AC72 class – sailing faster than the wind
I wouldn't get too hung up on the nationalities of the crew make up aside from the 7? Aussies ( and 3 Kiwis ) on the USA cat there were, if I count it correctly, two Aussies were on the Kiwi Cat. Guys like these ply their craft all over the world and are the best at their game. The flag that the craft is flying often seems irrelevant now and I blame the Swiss for that.
Oracle
James Spithill (Australia): Skipper
Tom Slingsby (Australia): Strategist/grinder
Ben Ainslie (Great Britain): Helmsman
Darren Bundock (Australia): Coach/tactics
Will McCarthy (Australia): Grinder
Joe Newton (Australia): Trimmer
Sam Newton (Australia): Grinder
Kyle Langford (Australia): Trimmer/grinder
Simon Daubney (New Zealand): Trimmer/grinder
Murray Jones (New Zealand): Trimmer/tactics
Kinley Fowler (NZ/Ireland/Australia) Globetrotter that lives in Perth
Source: americascup.com
Interesting note from someone that spent 1/4 century in the deep blue seas is the links between the 'small' pool of talent that crew these high end grand prix water sport machines.
September 26, 1983 James Spithill was three years old, a Ben Lexan designed 12 Metre Rule boat with a tricky winged keel that comes from way behind to snatch the cup from 3-1 down in a 7 race set for the Perth Yacht Club. Australia II bested the US by 41 seconds at the finish ending 132 years of US domination. It is interesting that the 12 metre rule was created to encourage fair competition within the international rule allowing some experimentation. First used in the 1908 Olympics the NYYC adopted it after WWII, as 20 years had passed and the Cup just sat in the cupboard unchallenged and gathering dust. After 1987 the 12 Metre boats have done exactly the same - forgotten.
Oh crap I'm geting old, I remember 1983 as if it was just yesterday ( and it was 30 years ago today )
As a teenager Spithill worked in the Pittwater ( Sydney) boatyard of Colin Beashel, a crew member on Australia II in 1983 - small circles. Spithill is reported to have said that he absorbed everything he could find about how John Bertrand skippered the team in a virtual 'cone of silence. No newspapers, no TV, no radio allowed in the compound back then, totally focused and absorbed on just one thing, wining just the next race.
30 years later same focus, just win the next race.
I can't imagine how Spithills' mob could duplicate that environment in a 'connected' world with Twitter, facebook and all the intrusiveness and distraction of today brings. The length the Regatta now takes and the speed of the races just boggles the mind of the tasks required to win.
Syd Fisher is probably right when he said Team Oracle 2013 America's Cup win would surpass Australia II's effort of 1983, everything is so much more intense, the power on these boats that's required is huge, the aerobic ability and also the razor quick minds. Uber impressive. Fisher should know about Spithill I guess , he gave the guy his first break in the America's Cup when he appointed him at the age of 20, as the youngest ever helmsman in 2000 on the Young Australia effort.
It has always been a 'rich man's' playground. Sir Frank Packer took it upon himself to 'have a crack' with Gretel I & II (named in homage to his wife) at the Auld Mug. It is folklore that the Packers "instructed Alan Bond' to "take this job on" in the late 70's. I understand Ian's point though with cost upwards of $200 Million being touted its ridiculous. Alan Bond was quoted as saying today that the talent is here in Australia - but not the money. The only probable way to do that is crowd sourcing the funds on the internet. $1.5 million was used for Australia II, inflation does not account for that difference - the technology today is prohibitively expensive a fair few folks say intentionally so.
I could never find the quote but the Aussie crew in 1983 were rumoured to be paid $12.50 AUD a day, I don't think the lads today are doing it for just the pure love of sailing, they are elite sportsmen and people get killed flying these boats. Elite sports today is often more about the money than about the sport itself, but most of these guys started sailing before they had pubic hair so they must be in love with it, they deserve to be paid well as it could take their life in this class.
When a AC72 is pitchpoled we are talking a rigid wing ( it’s not really a true sail IMHO ) that is 68 metres (224 feet ) high. The wing section on an Airbus A380 is only 45% of that making the boats ‘sail’ the largest rigid wing in the world. When you cartwheel something like that – I hope you made sure your will was what you intended. IMHO it’s madness. The boats are now sailing on hydrofoils at almost three times the speed of the wind, so in 10 knots of breeze they're sailing just under 30 knots so yes VERY Formula One. I’m pretty sure the Kiwis hit over 44 knots ( 50 mph) with just under 16 knots of wind. These sailors are now test pilots because the AC72's are almost airborne vehicles, the men are super athletes. Dennis Connors and John Bertrand would have been in big trouble.
Even though I'm an old (slow) sail boat sailor the pure numbers in this series made me take a bit of notice. That's a good thing as it has fallen off the public consciousness Down Under. Today Dean Barker knows exactly how Dennis Connors felt back then, better luck next time, well fought and I'm sad he didn’t win 'just one more' race, a ticket across the ditch to watch it in NZ I would have paid for.
I do have to disagree with one thing though. Even though the money is now exorbitant it wasn't just "Larry’s money" that won that cup. Both boats were within a whisker of each other in terms of performance, they were under the scrutineers 7 or 8 times each to ensure they were inside the Regs. It is now as it was back in 1983 a good crew and a bit of luck, mostly who could read the wind better. In F1 you can control just about everything, not so on the sea. The old salts among us know that she is a fickle mistress and only those that can 'read her moods' will see success.
It is the norm at this level for each member of the crew to be multi champion in sailing classes all over the world. For example Slingsby is 6 x world champion in Lasers ( 5 of them at the top) most of those that follow sailing Down Under perhaps known him best as one of our few gold-medallists at the 2012 London Olympics. He joined the Oracle team in 2011 because he is well-regarded for his extraordinary ability to - - - read the wind.
Today’s competitive grand prix sailing is all about the detail of what you would expect in quantum physics. The micro-climate, mathematical predictions of weather, the mm tolerance of the machine. It is too ‘geek’ and that takes the romance out of it for me. That is not to say the Cup is not about the best boat, it has been so for most of its existence. There were many times when little or no challengers came forward and the formula had to change to make it more accessible ( the 12 Metre Rule ) I wonder if we will see it going in that direction ever again. The tenuous thread of "international" competition between nations is almost totally obscured ---- perpetual international competition was part of the deeds to the NYYC when the America beat the Brits around the Isle of Wight, now it is a test not just of sailing skill, boat and sail design, but also skills of fund-raising and project management. There were six guys in the original America syndicate, the costs today could be better spent feeding a small country.
I wonder what the Earl of Uxbridge would think of how his silver ewer has traveled over the years.
Andrew "Bart" Simpson
RIP
