so one could sail up the Nile, then drift back down with the current

the yacht America won the race (which was then named for it) largely because American sail makers used tighter woven fabrics with the weave arranged to align tensions with the fibres while the brits used loose woven flax sails arranged haphazardly. The American sails allowed the yacht to sail in higher winds and turn in a tighter radius. When the Queen was told that America had come in first, she asked who came in second and was informed that no other ships were yet in sight.