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Australia II - John Rousmaniere reflects on that winged keel

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Show us the Keel: Winning the America’s Cup in 1983

Australia II has become one of the nation’s most recognisable vessels, thanks to that extraordinary America’s Cup win in 1983. Almost everyone knows about its upside-down winged keel designed by Australian Ben Lexcen that was unbeatable that year.  

In May 1981 Ben Lexcen sent this cryptic telex message from Wageningen (Netherlands) to Perth:

" ABOUT TO TAKE YACHT DESIGN INTO THE SPACE AGE DARTH VADER LOOKS GOOD IN COMPUTER IN 3 DIMENSION WILL TEST ON WEDNESDAY 10th JUNE BEN SKYWALKER" Lexcen had begun testing keel designs with a team at the Netherlands Ship Model Basin. He named his radical concept of an upside-down keel with winglets ‘Darth Vader’, referring to the all-powerful villain of the Star Wars movies that took cinema by storm in 1977 and 1980. Signing his own name after character Luke Skywalker added to the Star Wars connection. Lexcen’s references to Star Wars were part of his quirky character that masked enormous technical ability and non-linear thinking. His drawings chart the progress from a conventional design to the winged profile. His design challenged the strict formula for designing 12-Metre class racing yachts, known as the America’s Cup Rule. A revolution was about to occur. Australia II , with its winged keel was kept literally under wraps before the America’s Cup races off Newport, Rhode Island. To chants of ‘Show us the keel!’ and a media frenzy about what is hidden under the covers, Australia II and its boxing kangaroo mascot sailed to victory and into the hearts and minds of Australians.  26 September 1983 was a monumental day in the history of Australian sport.

Show us the Keel: Winning the America’s Cup in 1983 takes us back to September 1983 when John Bertrand and his crew crossed the line to take the America’s Cup from the USA for the first time in its history. Alongside the design drawings, the exhibition includes a range of items associated with the win. The free exhibition is in Wharf 7, Maritime Heritage Building behind the main museum building and is open from 9am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.

Australian National Maritime Museum, Director, Ms Daryl Karp interviews Australia II skipper, John Bertrand AO on sailing, leadership and the America’s Cup 40 years on.

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America’s Cup win

1983: Australia II wins the America’s Cup

Australia II and crew celebrate the 1983 win. Photo: Larry Moran

At 5.21pm on 26 September 1983, off the coast of Rhode Island, the yacht Australia II crossed the finish line to win the America’s Cup.

In the best of seven races, Australia II was 1–3 down after the first four races. In the final race Australia came from behind to win 4–3. It was the first America’s Cup race in 132 years that a country other than the USA won.

Prime Minister Bob Hawke, 27 September 1983:

Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum.

Pair of green Stubbies sailing shorts worn by Will Baillieu, Starboard Grinder on Australia II during the 1983 America's Cup. National Museum of Australia

America’s Cup history

The America’s Cup began life in England as the Royal Yacht Squadron’s £100 Cup, awarded to the winner of a race around the Isle of Wight.

In August 1851 the race was won by the schooner America (after which the Cup was subsequently named) representing the youthful New York Yacht Club.

The Earl of Wilton, Commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron, had invited the Americans to take part, and theirs was the first foreign yacht to enter the race.

In a ploy repeated by the Australians in 1983, the Americans in 1851 played up the radical new design of their yacht and hinted that they had a secret advantage below the waterline. Actually, it was the combination of a new hull design and less sail aloft that gave America the edge.

With this single victory, America transformed yachting into an international competition. The New York Yacht Club Commodore John Cox Stevens and the members of his ownership syndicate sold the winning schooner before returning home.

They donated the trophy to the New York Yacht Club in 1857 under a Deed of Gift which stated that the trophy would be 'a perpetual challenge cup for friendly competition between nations'.

The New York Yacht Club’s first defense of the Cup took place in 1870. Britain repeatedly challenged for the Cup, with one competitor, Sir Thomas Lipton, mounting five challenges between 1899 and 1930.

As the years passed, it was the prospect of breaking this extraordinary winning streak that made the America’s Cup so coveted.

