James Spithill (born 28 June 1979) is an Australian

yachtsman A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

. In 2010, as skipper and helmsman for

BMW Oracle Racing Oracle Team USA is an American yacht racing syndicate initially formed to compete for the 2003 America's Cup. They competed again in the 2007 event before winning the 33rd America's Cup regatta in 2010 – representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club. ...

, Spithill won the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

. He defended the cup twice, both times against Emirates Team New Zealand, first successfully in 2013, when

Oracle Team USA Oracle Team USA is an American yacht racing syndicate initially formed to compete for the 2003 America's Cup. They competed again in the 2007 event before winning the 33rd America's Cup regatta in 2010 – representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club ...

came back from a −2 penalty score at the start to win 9–8 on the final race; and unsuccessfully in the

2017 America's Cup The 2017 America's Cup was the 35th staging of the America's Cup yacht race. The challenger, Emirates Team New Zealand, won by a score of 7 to 1 over the defender, Oracle Team USA. It was held on the Great Sound in Bermuda from June 17 to June 2 ...

held in Bermuda. In 2017, Spithill skippered LDV Comanche to win Line Honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. This win came after winning their protest against Wild Oats. In the

36th America's Cup The 36th America's Cup in March 2021 was the latest staging of the America's Cup yacht race. It was contested on the inner Hauraki Gulf off Auckland, New Zealand, between the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and Circolo della Vela Sicilia of Ita ...

he was one of two helmsmen on the ''

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, originally named Prada Challenge, then Luna Rossa Challenge, is an Italian sailboat racing syndicate first created to compete for the 2000 America's Cup. It won the Louis Vuitton Cup on its first attempt in 2000, but t ...

'' boat. Luna Rossa won the

Prada Cup The Prada Cup is the name of the Challenger Selection Series - a sailing competition to determine the Challenger that will earn the right to challenge the Defender for the conquest of the America's Cup. Prior to 2021, the series was named the Lo ...

and lost in the Americas Cup Finals.

Career

After some junior

match race A match race is a race between two competitors, going head-to-head. In sailboat racing it is differentiated from a fleet race, which almost always involves three or more competitors competing against each other, and team racing where teams consis ...

titles, in 1998 he arrived third in the

Sydney-Hobart The Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, starting in Sydney, New South Wales, on Boxing Day and finishing in Hobart, Tasmania. The race distance is approximately . The race is run in ...

and first in the Kenwood Cup. He confirmed his ability by winning numerous races in the following years, including twice the Nations Cup (2003 and 2004), and obtaining a second place in the 2003 Match Race World Championship - and first place in 2005.

America's Cup

He debuted in the America's Cup in 2000 with '' Young Australia'', showing his precocious talent despite leading an antiquated boat. At the age of 20, he was the youngest helmsman in the America's Cup. In 2003 he led

Oneworld Oneworld (stylised as oneworld; Computer reservations system, CRS: *O) is an airline alliance founded on 1 February 1999. The alliance's stated objective is to be the first choice airline alliance for the world's frequent international traveller ...

in the

, reaching the semifinal of the

Louis Vuitton Cup The Louis Vuitton Cup was the name of the Challenger Selection Series sailing competition from 1983, named after its sponsor, Louis Vuitton. The winner of the competition became the challenger to compete with the defender of the America's Cu ...

, where he was beaten by

Oracle BMW Racing Oracle Team USA is an American yacht racing syndicate initially formed to compete for the 2003 America's Cup. They competed again in the 2007 event before winning the 33rd America's Cup regatta in 2010 – representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club. ...

. For the

2007 America's Cup The 2007 America's Cup was the thirty-second challenge for the America's Cup and was won by Alinghi in the 7th race. The Cup is the most famous and most prestigious regatta and ''Match Race'' in the sport of sailing. As per the Deed of Gift o ...

, Spithill was chosen by Francesco De Angelis, whom he had beaten in the 2003 Louis Vuitton quarter-finals, as his heir as helmsman of

Luna Rossa Challenge Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, originally named Prada Challenge, then Luna Rossa Challenge, is an Italian sailboat racing syndicate first created to compete for the 2000 America's Cup. It won the Louis Vuitton Cup on their first attempt in 2000, but ...

