In early trial races that summer, Columbia proved herself against Defender despite one race on August 2nd, 1899, where her steel mast came tumbling to the deck – the first recorded breakage of a steel mast in Cup racing. It was quickly replaced, and Columbia went on to record consistent victories over Defender and was duly selected as the yacht to defend the America’s Cup on September 4th, 1899, at a meeting held aboard the NYYC flagship ‘Corsair’ with the official decision relayed to Sir Thomas Lipton on September 25th 1899.