southern cross america's cup yacht

THE MIGHT OF COURAGEOUS

As a blueprint for the modern-day America’s Cup, the summer of 1974 was the dawn of a new era in the regatta that featured individuals who would dominate the competition for decades to come whilst adding a colour and vibrancy that propelled the prestige of the Cup to lofty heights.

The global backdrop however was dire with the oil crisis leading from the Saudi Arabian reaction to the Yom Kippur War driving oil prices up 300% from October 1973 to March 1974 whilst the global stock-markets were in dire ‘bear market’ conditions all through January 1973 to December 1974, particularly affecting the United Kingdom’s market and having the effect on its subsequent ability to challenge for the Cup. Indeed, the Royal Thames Yacht Club had been accepted as Challenger of Record, but ultimately no challenge was able to attract the wherewithal to compete. The club duly completed its duties for the challengers, nonetheless.

However, into this trying economic landscape stepped two strong challenger syndicates whilst no less than four very able defence syndicates were corralled by the New York Yacht Club. The America’s Cup, so long the preserve of gentleman yachtsmen, was about to be changed forever as a new breed of participants came forward, brash and uncompromising, it was a memorable regatta both on and off the water. With Sir Frank Packer stepping away from the Cup (he passed away on 1 st May 1974 from heart failure), the Australian mantel was taken up by Alan Bond, a former sign-writer with little formal education who was finding considerable success in the property world.

Ted Hood (second from left) at a media conference in the 1974 America’s Cup, others are Bob McCullough (left), Bus Mosbacher (centre), Alan Bond, and Ben Lexcen Paul Darling Photography Maritime Productions 

Bond’s Yanchep Sun City, once a small crayfishing settlement north of Perth was developed with an eye on hosting the 1977 America’s Cup and the entrepreneur was doing everything he could to promote it. An entry into the America’s Cup felt like a perfect marketing opportunity, but the Royal Perth Yacht Club were the challenging club under whose flag Bond’s yacht ‘Southern Cross’ challenged and in Bob Miller (later Ben Lexcen), Bond found a kindred spirit and someone who would, some years later, ultimately change the course of the Cup forevermore.

Meeting the Australian challenge was Baron Marcel Bich, the flamboyant French manufacturing entrepreneur who called on one of the greatest legends of the sport of sailing, the Danish Olympic hero Paul Elvstrom, to build and lead the team. French yachtsmen were incensed at the decision. Bich had begun his ‘France’ syndicate in 1970 to provide experience for French sailors, acquiring a quiver of 12-Meters based out of the Yacht Club d’Hyères, but having Elvstrom call the shots and hiring in Scandinavian sailors and designers quickly sat uneasily with him. The Dane commissioned a radical design from the board of Jan Kjaerulff that commenced build at the Egger Yard in Pontarlier, the commune of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, but long before completion, Bich and Elvstrom parted ways and with the clock ticking before racing was due to commence, the French were left with only the 1970 ‘France’, which was acknowledged as not being fast even in its prime, in which to compete.

For the Australians however, Miller had designed what was thought to be a step-on from Gretel II which Bond had purchased from the Packer family (along with Gretel I) but Southern Cross’s long lines, heavy displacement and reduced sail area were the wrong thinking at the wrong time. She struggled in early trials against both of the Gretel yachts in Yanchep and by the time the Australians got to Newport in 1974 and saw what the American defence teams were assembling against them, few had any doubt about the outcome .

But first, the French had to be dispatched and it was, unfortunately, a mismatch of large proportions. Jim Hardy had been installed on the wheels of Southern Cross having replaced John Cuneo, the International Dragon Class gold medallist from the 1972 Munich Olympics, and his appointment gelled the team aboard the mustard striped challenger. In four races against the French, they were supreme, dispatching them by enormous margins of up to seven minutes and after the racing, with Southern Cross confirmed as the challenger, Baron Bich was magnanimous in defeat offering to assist wherever they could in the final preparations that summer for the Match.

