|
Ben Lexcen
Benjamin Lexcen AM (born Robert Clyde Miller, 19 March 1936 – 1 May 1988) was an Australian yachtsman and marine architect. He is famous for the winged keel design applied to ''Australia II'' which, in 1983, became the first non-American yacht to win the prestigious America's Cup in 132 years. Early life Born in the small town of Boggabri, New South Wales on 19 March 1936. After his parents, labourer Edward William Miller and Ethel Doreen, née Green abandoned him as a child he stayed briefly at Boys' Town, Engadine, before going to his grandfather at Newcastle. He left school at age 14 to pursue a locomotive mechanic's apprenticeship but soon found his attention turning to sailboats. At 16, he designed his first sailboat ''The Comet'' with his friend William Bennett in Hamilton, NSW, and began to make a name for himself in local competition. Miller did his sailmaking apprenticeship with Norman Wright in Queensland. Miller's designs were highly innovative. His entry, "Taipan" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Boggabri
Boggabri ( ) is a small town in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Narrabri Shire and lies between Gunnedah and Narrabri on the Kamilaroi Highway. At the , the town had a population of 856 people. The original town site was south and settled in the 1830s, but was relocated after a flood washed it away in the 1850s. ''Boggabri'' comes from Gamilaraay ''bagaaybaraay'', literally "having creeks". It is likely a reference to the Namoi River, which passes through Boggabri. Boggabri's main tourist attraction is Gin's Leap. Its name derives from the story of an Aboriginal girl who was promised to an elder of her tribe, the Kamilaroi, and ran away with a young man from a neighbouring tribe. The couple were pursued and, seeing no escape, jumped from the cliff to their deaths. Dripping Rock is another natural attraction featuring water that seeps through sedimentary rock and drips down a high wall. The water cascades down into a rock pool below after good rain cr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
12-metre Class
The 12 Metre class is a rating class for racing sailboats that are designed to the International rule. It enables fair competition between boats that rate in the class whilst retaining the freedom to experiment with the details of their designs. The designation "12 Metre" does not refer to any single measurement on the boat, and is not referencing the vessels overall length, rather, measures the sum of the components directed by the formula which governs design and construction parameters. Typically 12 Metre class boats range from 65 to 75 feet (about 20 to 23 m) in length overall; they are most often sloop-rigged, with masts roughly 85 feet (26 m) tall. The first 12 Metres were built in 1907. The 12 Metre class was used in the Olympic Games of 1908, 1912 and 1920 but few boats participated in these events. The 12 Metre class boats are best known as the boat design used in the America's Cup from 1958 to 1987. Competitiveness between boats in the class is maintained by requiring ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liberty (yacht)
''Liberty'' (US-40) was an American racing yacht in the 12-metre class that unsuccessfully defended the 1983 America's Cup. After a competition with '' Defender'' and '' Courageous'', ''Liberty'' was selected as the defender. She lost to ''Australia II'' by 3–4 in the America's Cup. Background Following the 1980 America's Cup where '' Freedom'' defeated ''Australia'', the Freedom ’83 Defence Syndicate, whose fundraising was run through the Maritime College at the Fort Schuyler Foundation, made the decision to commission two new 12 metre yachts for the 1983 defence. Dennis Conner asked the designers to take risks so that the new boat would not simply be a refined version of ''Freedom'', rather a new design that broke through her. The first boat, ''Spirit of America'' (US-34), was designed by Bill Langan from Sparkman & Stephens. Langan described it as a "large, light twelve." The second boat, ''Magic'' (US-38), was designed by Johan Valentijn. Valentijn sought to build ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1983 America's Cup
The 1983 America's Cup was a 12-metre class yacht race which pitted the defending New York Yacht Club's ''Liberty'' against the Royal Perth Yacht Club's challenger, ''Australia II''. The September 1983 match race was won by ''Australia II'' in the first successful challenge of the New York Yacht Club's 132-year defense of the Cup. The Australian syndicate's boat, skippered by John Bertrand, fought back from a 3–1 deficit to best the Dennis Conner-helmed defender, ending both the longest winning streak in sporting history and U.S. domination of the racing series. The defender: ''Liberty'' ''Liberty'' won all the Defender trials and on 2 September 1983, the New York Yacht Club confirmed that ''Liberty'' was to represent the club as defender of the America's Cup. The crew included team principal Dennis Conner as skipper, Tom Whidden, navigator Halsey Chase Herreshoff, Scott Vogel, and mainsheet trimmer John Marshall. During the summer preceding the trials Conner had been t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Bertrand (Australian Sailor)
John Edwin Bertrand Order of Australia, AO (born 20 December 1946) is a yachtsman from Australia, who skippered ''Australia II'' to victory in the 1983 America's Cup, ending 132 years of American supremacy, and the only time Australia has won. Bertrand won the bronze medal in the Finn (dinghy), Finn competition at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. In 2010 and 2016, he won the world Etchells class sailing championships. He is a life member of both the Royal Brighton Yacht Club in Melbourne, and the Sorrento Sailing Couta Boat Club. Biography John Bertrand was born in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. He wrote ''Born to Win'', ''The Power of a Vision,'' about the 1983 America's Cup victory, including insightful observations on the strategy for an unfavoured team against very long odds. During the 1983 competition, Bertrand and his crew deliberately employed their own psychological strategy ahead of the America's Cup breakthrough in refusing to refer to the all-conq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New York Yacht Club