Australian involvement in the America's Cup

Britain and Canada were the only two nations to challenge for the Cup until 1962 when an Australian syndicate headed by Sir Frank Packer and based at the Royal Sydney Yacht club challenged in Gretel . Although the Cup was successfully defended by the Americans, the competition was close and Gretel was the first boat to win an America’s Cup match race since 1930.

The Australians returned in 1970 with Gretel II but were unsuccessful. The Gretel II campaign was famously controversial, particularly when having won a second race, the Australians were stripped of their win by the NYYC. Future captain of Australia II, John Bertrand, competed in his first challenge on board Gretel II.

Other Australian challengers were Dame Pattie in 1967, Southern Cross in 1974, Australia in 1977 and 1980, followed by Australia II in 1983.

Entrepreneur Alan Bond entered the Cup challenge process in 1974 with Southern Cross . While both Southern Cross and Australia failed in their three attempts, they provided crucial training for the historic 1983 challenge.

Patent for Ben Lexcen’s winged keel. Photo: Larry Moran

Australia II

Alan Bond again bankrolled the Royal Perth Yacht Club’s entry, Australia II, for the 1983 challenge. Ben Lexcen (formerly Bob Miller) who had also designed Southern Cross and co-designed Australia , designed the yacht.

Her outstanding characteristic was a completely new winged keel design, which the team kept hidden until it was revealed to fans after the final race.

Australia II dominated the Challenger series, winning the Louis Vuitton Cup, and the NYYC embarked on a legal challenge to disqualify the Australian yacht. The boat was ruled a legal 12 Meter and allowed to participate in the regatta.

1983 America’s Cup race tournament

The America’s Cup is a best of seven race tournament. Australia II , skippered by John Bertrand, lined up for the first race against the American defender, Liberty , skippered by Dennis Conner, on 13 September 1983.

The NYYC cancelled the race due to foul weather. A successful start was made the following day, but Australia II was hampered by equipment failure. Liberty won by one minute and ten seconds. The Australians’ second race was also marred by equipment failure, with Conner winning by one minute and 33 seconds.

Race three was abandoned as neither yacht could complete the course in the time limit, and was restarted the following day. Australia II won by three minutes and 14 seconds, which brought relief and jubilation to the Australians and their supporters.

However, when Liberty won race four, it seemed that it might be all over for the Australian campaign.

Australia II had to win every one of the next three races to take the Cup. The fifth race started poorly, with the Australians giving the Americans a 37-second lead. However, the Americans lost this precious advantage due to equipment failure. Australia II won by one minute and 47 seconds.

Race six took place on 22 September 1983. Even if Australia II hadn’t gone on to win the Cup, it would have made history by winning this race. It was the first time a defender had gone three-all, and it was the biggest winning margin recorded.

Victory for Australia

About 2,000 boats turned out to watch the historic seventh race on 24 September 1983, which disappointingly, had to be abandoned due to unstable weather conditions. Rescheduled for 26 September 1983, the race started after only one postponement.

The Australians started well but lost their early lead. Things looked grim, with Liberty increasing its lead at every mark. Designer Ben Lexcen couldn’t bear to watch. He went below on the Bond launch, Black Swan , and stared at the NYYC officials’ boat.

Lexcen was only alerted to Australia II ’s amazing comeback during the fifth leg by the change of demeanour of those on board the officials’ boat.

Two vital differences on this leg let Australia II regain the lead. The spinnaker was set and held better than Liberty , and Australia II was able to find a few extra lifts of wind.

Once in the lead, Australia II was under ferocious attack from Liberty on the final leg. The American yacht tacked 45 times in attempting to regain the lead. At 5.21pm Australia II crossed the finish line 41 seconds ahead of Liberty.

Australia II ’s winged keel. The yacht is on permanent display at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle. Photo: kenhodge13 via Wikimedia Commons

Reaction in Australia

In Australia, the final race took place in the early hours of the morning, but much of the nation stayed up to watch the historic victory on television. The America’s Cup, previously of interest only to the yachting fraternity, suddenly had a galvanising effect on the public mood.

According to author Lou d’Apulget:

The 1983 challenge was a never-to-be-repeated summer-long epic that wiped wars, politics and economics from the pages of newspapers and brought the subject of boat racing into such unlikely places as the Oval Office of the White House.

On 15 May 1984 the federal cabinet decided to buy Australia II from Alan Bond.

