America’s Cup sailing will return to N.Y. for the first time in 96 years next year, commercial commissioner Harvey Schiller said. A stop on the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series is slated for the Hudson River and N.Y. Harbor on May 6-8. Teams from the U.S., U.K., France, Sweden, New Zealand and Japan will compete. Louis Vuitton, BMW, Moet, Bremont watches, Oracle racing and Vineyard Vines have signed on as event sponsors. America’s Cup racing was held regularly off Manhattan from 1870-1920, when it was moved to Newport, R.I. The N.Y. Yacht Club held the trophy for the longest uninterrupted streak, from 1851-1983. The N.Y. stop will be the second of a planned six-stop World Series, with points in the series determining who will challenge for the America’s Cup during the '17 event in Bermuda. The series starts in Oman in February, then after N.Y. will proceed to Chicago and then to Portsmouth, U.K., with hopes for additional European and Asian stops to be announced. Schiller credited the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, other public agencies and real estate developer BrookField Corp. for cooperating in establishing the event.