What the Australians were about to meet however, was the sheer might of American sailing that collaborated to appoint the very best to a winning defence. Four syndicates formed to contest the trials, but it was a long summer of optimisation and crew-changes that finally produced a stand-out contender.

For the first time in the America’s Cup, Ted Turner took to the water. An accomplished dinghy sailor who trialled, unsuccessfully, for the Olympic Games in 1964, won the Flying Dutchman World Championship in 1965 and the 5.5 Metre Gold Cup in 1970 was a man with a reputation both on the water and off. Alongside fast-building a media empire in Atlanta, Turner’s colourful style earned him the nicknames of ‘Captain Outrageous’ and ‘The Mouth from the South.’ Turner had joined George Hinman’s ‘Mariner’ syndicate but was less than impressed with the super-radical design that Britton Chance had delivered that featured a cut off skeg and transom that was designed to trick the waterflow into thinking it was affixed to a longer hull. Mariner was slow, and not even the introduction of the outstanding match-racer and 1971 World Star Champion, Dennis Conner, as tactician could help Turner and his crew that summer.

The immediate threat that Mariner faced was Courageous, an Olin Stephens design that was very nearly a casualty of the 1973 oil crisis and stock market crash. The fact that it got built and was the first American yacht completed all in aluminium was down to the financial clout of George Coumantaros, Eleanor Radley and Commodore of the NYYC, Robert McCullough who joined William Strawbridge who had initiated the design work from the Sparkman & Stephens design office. Courageous was built at Minnefords boatyard on City Island, New York, and was seen as a step perhaps backwards from what Stephens had conjured with the defeated Valiant that failed to make the defence slot in 1970. She was a conservative design but one that would be added to as the summer progressed both in terms of hardware and personnel.

The restored and upgraded 12-Meters ‘Intrepid’ and ‘Valiant’ made up the American quartet of defence candidates with the Intrepid campaign becoming the people’s syndicate with a money-raising exercise that, for the first time in the Cup’s history, directly asked members of the general public for support. This followed a charitable tax ruling that allowed the Intrepid syndicate to benefit favourably, and that summer of 1974 saw the team being taken to America’s heart with crowds greeting them dockside and dollars flowing from all across America. With Gerry Driscoll, the 1944 Star Class World Champion on the helm, Intrepid was the surprise performer in the trials after it was upgraded modestly by Olin Stephens. Valiant meanwhile was backed by the US Merchant Navy Training Academy at King’s Point and had been intended as a trial horse for Mariner but under Britton Chance’s guidance was radically altered, particularly in the aft-body area, to deviate from her intended purpose. When it was discovered that her rudder was illegal and had to be altered soon after launch, Chance seized the opportunity to go even further with alterations to the hull and skeg, much to the disapproval of George Hinman who was running both the Valiant and Mariner programmes.

The early trials were a chastening experience for both Mariner and Valiant who were outclassed by the Courageous and Intrepid teams race after race. Valiant failed to win a single race in June and Mariner suffered from both boatspeed and pointing deficiencies. At the beginning of July, Mariner was towed to the Derecktor’s Yard at Mamaroneck for extensive upgrades and Valiant quickly followed suit. When the two boats returned in early August, Hinman stepped off the wheel of Valiant and installed Mariner’s tactician, Dennis Conner, as skipper but whilst Turner was complaining about rudder issues onboard Mariner that meant the boat went back for more alterations, the NYYC ran observation trials concentrating on starting practice between Valiant and Bob Bavier’s Courageous. Conner won five starts to Bavier’s one and sowed a seed in the minds of the Courageous syndicate, before going on to do the same the following day against Turner in Mariner.

With the final trials looming in the middle of August 1974, George Hinman rolled the dice logically and informed Ted Turner that he was to switch to Valiant, whilst Dennis Conner would take charge of Mariner and have the first choice of crew. It divided the camp somewhat and was a blow to Turner who had dreamt of racing in the America’s Cup since he first tried to put a syndicate together in 1968. Conner was the coming man in yachting and shorn of his lengthy moustache that he sported earlier in the summer trials, he came to the line in Mariner determined to make his mark. Recognising his brilliance, after an early victory where Conner had won the start and led around the course, Turner took to the airwaves and said: “Congratulations Dennis. You sailed a good race. It was a nice start, and you sailed the devil out of us.”