Dennis Conner successfully challenged the Australians in 1987.

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Lou d’Apulget, Yachting in Australia, William Collins, Sydney, 1986.

Ted Jones, Newport and the America’s Cup Challenge ’77, WW Norton and Co, New York, 1978.

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It was like a funeral at the New York Yacht Club when Australia II won the America's Cup after 132 years

Analysis It was like a funeral at the New York Yacht Club when Australia II won the America's Cup after 132 years

A weepy, funeral-like procession in midtown Manhattan and an empty champagne bottle turned upside down: two striking images from the day the US lost the America's Cup for the first time after more than a century of dominance — exactly 38 years ago.

The New York Yacht Club in mourning might be the last place you'd expect a visiting Australian to try to gatecrash.

But that's where I found myself on that fateful night: borrowing an oversized blue blazer, jumping in a yellow cab to West 44th Street and talking my way into the members' only enclave.

And all because an elitist yachting competition had somehow captivated our entire nation.

It was on September 26, 1983, that Australia II completed an improbable comeback over US boat, Liberty, winning race seven at Newport, Rhode Island, for a 4-3 victory overall, having trailed 3-1.

Back in Australia, a nation celebrated, led by a champagne-soaked prime minister in Perth.

After a night of watching the drama on television, Bob Hawke effectively declared the following day — a Tuesday — a national public holiday, saying: "Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum."

Three hundred kilometres south of the racing off Rhode Island, the New York Yacht Club was in a state of shock, unprepared for the end of a winning streak — the longest in sports — dating back to 1851.

There, more than anywhere else, at the club's home since 1901, the impact of Australia II's triumph was being felt. As uplifting as the result was for underdog Aussies 16,000 kilometres away, it was, in equal measure, devastating for those supporting the losing favourite.

This moment in history coincided with my first trip — a backpacker-style vacation — to the United States. I'd started the marathon journey from Sydney with Australia II headed for a noble defeat but arrived in New York City with John Bertrand's crew pulling off the near impossible.

The America's Cup was the last thing on my mind when air tickets were booked several months earlier.

In holiday mode, joining some fellow Australian journalists in a Manhattan bar, someone remarked what a great story it would be to sneak into the New York Yacht Club to see how the members were handling the shock of losing the cup.

Along with the world's most dangerous and politically unstable hotspots of the time, the New York Yacht Club on that particular September evening might have been a place where all Australians would have been advised against travelling.

Two days before the races started, the club had unsuccessfully tried through the courts to ban Australia II's controversial winged keel, effectively accusing the Royal Perth Yacht Club syndicate of cheating.

Cup transported by armoured vehicle

Precisely when I arrived at the club, its main doors opened and about a dozen members filed out towards a parked van. Half of them were carrying a large wooden box that looked like a coffin. It didn't take long to work out the America's Cup was inside.

The van was a Brinks armoured vehicle, ready to drive sailing's most famous silverware up Interstate 95 to Newport for the official handover — to the enemy.

Funerals are often slow and measured affairs but this process was rapid and urgent. While the emotions flowed as they might alongside any cortege, there was also an air of chaos and confusion as a trophy representing 132 years of achievement was ingloriously yanked from the gentrified Beux-Arts landmark in less than 60 seconds.

Once the vehicle was out of sight, a few of the members lingered on the footpath, trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed, including a middle-aged man with red eyes.

Fortunately, the man did not throw punches in a fit of New York rage when approached by a journalist from Sydney interested in hearing his views. Instead, there was an invitation to join him and his wife for a complimentary dinner at the club.

So, the New York Yacht Club visitors' book for the evening of September 26, 1983, registered one Australian guest.

'Therapy session' over steak dinner

In the heart of a city with the world's highest concentration of psychiatrists, the meal with a gracious American host had the unfettered air of a therapy session. And, with the Cold War still in full swing, it was also a kind of entente cordiale: two potential adversaries breaking bread in the name of a higher cause.

That same day, Soviet military officer Stanislav Petrov averted a possible nuclear war by correctly identifying a US missile attack warning in Moscow as a false alarm. On American soil, Zimbabwe Prime Minister Robert Mugabe, who had risen to power three years earlier, was on a tense state visit to Washington DC.

