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The last time the 12 Metres raced for the Cup in Newport was during the headline making races of 1983 when Australia ended the longest (132 years) winning streak in modern sport history. In 1987, when Stars & Stripes beat Kookaburra III in Australia, to reclaim the Cup for the USA., the era of the 12 Metres ended with the explosion of technology that sent many of the boats into the charter business where they became workhorses for corporate entertainment and team building. Fast forward nearly 20 years to the renaissance that began after several owners undertook restorations that sparked renewed interest in this international racing class. In a number of cases the effort of preserving these classic boats, some now 35-40 years old, has put them back in competitive condition, and several are even more high performance now than during their pre-adolescent years on the race circuit.

The International 12 Metre Association's 2005 World Championships, which also will serve as the class's North American Championships, will be held from 14-18 September, and hosted by New York Yacht Club. Yesterday the skippers' meeting at 1800 hours local time was followed by a reception at Harbour Court, with racing starting daily at 1100 from today and continuing through to Sunday. At the conclusion of racing on Sunday, the boat with the best overall performance will be presented with a Rolex timepiece during the awards ceremonies, also at Harbour Court. Interested spectators may tune to VHF channel 79 at 0900 each racing day for the announcement of the course location, or they may call 401-845-9633 for that information. Results will be posted online at www.nyyc.org as they become available.

For the duration of the event, a majority of the 12 Metres will be docked at the International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) where competitors will enjoy wines courtesy of event sponsor The Jibe of New Zealand at the conclusion of racing each day. The public is welcome to visit IYRS to view this classic assemblage of 12 Metres from 1600-1900.

The event has brought together the largest collection of 12 Metres racing together since the last World Championships (held in 2001 during the America's Cup Jubilee in Cowes, Isle of Wight, Great Britain) along with many veteran America's Cup sailors. Entries to date, grouped by racing division, are: Grand Prix (Hissar, Kiwi, Kiwi Magic and US 61); Modern (Challenge 12, Columbia, Courageous, Freedom, Intrepid, Lionheart and Valiant); Classic Traditional (American Eagle, Nefertiti, Weatherly); and Classic Vintage (Gleam, Northern Light and Onawa). Columbia, Courageous, Freedom, Intrepid and Weatherly have all won various America's Cups - indeed Courageous and Intrepid have each won the America's Cup twice.