. Spithill was a mainstay of the team, which he led to the final of the

Louis Vuitton Cup 2007 The 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup held in Valencia, Spain, from April 16 to June 6 was the event used to select the challenger for the 2007 America's Cup. Eleven potential challengers competed in the competition which consisted of two round robins, ...

after beating one of the favourites,

, 5–1 in the semifinals. He earned the nickname of "James Pitbull" among Italian fans because of his aggressive tactics during the pre-start phase of the races. He is the protagonist of what is arguably remembered as the greatest pre-start in the history of the America's Cup, forcing two penalties to BMW Oracle skipper Chris Dickson in race five of the

, causing Dickson's resignation a few days later. Spithill went on to lose 5–0 to Emirates Team New Zealand in the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup final. In 2010, as skipper and helmsman for

, Spithill became the youngest ever winner of the

. Spithill was the helmsman and skipper for the challenging team

BMW Oracle Racing 90 ''USA-17'' (formerly known as ''BMW Oracle Racing 90'' or ''BOR90'') is a sloop rigged racing trimaran built by the American sailing team BMW Oracle Racing to challenge for the 2010 America's Cup. Designed by VPLP Yacht Design with consulta ...

in the

2010 America's Cup The 33rd America's Cup between Société Nautique de Genève defending with team Alinghi against Golden Gate Yacht Club, and their racing team BMW Oracle Racing was the subject of extensive court action and litigation, surpassing in acrimony even ...

. His yacht USA 17 beat the defending yacht

Alinghi 5 ''Alinghi 5'' is a ( LWL), beam sloop-rigged catamaran built by Alinghi for the 33rd America's Cup. The boat was launched on 8 July 2009 when the hull was lifted from the construction shed in Villeneuve, Vaud by a Mil Mi-26 helicopter and ...

by a considerable margin. Most observers stated that USA 17's rigid wing sail had given it a decisive advantage. He successfully defended in 2013, when

came back from a −2 penalty score at the start (awarded due to illegal boat modifications in the prior America's Cup World Series) to win 9–8 against Emirates Team New Zealand on the final race. In the

defence held in Bermuda, he also led Oracle Team USA, but lost eight races to one. In March 2018, it was announced that Jimmy Spithill would join the Challenger of Record entry, Luna Rossa Challenge, for the 36th Americas Cup series. As one of two helmsmen, he steered the boat on starboard tack while Francesco Bruni steered the boat on port tack. Luna Rossa won the

and lost in the Americas Cup Finals to Team New Zealand in March 2021.

Incidents

On 6 October 2012, while at the helm of the Oracle USA AC45 yacht, Spithill managed to pitch-pole it. At the helm of the Oracle USA AC72 yacht during a practice run on 16 October 2012, Spithill pitch-poled it again. The subsequent capsizing caused US$2 million worth of damage to the $10 million vessel.

Quotations

Spithill is renowned for his wit, and regularly produces amusing responses to cliche questions from sports journalists. "I think the question is, imagine if these guys lost from here, what an upset that would be. They’ve almost got it in the bag, so, that’s my motivation." "I think we’ve got it in us. We’ve come back from a very deep hole. We want this." "We’re not going to leave anything in the tank. I mean the boys, every single day, just find another level to go to, and today I’m going to ask for everything, and of course I’ll deliver and I’ll find something else." "One day you are a rooster, and the next day you are a feather duster."

Personal life

Spithill is married to Jennifer Spithill. They have two sons.

Works and publications

References

External links

*
Italian page about America's Cup

YouTube video showing Oracle USA AC45 pitch-pole on 6 October during the 2012 America's CupYouTube video showing Oracle USA AC72 pitch-pole on 16 October during a practice run for the 2012 America's CupArticle about damage to Oracle USA's AC72 yacht during a practice run on 16 October 2012Oracle Team USA fined and penalised for AC World Series cheating
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spithill, James 1979 births Living people Sailors from Sydney Australian male sailors (sport) Oracle Racing sailors Luna Rossa Challenge sailors ISAF World Sailor of the Year (male) 2017 America's Cup sailors 2013 America's Cup sailors 2010 America's Cup sailors 2007 America's Cup sailors 2003 America's Cup sailors 2000 America's Cup sailors RC44 class world champions World champions in sailing for Australia 2021 America's Cup sailors