During our dinner, the man opened up in a way one wouldn't have imagined, speaking about his personal pain and sense of loss in saying goodbye to the Auld Mug. For him, the America's Cup — the trophy — was like a close friend whose reassuring presence provided almost daily comfort within the exclusive confines of the club.

The man also shared an insider's account of how the decisive seventh race of the series played out for him and the other members.

Club with no TV and 'ship-at-sea echo'

In contrast to Manhattan's rowdy sports bars, the New York Yacht Club had (in its own words) a "ship-at-sea echo". Then, like now, it was a cosy and refined refuge where members could peacefully enjoy a drink, meal and thoughtful conversation without distraction.

So, with no television or radio on the premises, the only way to get updates on the racing was from an open telephone line to Newport.

Because retaining the America's Cup was almost a formality, members hadn't felt the need to closely follow each day's racing. Most of the previous series were lopsided, with the defender rarely troubled. The US had lost only three of 39 races dating back to 1937, and had dropped just nine races since the America's Cup began in 1851.

But, with the 1983 series tied at 3-3 going into race seven, one member, with a no-dial rotary telephone in hand, was given the job of relaying information from Newport to an increasingly concerned gathering within the club.

Under respected skipper Dennis Conner, Liberty started well and seemed on course for victory. But after surrendering the lead on the penultimate leg, the American yacht was unable to get it back, despite Conner tacking 47 times before the finish.

Australia II, expertly piloted by Olympic medallist Bertrand, crossed the line 41 seconds ahead to clinch the series, meaning the challenger had defied sudden death by taking the last three races to win.

After we had a magnificent steak dinner in the dining room, the man introduced me to other members, with an invitation to look around the club that had operated on that site since 1901. Walking through the various sections, the detail and quality of the many replica boats and ships on display in its trophy room was impressive.

Champagne bottle replaces missing cup

What stood out was the sizeable display case that had protected the America's Cup until a few hours earlier.

Instead of showing off precious silverware, the structure now housed an empty champagne bottle, its spout pointing to the floor, symbolic of an institution whose world had been turned upside down.

After the man and his wife had gone home, I wrote my story by hand on New York Yacht Club letterhead in a quiet corner of the club. Then, in those early days of computers long before email, the article was dictated on a reverse-charges telephone call to a typist back at the Sydney Morning Herald for the next day's edition.

Just after midnight, this Australian visitor was the second-last person to leave the club, let out the front door by the night security guard.

For someone who didn't live through Australia's unexpected success off the Rhode Island coast, it is difficult to explain four decades later the significance of winning — let's face it — a relatively obscure sporting event.

But Bertrand's unexpected success, powered by Ben Lexcen's winged keel and Alan Bond's cash, seemed to energise a nation down on its competitive luck.

Australia had won just nine medals at the ill-fated and partly boycotted 1980 Moscow Olympics and only five — with no gold — at the Montreal Games four years before that. Compare that to 46 medals, with 17 golds at the recent Tokyo Olympics.

Boxing Kangaroo flag galvanises a nation

The boxing Kangaroo flag that fluttered in the Rhode Island breeze off Australia II's forestay became a symbol of its triumph. And it would epitomise our fighting spirit in decades of other sporting battles to come. Rather than the nagging feeling that we might not be good enough, sticking it to the Yanks in their own — ahem — waterways when all seemed lost, proved that anything was possible.

The triumph came just seven months into Bob Hawke's first term as prime minister and remains one of his most endearing moments, setting the tone for his tenure. Wearing a gaudy Australian-branded sports coat, his euphoria bubbled over in the early hours amongst a packed crowd at the Royal Perth Yacht Club. Indeed, as a proud West Australian, this moment was even sweeter.

Years later, the America's Cup would be voted by the readers of my old newspaper as the greatest day in Australian sports history, more significant than winning world cups in rugby and cricket and staging the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

It remains the only time Australia has actually won the America's Cup. In a disastrous defence at Fremantle four years later, Kookaburra III was trounced 4-0 by Stars and Stripes 87, skippered by 1983 loser, Dennis Conner. Conner's tale of redemption is featured in a 1992 film, Wind.

