Stars & Stripes (yacht)
Stars & Stripes is the name of a series of racing yachts operated by Dennis Conner to compete in the America's Cup. The name "Stars & Stripes" refers to the nickname often used for the flag of the United States.
Stars & Stripes 1987 was a conventional yacht. It defeated Australian challenger Kookaburra III.
Due to unrestricted rules in 1988, Conner enlisted the help of designers Chance & Hubbart & MacLane, and aircraft manufacturer Scaled Composites, to fabricate a revolutionary catamaran which dominated over KZ1, the challenger from New Zealand. The New Zealand team sued and won the America's Cup trophy in a court case; however, on appeal, the San Diego Yacht Club won it back.
Conner's $5 million 2002 entrant, Stars & Stripes USA-77 was sunk on July 23, 2002 when a rudder broke during preparations for the 2002–2003 race. The boat was raised out of 55 feet of water just outside of Long Beach Harbor. Conner's luck that year would not improve, as Alinghi and Oracle BMW Racing, two well financed boats, would contest for the spotlight. Conner had a backup and training vessel available, Stars & Stripes USA-66.
Conner also had other Stars & Stripes boats competing in 1992, and 2000.