Foxy old Hank and the Deer Isle boys
Defender was handled beautifully in her trials and in the Cup races by the 'Deer Isle boys,' supremely talented sailors recruited from the small fishing community in Downeast Maine. This all-American crew, a first for defending crews that were previously composed mainly of Scandinavians, convincingly answered critics at home and abroad who felt America's native-born sailors were not up to the task of defending the Cup. They were led by fifty-eight-year-old Henry Haff, who had served in the afterguard of earlier Cup winners Mischief and Mayflower and had previously captained Volunteer to victory against Thistle. In vanquishing this latest challenge, "foxy old Hank," as he was called, became the oldest skipper to win the Cup and cemented his reputation as one of the greatest sailors of his generation.