| Australia II | |
Australia II |
|
| Yacht Club: | Royal Perth Yacht Club |
|---|---|
| Nation: |  Australia |
| Team Principal: | Alan Bond |
| Skipper: | John Bertrand |
| Established: | 1983 |
| Victories: | America's Cup; 1983 |
| Sail Numbers: | KA6 |
The Australia II is a 12-metre class yacht, and the first successful challenger for the America's Cup after 132 years.
Contents |
Design
Designed by Ben Lexcen, built by Steve Ward, owned by Alan Bond and helmed by John Bertrand. Australia II featured an innovative winged keel design developed by Lexcen which helped to make it very fast and manoeuvrable in many conditions and was the most interesting design feature of the boat.[1] During the summer of 1983, as selection trials took place for the Cup defence that autumn, the New York Yacht Club challenged the legality of the keel design, but it was ruled to be legal. Despite being the first 12 metre to sport the new design, Australia II was not the first boat to have a winged keel, though its success did much to make the concept popular.
Australia II sported much other new technology which also contributed to her success, including her radical vertical sail designs, all kevlar running rigging and lightweight carbon fibre boom. John Bertrand and his crew trained intensively and were able to perform at the highest levels under the pressure of this historic match up.
In 2009, a Dutch naval architect Peter van Oossanen, claims that the winged keel was not designed by Ben Lexcen but rather his group of Dutch designers.[2] If true, this may have disqualified Australia II, since the rules state that the yacht should be designed by residents or citizens of the nation it represents. However, this claim by Peter van Oossanen has been refuted by John Bertrand and Australia II project manager John Longley.[3]
AUSTRALIA II Team
Alan Bond - Syndicate Chairman/Owner. Warren Jones - Syndicate Managing Director. Ben Lexcen - Designer.
John Bertrand - Skipper. Hugh Treharne - Tactician. Grant Simmer - Navigator. Colin Beashall - Mainsheet Trimmer. Skip Lissiman - Trimmer. Rob Brown - Trimmer. Ken Judge - Trimmer. Will Baillieu - Grinder. Peter Costello - Grinder/Sewerman. John Longley - Grinder/Mast man/Project manager. Brian Richardson - Grinder . Scott McAllister - Bowman. Damian Fewster - Bowman. Phil Smidmore - Mastman.
Sir James Hardy - Director/Reserve Helmsman. John Fitzhardinge - Race Committee/Yacht Rigger. Michael Fletcher - Coach. Lesleigh Green - Public Relations. Alison Baker - Secretary. Glenn Read - Computer Technician. Laurie Hayden Sport Psychologist.
Ken Beashall - Maintenance Supervisor. Steve Harrison - Maintenance. David Wallace - Maintenance. Phil Judge - Tender Skipper. Newton Roberts - Tender Crew. Mark Reid - Chase Boat Skipper.
Tom Schnackenberg - Sail designer. Ken O'Brien - Sailmaker. Michael Quilter - Sailmaker. David Rees - Sailmaker. Ted Silbereisen - Sailmaker.
America's Cup
Australia II, bearing sail number KA6, represented the Royal Perth Yacht Club of Australia in its September 1983 challenge for the America's Cup. The defender, the New York Yacht Club, had held the cup since 1851, dominating challengers and sustaining the longest winning streak in sport.
Australia II, skippered by John Bertrand, faced Dennis Conner sailing the 12-metre Liberty in the ocean off Newport, Rhode Island. Australia II came from behind to prevail 4 races to 3. The victory on 25 September 1983 was a landmark event for the nation of Australia, not to mention the Royal Perth Yacht Club, and it eventually earned Australia II the ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year for 1983.
Popular culture
The Boxing Kangaroo was the official mascot of the Australia II effort. The win was received with much enthusiasm in Australia, with the Men at Work song Down Under becoming the official anthem for the crew.
In the film Wind, Australia II is portrayed as Boomerang.
Retirement
In the mid-1980s, Australia II was sent to the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia for display. For the 150th anniversary of the America's Cup, the boat was removed from the museum and shipped to the Isle of Wight, sailing with the original crew for several days of commemorative regattas. The boat has since been returned to Fremantle, Western Australia where it is on permanent display in the Western Australian Maritime Museum.
References
- ^ Anderson, Dave (1988-05-05). "SPORTS OF THE TIMES; Yachting's Crocodile Dundee". Sports (New York Times). http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE3DB1F3BF936A35756C0A96E948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- ^ http://www.theage.com.au/national/winged-keel-not-lexcens-design-dutch-architect-claims-20091013-gvnr.html
- ^ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/14/2713480.htm
Further reading
- Schmitt, Hugh.(1987) Australia II - details on the housing of the yacht The West Australian 28 May 1987, p.16a-c b
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