a distinguished American Yachtsman and Naval Architect. He started the company in Marblehead, Massachusetts which makes sails...
in the process, and then went on to successfully defend the America's Cup later that year.
When preparing Courageous for the 1977 America's Cup, Courageous was re-measured for compliance with the
12-metre classThe 12-metre class is a group of sailing vessels which, while not identical, are all designed to a particular formula - The International rule - so as to make the boats involved in a competition roughly comparable, while still giving individuals the freedom to experiment with the details of their...
rule. It was discovered that she was lighter than the weight declared in her original racing certificate for the 1974
America's CupThe America’s Cup is the most prestigious regatta and match race in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The sport attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its long history and prestige...
. Less weight typically means a faster performance in lighter winds and a slower performance in stronger winds. If Courageous had been found to be under weight before the competition in 1974 then the designers would have had to make adjustments to sail area and/or waterline length and/or other attributes to make the design comply with the 12-metre rule. If Courageous was found to be underweight during the event she would have been disqualified. It is only conjecture what effect this oversight had on the result of the 1974 event.
Both Courageous and Intrepid are still sailing and racing today in
NewportNewport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about 30 miles south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States...
. Intrepid is available for charter whereas Courageous is privately owned.