Last year, one of sailing’s most prestigious events also happened to be its most thrilling.

To win the America’s Cup, the defenders Oracle Team USA won the final eight races overcoming a huge deficit. The run allowed them to keep the oldest trophy in international sport.

And on Saturday, March 1 the cup’s Principal Race Officer John Craig will provide a first hand account of the event.

Craig is the race manager at San Francisco’s St. Francis Yacht Club. Team Oracle USA defended the cup, which is a silver trophy first awarded in 1851.

Members of Marion’s Beverly Yacht Club invited Craig to offer a workshop on yacht race management and a presentation about the American’s Cup.

“There’s a lot of pressure in that position and we wanted to hear the inside scoop,” said the club’s Vice Commodore Dan Cooney. “At the same time we wanted to harness all the great knowledge he has, and offer advice for people looking to improve their race management skills.”

Craig has been a sailor since the age of 12. A Canadian, he learned to sail in Victoria, Canada out of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club.

He then started racing and soon after began coaching. For 12 years, he coached the Canadian Olympic Sailing Team. Cooney said Craig’s skills would be helpful for anyone looking to brush up on race rules and management.

Scheduled for 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. “Race Committee 101” is free and open to the public. The presentation offers basic information on the purpose and duties of the race committee.

As summer heats up, the South Coast has no shortage of yacht races to participate in. Cooney said anyone looking to volunteer at those races would benefit.

“[Race officers] are like umpires in baseball or referees for basketball games,” Cooney said. “These are people who volunteer their time so other people can enjoy their time on the water.”

The America’s Cup discussion takes place from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It will also be held in the Music Hall and is open to the public. Admission costs $10, but is free for anyone 18 and younger.

The 2013 America’s Cup was “arguably one the great comebacks in the event’s history,” Cooney said. The team notched eight straight wins defend the cup against the challengers, Emirates Team New Zealand.

Cooney said anyone interested in sailing would take something valuable from Craig’s talk.

“This is really special, in my mind, for the community to hear directly from John Craig, who is at the very top in the world of sailing,” he said. For more information, call the Beverly Yacht Club at 508-748-0540.