The 1866 transatlantic yacht race was a match that saw three yachts battle their way across the Atlantic in the dead of winter in pursuit of a 90,000 dollar prize. Six men died in the brutal and close-fought contest, and the event changed the perception of yachting from a slightly effete gentlemen's pursuit into something altogether more rugged and adventurous. The race also symbolised the beginning of America's 'gilded age', with its associated obscene wealth and largesse (the prize is about 15 million dollars in today's money), as well as the thawing of relations between the US and UK.