Playing the Long Game - Australia's America's Cup Challenges

When people talk of Australia’s involvement in challenging for the America’s Cup, the focus is, not surprisingly, on the win by Alan Bond’s Western Australian syndicate with Australia II in September 1983. However, it was a long road that led to that final victory. Prior to that, Australian syndicates had unsuccessfully challenged the New York Yacht Club, the holders of the Cup, six times. So of the eight America’s Cup regattas that were staged from 1962 until 1983, all bar one saw Australian yachts winning the Louis Vuitton Cup, and the right to challenge.

The original backer, Sir Frank Packer, financed the challenge in 1962 with the 12-metre yacht Gretel, named after his wife, and Gretel II, in 1970. Dame Pattie, named after Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies’ wife, and financed by Emil Christensen, challenged in 1967. The 1974 challenge was financed by Alan Bond, with the 12-metre Southern Cross, designed by Ben Lexcen. In 1977 and 1980 the Bond Syndicate’s Australia challenged for the cup. However, the syndicate was determined to bring home the ‘auld mug’ in 1983. And so, with over 20 years accumulated experience in challenging for the Cup, coupled with the extraordinary design work of Ben Lexcen, and an excellent crew, Australia II became the yacht that broke the longest running winning streak in sporting history - 132 years from 1851 until 1983.