Between 1930 and 1983 the competition was moved to the less crowded venue of Newport on the coast of Rhode Island. Along a triangular course of 39 km, the trophy was awarded to the winner of four victories out of seven races. During this period the America's Cup was interrupted for over two decades, because of the Second World War. Even when peace was declared, potential competitors were discouraged by the cost of building and maintaining vessels to meet the rating required by the regulations. On the initiative of the New York Yacht Club, the 1857 rules were amended so that 12-metre yachts were now allowed to take part, a sailing class very popular in English regattas.
 
The Australians made their debut in the America's Cup in 1962. The year 1970 saw the beginning of the era of multiple challenges with the participation of the French, initially in the person of Baron Marcd Bich.

 

The first American yacht to suffer the indignity of losing the trophy was the 12-metre Liberty, captained by Dennis Conner, defeated by Australia II in 1983. The competition was decided in the seventh and final race, which was won by the Aussies by the modest margin of 41 seconds. 

 

 

 

Meanwhile the battle for the supremacy of the oceans became increasingly competitive. New challengers appeared on the horizon with plenty of financial backing, and the search for technologically based advantage became increasingly critical. The Louis Vuitton Cup was conceived to select the vessel most worthy of challenging the trophy holder from among all the would-be competitors for the America's Cup. It has become a competition within a competition, a marathon which greatly prolongs the duration of the competition, thus increasing the excitement with which the final event is anticipated. The trophy did not remain for long at the Royal Perth Yacht Club. In 1987 Conner succeeded in making up for his earlier defeat by winning the trophy and taking home the America's Cup, this time flying the flag of the San Diego Yacht Club. While the victory in the San Diego waters was incontestable, it took 18 months of legal battles to confirm the legitimacy of a victory achieved with a vessel hitherto unknown in the history of the America's Cup, a very fast catamaran. This was a completely different type of vessel from the New Zealand monohull twice its length that came to San Diego to challenge Conner's claim on the Cup. After the American yacht's victory in court, the regulations for participating vessels were changed again. There was a return to the large sailing-boats of the early 20th century, with a waterline length of just under 23 metres but with carbon fibre hulls and a main mast as tall as a 10-storey building.

 

 

The new vessels had a sail surface area 50% larger than that of the 12 m vessels but weighed one-third less, thus making them much faster and highly maneuverable. In Auckland, the venue for the 30th defense of the America's Cup in 2000, the Italian yacht Luna Rossa won the right to challenge the holders New Zealand, having won the Louis Vuitton Cup after numerous cross challenges between the 11 contenders. The decisive races against the New Zealand crew of NZL-60, nicknamed Black Magic, were not a pleasant experience for the crew under skipper Francesco De Angelis, as they repeatedly found themselves chasing a much faster boat.

 

But now attention is on the next America's Cup which will take place in 2003, once more in the tumultuous waters of the Hauraki Gulf, in which one of two Italian yachts may be taking part.

 

For the 31st defense of the America's Cup, to be held in New Zealand in the early months of 2003, and which it is hoped may include an Italian crew, Montegrappa 1912 has decided to dedicate a special commemorative limited edition to the America's Cup - the most prestigious yacht race in the world. This choice is yet another confirmation of Montegrappa's skills in extolling the beauty of sailing and representing it in its noblest and most fascinating aspects. The pen inspired by the America's Cup will succeed last year's magnificent model dedicated to the Vespucci, the new training ship of the Italian Navy, recognized by sailing enthusiasts as the most beautiful sailing ship to cut through the waves. Montegrappa, the oldest Italian manufacturer of writing instruments, is appreciated and admired throughout the world for the extraordinary quality of its goldsmith's art and the amazing technical expertise and manual skills of its craftsmen. Montegrappa produces only top of the range pens, aimed at a select circle of collectors and sophisticated connoisseurs. But this is not the only characteristic which Montegrappa shares with the world of sailing and, in particular, with the America's Cup - a competition of unparalleled prestige that is limited to a select elite of highly skilled sailors and elegant yachts.

 

 

 

Between Montegrappa and the legendary America's Cup to which this pen is dedicated, there is another, deeper affinity of an aesthetic and cultural nature. 

 

One of the aspects of this close affinity is the comparison that is made on the one hand between fountain pens . and ballpoint pens, and on the other between sailing boats and motor boats. There is evidently an analogy, reflected. in taste and life-style, between the preference shown - for fountain pens, which are traditional, noble writing instruments, and the passion inspired by sailing boats which is the oldest means of navigation invented by man. In both cases it is matter of appreciating the beauty and refinement of the object, the elegance of its movements, the intimate experience of silence, and the pleasure of listening to the sound of rustling paper and the lapping of water, of favouring the fascination of history and ignoring the huge but ephemeral appeal of the modern world.

 

 

 

Furthermore, in the case of both Montegrappa fountain pens and the magnificent yachts that take part in the Americas Cup, history and tradition by no means exclude topicality, functionality and up-to-date technology. This is clearly seen in the impressive speed achieved by the large yachts competing with each other at Auckland, resulting from the new extra-light materials, the vertigo-inducing height of the masts, the remarkable surface area of the sails which would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, and the extraordinary maneuverability and docility of these giants of the sailing world. In the same way, Montegrappa's fountain pens combine the finest traditional goldsmith's craftsmanship with great functionality and reliability reflecting the constant search for improved materials and the use of sophisticated, innovative technology. There is another, more physical element which links Montegrappa and the America's Cup. This is the cup itself, made from solid silver and beautifully engraved by hand. Montegrappa is celebrated internationally for its exquisite low-relief engraving, and with some artistic license it has reproduced the beautiful engravings of the America's Cup on the barrel, the cap and the end-cap of this precious pen produced in a limited edition.

 

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The cap, barrel, end-cap, clip, rings and little buttons of the Americas Cup 2003 Limited Edition are all made from sterling silver. The fountain pen has a piston filler and is fitted with an 18K gold nib, partially rhodium plated and engraved with a picture of the America's Cup as well as the Montegrappa logo. Such a wonderful pen, designed to celebrate the most important sailing competition in the world, could only come in an equally original and evocative presentation box.

 

 

 

The numbered case of the Montegrappa limited edition is shaped like a ship's hull, carved from a single piece of wood with reflective navy blue lacquer. The deck is represented by the mahogany lid with a central, hinged opening with two hinges and a special handle. Lifting the lid, the inside of the hull is revealed, containing the numbering and the mahogany bulkheads, complete with hooks and fabric support for the pen, created with the canvas originally used in the world of sailing. The outside of the central opening in the lid is decorated with a stylized image of the America's Cup, while the inside is hot-stamped with the Montegrappa logo.

 

 

 

The three-dimensional image is obtained by cutting the surface with tiny linear cuts of different depths and removing small quantities of metal. This process produces a surface that is characteristically different in the way it reflects light from those generated by a mechanical pantograph engraver or any other means of generating a relief image. The difficulty lies in the fact that the image has to be engraved on a cylindrical surface. Many times a single drawing takes up to months as any error can result in onerous consequences: matched to perfection, the meeting point where the engraving starts and ends can be sometimes difficult, even to an expert hand. This advanced technology is exclusively used by Montegrappa and has made it famous for the innovative and imaginative application to its fine writing jewels.