The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. As of 2001, the organization was reported to have about 3,000 members. Membership in the club is by invitation only. Its officers include a commodore, vice-commodore, rear-commodore, secretary and treasurer. The club is headquartered at the New York Yacht Club Building in New York City. The America's Cup trophy was won by members in 1851 and held by the NYYC until 1983. The NYYC successfully defended the trophy twenty-four times in a row before being defeated by the Royal Perth Yacht Club, represented by the yacht '' Australia II''. The NYYC's reign was the longest winning streak as measured by years in the history of all sports. The NYYC entered 2021 and 2024 America's Cup competition under the syndicate name American Magic. Clubhou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1980 America's Cup
The 1980 America's Cup was held in September 1980 at Newport, Rhode Island. The US defender, ''Freedom'', skippered by Dennis Conner, defeated the Australian challenger, ''Australia'', skippered by James Hardy, four races to one. This was the last successful defense of the cup by the New York Yacht Club and the last defender designed by the naval architectural firm Sparkman & Stephens. It was the sixth unsuccessful challenge by Australia and the third by Alan Bond. ''Freedom'' had beaten '' Courageous'' and ''Clipper'' to become the defender. ''Australia'' had beaten '' France III'', '' Lionheart'' and '' Sverige'' to become the challenger. Crew ''Freedom's'' crew included skipper Dennis Conner, navigator Halsey Herreshoff, tactician Dennis Durgan, trimmer John Marshall, grinders Rives Potts and Kyle Smith, mastman Robert "Bobbie" Campbell, pitman Donald Kohlmann, bowman Lexi Gahagan, Jonathan Wright and Tom Whidden. ''Australia's'' crew included skipper James Hardy, Noel Rob ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australia II Winged Keel
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country. Australia is the oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, with deserts in the centre, tropical rainforests in the north-east, and mountain ranges in the south-east. The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south east Asia approximately 65,000 years ago, during the last ice age.religious_traditions_in_the_world._Australia's_history_of_Australia.html" "title="The_Dreaming.html" "title="Aboriginal_Art.html" "title="he Story of Australia's People, Volume 1: The Rise and Fall of Ancient Australia, Penguin Books Australia Ltd., Vic., 20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dennis Conner
Dennis Walter Conner (born September 16, 1942) is an American yachtsman. He is noted for winning a bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, two Star World Championships, and three wins in the America's Cup. Sailing career Conner was born September 16, 1942, in San Diego. He competed in the 1976 Olympics together with Conn Findlay and took the bronze medal in the Tempest class. Conner also took part in the 1979 Admiral's Cup, as helmsman on the Peterson 45 named ''Williwaw''. America's Cup Conner has won the America's Cup three times, successfully defending the Cup in 1980, and 1988 and winning as the challenger in 1987. His 4-3 loss in 1983 to Australian Alan Bond's controversial wing-keeled challenger '' Australia II'' was the first Cup defender to be defeated in the 132-year history of the race, simultaneously ending a run by the New York Yacht Club that began with the first contest. Following the loss Conner formed his own syndicate, the Sail America Foundation, through ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ted Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, cable news channel. In addition, he founded WPCH-TV, WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television, which later became TBS (U.S. TV channel), TBS. As a philanthropist, he gave $1 billion to create the United Nations Foundation, a public charity to broaden U.S. support for the UN. Turner serves as Chair (official), Chairman of the United Nations Foundation board of directors. Additionally, in 2001, Turner co-founded the Nuclear Threat Initiative with US Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA). NTI is a non-partisan organization dedicated to reducing global reliance on, and preventing the proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. He currently serves as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors. Turner's media empire began with his fat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australia (yacht)
''Australia'' (KA–5) is an Australian 12-metre-class America's Cup racing yacht that twice challenged unsuccessfully for the America's Cup in 1977 and 1980. Designed by Ben Lexcen in association with the Dutch designer Johan Valentijn for Alan Bond, ''Australia'' failed to win a single race against the 1977 defender, '' Courageous'' (US-26), but won one race against the 1980 defender, '' Freedom'' (US-30). ''Australia'' resides in Sydney, Australia. Design and Construction ''Australia'' was designed during 1976 by Ben Lexcen in association with the Dutch designer Johan Valentijn. Both men spent seven months experimenting with 1/9th scale models in the University of Delft test tank in the Netherlands. ''Australia'' is a conventional design and has been described as a "Courageous-style boat". It has v-shaped mid-ship sections, a low freeboard, large bustle and a low aft run finishing in a wide U-shaped transom. Its fore overhang is very narrow and round shaped in its lowest p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1977 America's Cup
The 1977 America's Cup was held in September 1977 at Newport, Rhode Island. The US defender, '' Courageous'', skippered by Ted Turner, defeated the Australian challenger, ''Australia'', skippered by Noel Robins, in a four-race sweep. ''Courageous''' greatest winning margin out of all four races was 2 minutes and 23 seconds. It was the second unsuccessful challenge by Alan Bond. ''Courageous'' had beaten Lowell North's ''Enterprise'' and Ted Hood's ''Independence'' to become the defender. ''Australia'' had beaten ''France'', ''Gretel II'' and '' Sverige'' to become the challenger. This was Ted Turner's second try at a Cup, losing out at the defender trials at the 1974 Cup. His crew included tactician Gary Jobson.Bertrand, John ''Born to win : a lifelong struggle to capture the America's Cup'' (as told to Patrick Robinson). Sydney : Bantam Books, c1985. . p.58. ''Enterprise'' had included Malin Burnham, Halsey Herreshoff and John Marshall. Results References {{America'sCup ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.JPG "Click for more on -> Boggabri")
_under_sail.jpg "Click for more on -> Australia (yacht)")