America³

America3
USA-23 and crew of America3 returns to America's Cup Harbor in 1992 after successfully defending the America's Cup, defeating the Italian challenger Il Moro di Venezia.
Career
Yacht club	San Diego Yacht Club
Nation	United States
Team principal(s)	Bill Koch, America3 Foundation
Notable victories	1992 Citizen Cup 1992 America's Cup
Yachts
Sail no.	Boat name
USA–23	America3
USA-43	Mighty Mary

America³ (pronounced "America Cubed") 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: ^[1]

• Jayhawk (USA-9)
• Defiant (USA-18)
• Kanza (USA-28)
• America³ (USA-23)

The yacht selected for competition, America³, was fastest. ^[1] 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, America³ defeated the Italian challenger Il Moro di Venezia to successfully defend the Cup. ^[2]

1995 Cup defense

In 1995, Bill Koch revamped the program to begin the first nearly all-female, America's Cup boat. The successor to America³, 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 (the only man on the otherwise all-female crew) 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. ^{[3] [4]}

• Jenifer (J.J.) Isler (San Diego, California)
• Ann Nelson (San Diego, California)
• Elizabeth (Lisa) Charles (Provincetown, Rhode Island)
• Hannah Swett (Jamestown, Rhode Island)
• Joan Lee Touchette (Newport, Rhode Island)
• Shelley Beattie (Malibu, California)
• Stephanie Armitage-Johnson (Auburn, Washington)
• Dawn Riley (Detroit, Michigan)
• Merritt Carey (Tenants Harbor, Maine)
• Amy Baltzell (Wellesley, Massachusetts)
• Courtenay Becker (The Dalles, Oregon)
• Sarah Bergeron (Middletown, New Jersey)
• Sarah Cavanagh (Denver, Colorado)
• Leslie Egnot (born in South Carolina but moved to Auckland, New Zealand)
• Christie Evans (Marblehead, Massachusetts)
• Diana Klybert (Annapolis, Maryland)
• Susanne (Suzy) Leech Nairn (Annapolis, Maryland)
• Linda Lindquist (Chicago, Illinois)
• Stephanie Maxwell-Pierson (Somerville, New Jersey)
• Jane Oetking (Rockwell, Texas)
• Merritt Palm (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
• Katherine (Katie) Pettibone (Coral Gables, Florida)
• Marci Porter (Oarton, Virginia)
• Melissa Purdy (Tiburon, California)

References

1. "America3 (USA-23) defended successfully the America's Cup 1992". America’s Cup History 1983 - 2013. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
2. Ainslie, Georgie (8 June 2017). "Bill Koch: How a "hick from Kansas" won the America's Cup". Boat International. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
3. "Here's The Full Crew Of The America". The Seattle Times. Oct 27, 1994. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
4. Commire, Anne (2007). Commire, Anne; Klezmer, Deborah (eds.). Dictionary of women worldwide: M-Z. 25,000 Women Through the Ages. Vol. 2. Detroit, Mich.: Thomson Gale. ISBN   978-0-7876-9394-7. OCLC   71817179.