New Zealand is the current holder of the America's Cup, having successfully defended the trophy in March — winning it for the fourth time — after  Emirates Team New Zealand defeated Italy's Luna Rossa by seven races to three off the coast of Auckland.

After leaving the New York Yacht Club on that autumn night in 1983,  I took a reflective stroll back to my accommodation a few blocks away near Times Square.

I rounded a corner, past the open doors of a late-night bar whose house band was cranking out a raucous version of Who Can It Be Now? by Men At Work. The Melbourne group's other big hit, Down Under, was the unofficial anthem of Australia II's challenge, but I'd never heard US musicians covering Australian artists before.

In those pre-Crocodile Dundee days, the full brunt of Australia's cultural awakening and transformation — and the resulting international invasion — was still a few years away.

But for a split second on that last Tuesday in September 1983, I caught a glimpse of the future.

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AUSTRALIA II IS BACKED ON KEEL

• Aug. 11, 1983

An international measurement committee today reaffirmed the legality of Australia II's unusual winged keel, but the United States Yacht Racing Union still asked worldwide sailing authorities to eliminate the top foreign contender in the America's Cup competition.

The United States union appealed on behalf of the America's Cup host, the New York Yacht Club, despite the announcement by the International Measurement Committee ''that the keel of Australia II is legal.''

The three-member committee, which deemed Australia II a legal 12-Meter yacht earlier this summer, said that the keel did not fall into the category of an ''unfair peculiarity,'' as the New York club maintained.

The 12-Meter designation refers to a combination of boat and sail dimensions. 'Delighted' With Ruling

Warren Jones, the Australia II executive director, said he was ''delighted'' with the ruling. But he expressed annoyance over the persistance of the United States yachting union.

''The decision of the measurement committee is final,'' Jones said. ''But some people obviously don't know a period means the end.''

The Australians maintain the host club will go to any length to oust the yacht because of American fears she will win and break the longest winning streak in sports history, the 132- year United States hold on the America's Cup.

As Australia II practiced for Thursday's semifinals on Rhode Island Sound, Tom Ehman, executive director of the United States yachting union, said his organization was ''acting as a pipeline'' for the host club in contending that the keel is illegal. Reversal Considered Unlikely

Ehman said the telegram from Tony Watts, chairman of the measurement committee in London, ''is something for the International Yacht Racing Union to consider.''

Robert McCullough, chairman of the New York Yacht Club's America's Cup Committee, said Watts's message ''only increases the urgency for an immediate ruling.'' This ruling, he said, must be made by the international authority's Keel Boat Committee, which handles interpretations of the class rules.

McCullough also said the ''only satisfactory way to reach a fair decision'' was to have the committee meet in Newport and examine Australia II.

Although it was not clear when the International Yacht Racing Union would rule on the protest, it was expected that the international union would use the committee's reaffirmation to dismiss the complaint.

The international union last week was unable to consider the host club's direct reqest because, under its rules, a national authority is the only one that can protest measurement and rating certificates.

40th anniversary of Australia II yacht winning 1983's America's Cup: WA Maritime Museum

Ask anyone of a certain vintage the significance of September 26, 1983, and chances are their face will light up as they say, "that's when we won the America's Cup!".

The yacht Australia II made history when the oldest sporting trophy in the world was wrested from the Americans after 132 years.

Discussing the upcoming 40 th anniversary celebrations of the legendary win, crew member Skip Lissiman said the team had no inkling of the impact of the success until they arrived back in Perth.

"We had no idea how big it was back in Australia and how much people were getting behind it," he said.

"It was very unusual for people to support and follow a yacht race on the other side of the planet.

"So we were very surprised how big it was back here and I don't think in sporting terms there has been anything to equal it, although maybe the Matildas will."

Former prime minister Bob Hawke recognised the win's impact on the nation's psyche.

"I sat next to him at the 30 th anniversary celebrations in Sydney and he turned to me and said, 'You know what, in all the things I did as a politician people still say the one thing they remember most about me is what I said on the day we won the America's Cup'," Skip said.

"His words were, 'Any boss that sacks a worker for not turning up today is a bum'.

"For all the reforms he achieved, that is the thing people remember."

Skip said his main feeling about the win at the time was relief.

"That was my second America's Cup. I did another one in 1980, and it took me nearly six months to get over the loss.