The pattern continued in subsequent trial races with the young, eager, aggressive Conner scoring notable start-line successes and sailing Mariner well beyond its expected design window. However, it was clear to the New York Yacht Club selection committee that Intrepid and Courageous, the newer and more sorted of the boats, were the stand-out candidates for the defence slot and a combining of talents was ordered. Conner joined Courageous as starting helmsman at the end of August 1974, Ted Hood was installed as helmsman whilst Bob Bavier, the skipper, would helm downwind. Initial trials saw Conner winning every start. After six races it was 4-2 to Courageous and Olin Stephens made his views known to the NYYC Committee that in his eyes, at least, Courageous was the boat with the best development trajectory of the two.

However, two wins to Intrepid in subsequent races levelled the score and tensions ran high on Courageous. First, Bob Bavier was removed entirely from the boat with Hood assuming the skipper role and helmsman whilst Conner remained as starting helmsman before reverting to the tactician role once off the line. Hood also made a crucial decision to change mainsail from the North design to one that was seven years old that he had originally built himself for Valiant. It was a curious decision, perhaps borne from commercial considerations but, despite several desperate pleas from Bob McCullough, Hood persisted with it.

After an abandoned race when Intrepid was leading, the two yachts came to the decider in a blustery 15-20 knots north-easter that gusted at times to 25 knots. These were conditions that Conner had never started a 12-Meter yacht in, so he was far more cautious than had been seen in the other races. Both boats started at opposite ends of the line on opposite tacks almost a minute after the gun had fired. When the boats came together and engaged in a tacking duel, it was Courageous that emerged in front as Intrepid suffered gear damage when her port lower running backstay broke with the resultant shock-load affecting the hydraulic mast ram. Courageous rounded well ahead at the windward mark and sailed on to win by 1 minute and 47 seconds thus securing the nomination for the defence of the America’s Cup.

American attention turned now to the Australians but all summer, the combative Alan Bond had stayed in the headlines first as he tried unsuccessfully to have ‘Yanchep Sun City’ emblazoned on the stern of Southern Cross (much to the consternation of the Royal Perth YC) and then at the announcement that Dennis Conner was confirmed as starting helm onboard Courageous for the Match.

Bond knew full well that Conner, the 1973 Congressional Cup winner (he also won it in 1975) was race hardened and was more than a match for Jim Hardy. In his usual style he went on the attack, issuing a strongly worded, lengthy statement with excerpts like: “Conner has a reputation as an aggressive helmsman in Congressional Cup match-racing and we are fearful that fouling and striking tactics will be introduced to America’s Cup starts.” For the Americans it was gold-dust in the psychological build up to the Match, whilst for the expectant Australian home audience it was taken that Bond had let the side down and gone against the national psyche. The Courageous team responded citing Bond’s outcry as a: “nonsensical piece of gamesmanship” and all was set fair for the America’s Cup racing to begin.

But it didn’t stop there. Bond was a bruising businessman from Perth who didn’t do niceties and certainly railed and riled the New York establishment. He was determined to win and questioned the NYYC Measurement Committee over the legality of deck openings on Courageous which very much looked like weight-saving workarounds of the 12-Meter rule, so too the winch pits for the genoa. Two of the Southern Cross team had been stopped by Newport Police onboard Courageous in the early hours with measuring devices and all-around Newport was an air of combativeness stir by Bond.

