City Island

This guide to City Island in the Bronx traces its hundred-year run as an unlikely capital of the America's Cup, from Magic's rebuild in these yards in 1870 to Freedom's launch in 1980. You'll hear about the boatyards that turned out champions like Intrepid and Courageous, and about Ratsey and Lapthorn, the sailmaking house that stitched canvas for every Cup defender from 1903 to 1958. Listen for the salt air and clam chowder along the avenue today, where those yards once stood.