"So to win was a relief, but over time the elation kicked in."

That summer in Newport, Rhode Island, involved a lot of hard work.

"It was up early at 6am, an hour of exercise, throw some breakfast down, rush down to the boat, put the sails onboard, head out on the water - quite often it was a one-hour tow to get out to the race course area - get the sails up, test, check the winds, check the conditions, check the set-up, do some adjustments to the boat, then race."

He said the race could take as long as five hours.

"And it wasn't unusual for us to have two races in a day, then they would be more like to two-three hours each. Then tow back, get sails out of the boat, do any maintenance work, throw some dinner down, go to bed and repeat the same thing seven days a week."

Skip said many elements went into Australia II's success.

"Everyone focuses on the famed winged keel as being the magic thing that won the America's Cup. The reality was there was a multitude of components that went into the success.

"The winged keel was part of it, but equally the crew and the team were extremely well prepared and certainly on par or superior to the American team and crew."|

He said the sails were revolutionary in design, materials and how they were prepared, while the management skills in being one step ahead of the Americans were essential.

"The vision and backing of Alan Bond was exceptional," Skip said. "After being defeated three previous times he continued to persevere."

Skip is still very involved in sailing, having been on the board of directors of Australian Sailing for seven years. "If you are passionate about something and you can turn your passion into reality and commercialise it, then you are away."

An exhibition to mark 40 years since Australia II won the America's Cup will take place at the yacht's permanent home, the WA Maritime Museum , Victoria Quay, from September 9-February 4.

Australia II: 40 Years On will include a new film featuring untold stories by the 1983 winning team members, including Skip. On the second Tuesday of the month, entry to the maritime museum is by gold coin donation.

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Australia II celebrations.

The team of Australia II to be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame

One of Australia’s most iconic sporting moments, the victory of Australia II in the 1983 America’s Cup, will be honoured in the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame this week.  The team of Australia II , including the sailing team and the design and executive teams (full list below) will be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame at the inaugural induction ceremony on Friday 3 November in Sydney. 

According to the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame Selection Panel, “the achievement of the Australia II team in winning the America’s Cup in 1983 was one of the most remarkable feats in Australian sporting history.”

Australia II captured the hearts of a nation when it won the America’s Cup in 1983, breaking Americas’ 132-year winning streak in sport’s oldest trophy. 

The America’s Cup fascinated the Australian sailing community for 20 years before it was finally won.  Up until 1962, Britain and Canada were the only two nations to challenge for the Cup. 

In 1962 an Australian syndicate from the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron challenged the Americans for the first time.  Led by Sir Frank Packer, the challenge by Gretel was unsuccessful, but the Australians became the first challengers to win an America’s Cup match race against the Americans since 1934. 

The Australians then challenged with Dame Pattie in 1967, Gretel II in 1970, Southern Cross in 1974, and Australia in 1977 and 1980.

Then, in 1983, Australia challenged with their best-prepared syndicate ever, Australia II.  Owned and built by a syndicate of Western Australians headed by businessman Alan Bond, the Australians were determined to bring home the ‘Auld Mug’.

The designer of Australia II , Ben Lexcen, had conceived a winged keel that had out-performed conventional keels in secret testing in the Netherlands. The yacht was built in Cottesloe, Western Australia by boatbuilder Steve Ward.

Lexcen’s winged keel was at the centre of huge controversy.  Upon arrival in Newport, Rhode Island, the keel was hidden from view with tarpaulin ‘modesty skirts’ that were draped over the side of the boat each day before it was lifted in or out of the water.  The design was protested by the Americans, but ultimately the ‘off-water’ psychological battle was won by the Aussies and they were given the all-clear to race. 

Skippered by John Bertrand, the crew of Australia II displayed a ‘never-say-die’ attitude when they came back from being 1-3 down in the best of seven race series.  The Aussies fought their way back to take the competition to the seventh and final race. 

The final race proved a real wrestle.  The American boat Liberty led from the start, until being overtaken on the last downwind leg by Australia II . During the final windward leg the team aboard Australia II tacked many times to defend their precious lead. At 5.21pm on September 26, Australia II crossed the line to win the America’s Cup, taking the Auld Mug in an historic 4-3 win.

