The America's Cup took a huge step towards returning home this week. For the first 132 years of this storied competition, the Cup was securely in the hands of the American sailing elite, who successfully defended it against challengers from England, Canada, Scotland, Ireland and Australia before finally losing to the Aussies in 1983.
But that blip was corrected four years later when Dennis Conner and his Stars and Stripes racing yacht went down to the Australian port of Fremantle and proceeded to kick the snot out of Kookaburra III. The world was right again, the Cup was heading home.
But after the next three championships, the Cup kicked around for a bit in the southern hemisphere before ending up in Valencia, Spain.
So imagine the relief in Wallsburg, Utah and Booneville, Iowa, when a challenger finally emerged this past week to take on the current holders and was greeted by a huge banner hanging in the Valencia port reading: 'Bring the Cup Home!'
Oh yeah, the challengers will be trying to bring it home alright. But home will be the windswept Hauraki Gulf around Auckland, New Zealand, and not the rugged coast of Newport, Rhode Island, or the balmy shores of San Diego, California.
Thanks to their 5-0 victory over Italy's Luna Rossa this week in the Louis Vuitton Cup finals, Emirates Team New Zealand have earned the right to an America's Cup rematch against Alinghi, the Swiss-based team who embarrassed them in the finals four years ago in Auckland.