Courageous has a clear lead at Mark 1 - 1974 America’s Cup © Paul Darling Photography Maritime Productions

If Jim Hardy thought that the mind-games pre-regatta would have an effect, he was sorely mistaken as on Tuesday September 10 th in a south south-westerly of a little over 10 knots, Conner came at Southern Cross with everything he had. Video recording captured the American shouting: “Coming up, up, up, up” repeatedly as the two boats filtered into the start-line. After going head to wind, Hardy was forced away to the Committee Boat end of the line on port tack whilst Courageous won the start and headed out on starboard. For a minute Courageous held their line before coming back to engage and with a windshift on the course favouring the Australians who had overstood the first windward mark, Ted Hood now steering, tacked beneath, and realising that they were overstood with the mark still ahead in the mist, cracked sheets first and raced into the lead as the wind continued to veer.

Courageous rounded some 34 seconds ahead and the crew-work was pitch-perfect whilst on Southern Cross not only did they select the wrong reaching spinnaker, it later came to light that they had hit the first mark but didn’t return. The video capturing the ’hit’ from the Goodyear blimp above, only aired much later and the incident at the time was unseen by the Australians. Courageous, once ahead however, was relentless and gained over the first two reaching legs before extending on the second upwind leg through a 20-tack tacking duel. With the wind dying, the conditions favoured the leader and Courageous simply extended away, winning by a final delta of 4 minutes and 54 seconds. The Australians were beaten but not downhearted – Southern Cross showed similar speed and better pointing at times and chalked this loss to tactics and the rich getting richer once ahead, but the scoreline was 1-0.

After an abandoned day following the first race, racing resumed on Thursday, September 12 th , 1974, amidst an enormous spectator fleet that very much became part of the action as the two boats jockeyed for position before the start. With both boats on port tack, they were forced to split around a large spectator boat in the VIP area at the port end of the line close to the America’s Cup buoy and when Courageous tacked around the spectator boat’s bow, held the starboard tack advantage with Southern Cross still on port. With Dennis Conner at full volume, clearly picked up on the audio and visual that captured the race, calling for a foul, Southern Cross executed what can only be described as a slow tack in the 10-knot breeze that was heavily disturbed by the spectator fleet. Protest flags were raised on both boats, but a collision was narrowly avoided – Conner later claimed that Southern Cross had not completed their tack, Hardy countered that Courageous had altered course. It was 50-50 but the jury, under the chairmanship of Beppe Croce, later dismissed both protests.

Southern Cross narrowly won the start by a second as both boats started on port tack. Hardy found a good lane to leeward and ahead, forcing Courageous to find clear air on starboard. The Australians were committed to the right-hand side but up that first beat, when the two came together in parallel, it was clear that Courageous down to leeward on starboard tack could squeeze and point higher. Hardy had no option but to tack away after a seven-minute drag race and the advantage was passed to Hood who responded with a tack to cover and crossed ahead. A small windshift briefly gave the advantage back to the Australians that forced Courageous to duck Southern Cross’s stern but an error in not covering immediately from Hardy and the chance to instigate what became known as a ‘slam-dunk’ allowed the Americans back into the lead. With the wind shifting further, both boats approached the first mark on port tack with Courageous some 34 seconds to the good.

A slow hoist on Courageous brought Southern Cross back into contention but as the waves built, the long waterline of the Australian boat that was deemed to be a significant advantage offwind and on close power reaches, failed to materialise and Hardy struggled to control the yaw and angle suggesting issues with steerage. By the first leeward mark, Courageous had lost nothing and rounded 34 seconds ahead before a 25-tack beat that had the below-deck grinders (that included Alan Bond on Southern Cross) at the max and saw a masterclass in steering from Ted Hood. On every tack he appeared to gain, ghosting the boat through the wind, and taking distance whilst Hardy’s style was more whip-like. By the top mark Courageous was out to 56 seconds in the lead that was pegged back by 11 seconds after the final downwind leg before another epic tacking battle ensued on the final beat. Again, it was Ted Hood at his very best with Dennis Conner beside him calling the tacks and corralling the crew at volume. The final delta was a well-deserved victory by 1 minute and 11 seconds and 2-0 to the Americans.

