Between England's mainland and the Isle of Wight stretches a yachtsman's nightmare. Cowes Road abounds in treacherous currents, hidden reefs and fickle winds. There, last week, three American and three British six-meter racing yachts caught the breeze in the race for the British-American Cup, a junior-sized edition of the America's Cup (won last in 1937 when the U.S.'s sloop Ranger handily beat England's Endeavour II in four straight races).
Old hands to the Road's tricky 14-mile course, the British quickly swung into a 3 to 1 lead, needed only one more victory to rule the waves. Then a minor disaster sent the...