’You captured the imagination of the people the world over,’ said American President Ronald Reagan, as he congratulated the Australia II crew on a visit to the White House two days after the race. “You have shown us the stuff of which Australians are made.”

The Australia II team which won the 1983 America’s Cup was responsible for one of the greatest, most memorable moments in Australia’s sporting history. 

The Team of Australia II

John Bertrand AO (skipper), Colin Beashel OAM Will Baillieu OAM Peter Costello OAM Damian Fewster OAM Ken Judge OAM Skip Lissiman OAM John Longley AM Brian Richardson OAM Phil Smidmore OAM Grant Simmer OAM Hugh Treharne OAM

Reserves Rob Brown OAM Sir James Hardy OBE Scott McAllister OAM

Syndicate Chairman Alan Bond

Syndicate Executive Director Warren Jones AM

Designer Ben Lexcen AM

Coach Mike Fletcher AM

Australia II is currently on display in Fremantle at the Western Australian Maritime Museum.  A ‘one-third’ model of the boat is also on display at the Australian Maritime Museum in Sydney.  Further information on the boat is available at http://arhv.anmm.gov.au/objects/132580

Seven Hall of Famers will be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame this Friday, 3 November 2017 at the Hyatt Regency, Sydney.  

– Megan McKay

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Celebrating 30 years of Australia II – see the famous America’s Cup-winning yacht

News | Created 25 Sep 2013

Relive the day the Royal Perth Yacht Club sailed to victory in the America's Cup with gold coin entry to the country’s most complete Australia II collection this Thursday 26 September to Saturday 28 September at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle.

The purpose-built Maritime Museum has housed the iconic winged keel yacht since 2002, and is now also home to one of the most significant America’s Cup collections in the world, including one of only three exact replicas of the coveted Cup, thanks to a donation by Kerry Tasker, widow of Australia's first Olympic sailing medal winner, Rolly Tasker, and the Australian Sailing Museum.

WA Museum history curator Sally May said it was fantastic to have the two collections together for the 30 th anniversary of the historic victory.

“The cup itself represents a momentous occasion in not only Australian, but international maritime history, and it’s fantastic to now have it alongside the yacht responsible,” Ms May said.

The donated collection also includes plans, records and images of America's Cup challengers and defenders from 1851 to 2003; some 100 models of Australian competitive racing classes; and mannequins of significant America's Cup identities from 1851 to 1983.

Skippered by John Bertrand, Australia II’s 1983 victory was the first time in 132 years the America's Cup had been won by a nation other than the United States. The defending New York Yacht Club had held the cup since 1851, the longest winning streak in international sporting history. It was the race that stopped the nation: televised in Australia in the early hours of the morning and celebrated in homes, pubs and clubs across the country. Then-Prime Minister Bob Hawke was at the RPYC in Crawley when he famously declared: "Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum!”

On Saturday, included in the gold-coin donation entry to the Museum, visitors can watch as more sporting history is made when the Fremantle Dockers take on Hawthorn in the AFL Grand Final , televised in the Museum’s theatre from noon.

The America's Cup replica, on display at the WA Maritime Museum Image copyright WA Museum 

The Australia II Gallery, WA Maritime Museum, Fremantle Image copyright WA Museum 

Media contact: Niki Comparti Western Australian Museum 6552 7805, [email protected]

AUSTRALIA II

Robb Report

8 Fascinating Facts About ‘Kokomo,' the Lightning-Fast 192-Foot Sailing Superyacht

Posted: March 15, 2024 | Last updated: March 15, 2024

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The 192-foot Kokomo was the second largest sloop in the world when it launched from New Zealand’s Alloy Yachts shipyard in 2010. It remains the largest fast-cruising sloop available for charter. The yacht’s commissioning owner Lang Walker (who died in January 2024) was a seasoned sailor who gave all three of his yachts the same name.

The first was a 131-foot sloop, which Walker replaced five years later with a 171-footer. The same day he took delivery of his 171-foot sloop, he placed an order for the third and final 192-foot Kokomo, which he planned to use for racing and cruising around the world. He also kept the same design team for all three yachts, with exterior and naval architecture by Ed Dubois and interior by UK’s RWD.

