Gordon Bennett and the First Yacht Race Across the Atlantic

The 1866 transatlantic yacht race was a match that saw three yachts battle their way across the Atlantic in the dead of winter in pursuit of a $90,000 prize. Six men died in the brutal and close-fought contest, and the event changed the perception of yachting from a slightly effete gentlemen''s pursuit into something altogether more rugged and adventurous. The race also symbolized the beginning of...