I2 US 55 Stars & Stripes

Stars & Stripes 87 (US 55) was the 12 Meter challenge boat sailed by Dennis Conner in his bid to reclaim the America's Cup from the Royal Perth Yacht Club of Australia in 1987.

Stars & Stripes 87 was built in 1986. She was the culmination of the team's 12 Meter design advances, the fifth boat in the Sail America Foundation stable, and the third of the new boat designs by Britton Chance Jr., Bruce Nelson and David Pedrick.

Conner believed his Stars & Stripes 87 held a 0.3-knot (0.56 km/h; 0.35 mph) increase in upwind speed over Liberty, the 12 Meter he had sailed in defense of the cup in 1983.This represented a remarkable increase in boat speed, and enabled Conner and his team aboard Stars & Stripes 87 to recapture the America's Cup Trophy. Stars & Stripes 87 was the final 12 Meter to win the America's Cup, and as such she represented the zenith in 12 Meter design.

For many years Stars & Stripes 87 was in St. Maarten, berthed with a small stable of 12 Meter boats. It was used as a team building activity, and the boats were sailed against each other in mock races, recreating the excitement of America's Cup 12 Meter races. In 2017 Hurricane Irma struck St Maarten, devastating the island and wrecking the boats stored there. Stars & Stripes 87 suffered severe damage to her hull, had its mast snapped 3 feet above the deck, and she sank.

In 2021 Stars & Stripes 87 was sold to The New York Harbor Sailing Foundation, which owns two other 12 Meter yachts from the 1987 Challenger series, New York Yacht Club's America II US 42 and America II US 46. Stars & Stripes 87 US 55 was delivered to Portsmouth, RI, and is currently on the hard and can be viewed at Safe Harbor New England Boatworks, Portsmouth, RI.