In
1983, the 12-meter sloop Australia II, skippered by John
Bertrand, broke the longest-running winning streak in
the history of sport. She defeated the United States
defender Liberty and taking the America's Cup from the
United States for the first time in 132 years.
Australia II's design included a radical "winged keel,"
which enhanced her maneuverability and was the object of
considerable controversy during the Cup season.
The keel is somewhat shorter than a regular keel....
It's narrower where it leaves the hull, and long at the
bottom.... For about half of its length on the bottom it
has protrusions that stick out on each side; they poke
down at about 20 degrees, and they are about a meter
wide and about two or three meters long.
Whether the keel is the primary factor is controversial,
for Australia II was also the first boat to go to minimum
12-Meter length and that she had significantly less
wetted surface than any other Twelve.
The first of the seven
America's Cup races took place on September 14, with the
defender Liberty, Dennis Conner at the helm, defeating
Australia II by a margin of 1 minute, 10 seconds.
Liberty took the second race with a lead of 1:33, but
the third race was called because neither vessel
finished within the 5-hour, 15-minute time limit. When
the race was called, Australia II was nearly 6 minutes
ahead of Liberty.
The next day, Australia
II won her first race by 3:14, a record margin in Cup
competition. The fourth race, which Conner is said to
have sailed "perfectly," brought the series to 3-1 in
favor of Liberty.
In race five, Australia
II posted a commanding lead of 1:47, and in the sixth,
she established a new record margin of 3:25.
In the seventh and last
race, Liberty led until the fourth mark, when Australia
II began to pull away. On the last leg of the race,
Conner tried to beat the Australians in a tacking
duel—47 tacks in all—but the challengers nipped across
the line in a time of 4 hours, 15 minutes, and 29
seconds-- 43 seconds ahead of Liberty.
Australia II was the
first challenger to take the America's Cup since the
schooner for which it was named brought home the Hundred
Guinea Cup in 1851. Upon her return to Australia,
Australia II was exhibited at the National Maritime
Museum in Sydney.
This Australia II model
features:
32" long
x 47" tall x 6.5" wide $650
S & H is $60
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