The reference to the yacht’s name has had different explanations over the years, ranging from the pseudonym of a composer whose music Walker played as a child to a nod to the Beach Boys’s song from their 1988 album Still Cruisin’, which references a fictional utopian island called Kokomo. The island fantasy was brought to life in 2011 when Walker acquired a private island in Fiji’s Great Astrolabe Reef and named it Kokomo.

Here are eight unknown facts about one of the most game-changing sailing yachts on the water.

You’re Going to Need a Bigger Boom

When Kokomo was launched, she was the second-largest sloop in the world and carried the largest set of sails made by Doyle Sails in New Zealand. The 23,971-square-foot asymmetric spinnaker is half the size of a professional football field, while the 9,688-square-foot mainsail needs a crane to lift it. Because of the gargantuan size of the sails, the designers entered a new era of spar and winch design, having to “reinvent” the deck equipment—winches, mast, boom, rigging and sails—to cope with the 31.6-ton load on the genoa sheet and 32-ton load on the main sheet clew. The 244-foot carbon mast is the largest ever made by Southern Spars.

A Hidden Lifting Keel

The yacht’s 130-ton lifting keel is one of its most impressive features, though it’s largely left to the imagination. The interior layout is carefully designed so that the keel structure remains hidden. Dubois Naval Architects positioned the keel box to come above the main deck, serving as a partial separation between the bridge and the main salon (see inset). Kokomo was only the second yacht to be fitted with a lifting a keel, the first being 246-foot M5 (ex-Mirabella V), the world’s largest single-masted sailing yacht. This innovative design shortens Kokomo’s 28.5-foot draft when the keel is fully extended, to just 15 feet for shallow waters.

Now You See It, Now You Don’t

Kokomo might be big on technology, but never at the expense of design. The wheelhouse has fold-down computer screens that conceal the navigation equipment when not in use, converting to beautiful carbon counter tops. This design sleight of hand transforms a highly technical area into a tony lounge. It’s a theme that extends to the foredeck, where the yacht’s two tenders are concealed in dedicated lockers. There’s also a fully retractable tender crane that launches the tenders from either side of the boat but disappears out of sight when guests are using the Jacuzzi. “The designated deck lockers were an advanced feature at the time of her launch,” says Wynne, adding that another bonus is that diesel tanks are fully available. “The tenders can be fueled onboard before launching.”

It Takes Just A Few Good Sailors

Kokomo can accommodate up to 10 crew in total, but theoretically it only takes two to sail—a helm person and a sail trimmer. That sounds almost impossible given the size and complexity of yacht. But all sails are controlled by joystick on the flybridge. And when the boat is in full-on racing mode, there are control stations on both sides, providing visibility of the sails. Thanks to the hydraulics system, the mainsail can be hoisted and lowered on a wireless remote control. Of course, maneuvers like stowing the massive genoa can never be automated. That’s a job for a half-dozen good sailors.

Art On Board

The hallway that leads to the owner’s cabin is lined with a mosaic tapestry made from sea glass woven together with wire. Backlit to create an unusual effect, it’s just one of the eclectic works of art that decorates the interior. The main salon also has a stunning and colorful work of glass art as another example.

Interior Matters

Kokomo is not all tech features. The yacht’s modern interiors combine dark wood floors and calming cream furnishings start in the main salon and continue across the five guest cabins. Penned by British studio Redman Whiteley Dixon, the design carefully wraps around the lifting keel without sacrificing or impeding on any interior guest space. The yacht accommodates up to 10 guests in a master suite, VIP, one double cabin and two twins. There are other accommodations for up to 10 crew. On the foredeck, the Jacuzzi brings another element of outdoor entertainment, bolstered by a sunken cockpit.

World Traveler

The mandate issued by Walker was to create a yacht that was a “quantum leap forward” from his previous yachts, with superior sailing characteristics and guest comfort. The mast’s height is too tall to sail through the Panama or Suez Canals, which meant it would have to be designed to sail around Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope to reach the Caribbean and Mediterranean. The maiden voyage took the yacht from the New Zealand shipyard to Australia, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, and Fiji. It also spent time at Walker’s private island (pictured above), also named Kokomo. The vessel has since spent many years exploring the Caribbean and Med. It’s based in both regions during the respective cruising seasons, with charters available through Cecil Wright.

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