1983 America's Cup

25th America's Cup
Date	14–26 September 1983
Defender	New York Yacht Club
Challenger	Royal Perth Yacht Club
Winner	Royal Perth Yacht Club
Location	Newport, Rhode Island, United States

Boxing Kangaroo flag, design used in 1983 as the mascot of the Australia II team

Postal souvenirs of Australia II's 1983 victory at Newport

The 1983 America's Cup was the occasion of the first winning challenge to the New York Yacht Club, which had successfully defended the cup over a period of 132 years. An Australian syndicate representing the Royal Perth Yacht Club fielded the Australia II, skippered by John Bertrand against defender Liberty, skippered by Dennis Conner, won the match races to win the America's Cup, ending the longest winning streak in sporting history and ending U.S. domination of the racing series.

The defender: Liberty

Skippered by team principal Dennis Conner, Liberty won all the Defender trials and on September 2, 1983 the New York Yacht Club confirmed that Liberty was to represent the NYYC as defender of the America's Cup.^[1]

During the summer preceding the trials, Conner had been the focus of extensive media attention in the U.S. He was even featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine, a rare recognition for a sailor.^{[citation needed]}

The challenger: Australia II

Alan Bond arrived at Newport with Australia II, billed as one of the biggest threats to American dominance of the 12 Metre class. The boat was designed by Ben Lexcen and skippered by John Bertrand. The revolutionary "winged keel of the Australian yacht was a subject of controversy from the outset of the challenger series, with the New York Yacht club alleging that the winged keel boat was not a legal 12 Meter, and that the keel design itself was the result of Dutch engineers, and not by Lexcen. This second point would make Australia II illegal under the requirement that the boat be "designed and constructed in country" as the Deed of Gift that governed the competition stipulated.^[2] The boat was ruled a legal 12 Meter, and she was allowed to participate in the regatta. The speed of the new contender, along with the controversy and protests intensified international media attention to the series.

Australia II dominated the challenger series and entered the America's Cup finals as the most promising contender to date.

The races

The U.S. yacht won the first and second races by margins of more than a minute when the Australian yacht suffered equipment failure, but the Australia II took the third race, and came back to win the fifth and sixth races after the Liberty won the fourth. This was the first time the America's Cup had needed a sixth race, let alone a seventh.^[3]

The cup title came down to the seventh and final race. For the seventh and deciding race on 26 September 1983 the wind was light at around eight knots. The pre start was not a typical match race start. “Neither party wanted to make a mistake and end up in the protest room,” Conner would explain later.^[4] Liberty won the start by eight seconds ahead of Australia II. Over the course of the race there were three lead changes, as well as relentless pressure as each of the yachts tried to provoke dramatic new turns of events. Because both upwind speeds were nearly identical, the tacking duels were fierce and close. Dramatic winds shifts tested the tacticians on both yachts. On the penultimate leg Australia II passed Liberty. One did not need PJ Montgomery's commentary to realize, in the first minutes of that run, that Australia II was sailing significantly lower and faster than Liberty”.^[5] After 47 grueling tacks, Australia II crossed the finish line with a winning margin of 41 seconds, becoming the first successful challenger in the 132 years "since the schooner America won it in a race around England's Isle of Wight in 1851”.^[6]

Aftermath

The final race was televised in Australia in the early hours just before dawn, and the victory was celebrated in public venues across Australia. Prime Minister Bob Hawke was interviewed at the dawn celebration in Claremont, Western Australia, and said, "Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum".

The loss of the 1983 America’s Cup was considered a time of shame in U.S. sailing, as the U.S. had been able to defend the Cup after 132 years. Dennis Conner took the loss hard. Asked about how he felt initially after losing the Cup Conner said: “It was awful. I just did not want to get out of bed in the morning. I am usually full of life and energy. . I just wanted to hide”.^[7]

The America's Cup was transferred from the New York Yacht Club to the Royal Perth Yacht Club located in Perth, Western Australia, which subsequently hosted its first, but unsuccessful, defense in the 1987 America's Cup. After losing the Cup the U.S. had been determined to bring it back. Conner went to work on the next US America’s Cup Campaign. With the help of designers Britton Chance, Bruce Nelson and David Pedrick, the boat Stars and Stripes 87 was created with a radical hull shape the proved to be very fast, leading to Conner winning the 1987 and returning the Cup to the U.S.^[6]

In retrospect, Conner said that losing the Cup in 1983 had been good for the sport of sailing and the Cup itself: “Me losing after 132 years was the best thing that ever happened to the America’s Cup and the best thing that ever happened to Dennis Conner…Before the win by the Australians, the America’s Cup was only big in the minds of the yachties, but the rest of the world didn't know or care about it at all. But when we lost it… it was a little bit like losing the Panama Canal - suddenly everyone appreciated it. If I hadn't lost it, there never would have been the national effort . . . without that there never would have been the ticker-tape parade up Fifth Avenue in New York, lunch with the President at the White House and all the doors of opportunity that it opened...”.^[7]

References

Further reading

• Akerman, Piers. (1983) The cup comes down under Perth, W.A.: Angus & Robertson,ISBN 0-207-14913-5
• The official Advance Australia Souvenir, America's cup 1983. Sydney: Amalgamated Pub. ISBN 0-9592499-0-7
• Levitt, Michael & Llloyd, Barbara (1984) Upset : Australia wins the America's Cup color photography by Dan Nerney. Sydney: Hodder and Stoughton, ISBN 0-340-35580-8 (First published: New York: Workman Publishing, 1983).
• Moult, Allan (compiler) The America’s Cup ’83 Collector’s edition. McMahon’s Point, N.S.W.: Kevin Weldon & Associates
• Panorama Books (1983) How we won the America’s Cup : a souvenir. Perth, W.A. : Panorama Books. ISBN 0-949864-13-7 (ANB/PRECIS SIN 0705837)
• Park, Andy (editor) Stannard, Bruce (text) (1984) Australia II : the official record Sydney: Joyce Childress Management. ISBN 0-9591313-0-2
• Stannard, Bruce (1983)The triumph of Australia II : the America's Cup challenge of 1983 Sydney: Lansdowne Press. ISBN 0-7018-1800-X
• Todd, Nigel and Ross, Brian (1983) America’s Cup ’83 : the official Advance Australia edition Manly, N.S.W.: Sea Spray. OCLC 220177571
• Westley, Eileen (1983) America’s Cup ’83, the complete story. Sydney: John Fairfax Marketing. ISBN 0-909558-36-1
• Wheatley, Keith (1986) America's Cup '87: the inside story. Ringwood, Vic.: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-010031-0
• Wilson, Lorraine.(1984) The America’s Cup 1983 illustrated by Alex Stitt. Melbourne : Nelson. ISBN 0-17-006452-2

External links

• Alan Bond and John Bertrand at America's Cup celebrations, The Esplanade, Perth
• Australia II KA 6

America's Cup competitions