With the scoreboard telling its own tale, Alan Bond rung the changes. In came John Cuneo as tactician whilst Hugh Trehearne was benched from the navigation station in favour of Jack Baxter. Bond himself recognised his own deficiencies and sat out for the rest of the racing and also instructed Southern Cross to be hauled out and the three-part articulated rudder issues addressed. She came back in the water for the next day’s scheduled racing that was abandoned as the fog rolled in and a further days’ racing was lost again, whilst Courageous held an enormous lead, as the clock ran down to the time-limit and the wind died.

When the recorded race three finally got away, after a lay-day called by Southern Cross to retrofit a traditional rudder and replace the articulated one, it was Monday September 16 th 1974 and a westerly breeze of just 8 knots greeted the boats in the pre-start. Right from the off, Conner was in no mood to give quarter and attacked with aggression, relentlessly circling Hardy, attempting to get on his stern and the control position. The Australians held their nerve through to the last minute of the ten but in the final approaches and whilst to weather of Courageous they made an error that would cost them the race. With Conner’s timed run to the line just off but with room to bear away mid-line, both boats were adjudged over at the start, but it was Conner who dialled away quicker. Footage from the race, taken from the Goodyear blimp high above, almost indicates that the Australians perhaps thought that they weren’t over as the delay in returning to the line was agonising but eventually, they tacked and bore away to the Committee Boat with both boats starting on port tack. Conner had the box seat.

From there, under the steering of Ted Hood, Courageous were sublime. Their covering was perfection itself and a demonstration of match-racing whilst the crew never missed a beat, spurred on by the hard-driving Courageous tactician in Conner and by the top mark they were 45 seconds to the good. Extending out on every leg, the Courageous team were in their element and the final delta of some 5 minutes and 27 seconds virtually rubber-stamped their defence of the America’s Cup. The Australians had nothing to counter with, the air had expended from their campaign and Alan Bond was in the gambler’s saloon when he ordered that an un-practised, un-tuned Kevlar mainsail be loaded for race four. It was 3-0 and match point.

The cannon fires as Courageous crosses the finish line ending the series - 1974 America’s Cup © Paul Darling Photography Maritime Productions

With the Americans keen to keep racing and maintain their momentum, both boats came out for what would prove to be the final race of the series and it was more of the same for Courageous. In 12 knots of breeze, she was peerless, winning the start by 20 seconds and then extending on every leg of the course. Speaking afterwards at the press conference, Jim Hardy gave an accurate assessment of the day saying: “Today truly, the Courageous was quite outstanding. She was almost disappearing in the sunset, and I was glad that the race was only 24 miles long.” The winning margin was an astonishing 7 minutes and 19 seconds – the final nail in the Australian’s ambitions and kick-started a huge party in Newport that evening with the America’s Cup safely in West 44 th Street at the New York Yacht Club.

The late, great America’s Cup historian and broadsheet journalist, Bob Fisher, wrote in the Guardian newspaper in London on September 19 th , 1974, summing up the event: “That the result should be any different is almost unthinkable. For 123 years the symbol of American’s yachting superiority has remained in the New York Yacht Club, and it is difficult to see how, under the present Deed of Gift of the trophy, anyone has any hope of removing it.”

The Australians would be back.

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1974 America's Cup Challenge: Bond Bombs in Newport

NEWPORT, R.I.--It was the second major disappointment for this seaside resort in just a year. Once again Newport was witness to a finale that did not come close to living up to its advance billing. The challenge for the prestigious America's Cup by the highly-touted syndicate of controversial Australian Alan Bond proved to be about as well-produced as the Newport-filmed "Great Gatsby" which flopped a month before it.

It was to be a showdown worthy of "High Noon," with Bond's 12-meter yacht Southern Cross rated as the best shot in the history of the event to wrest the awkward Silver trophy from its secure position in the headquarters of the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan. Twenty-one other challengers had tried before to take the cup home, but none had succeeded. THIS, the pundits predicted, was to be the year that the United States could lose, and the Cross would be the boat to do it.

Instead, the stars of the Southern Cross faded faster than the much ballyhooed, but extremely feeble comet Kohoutek. The American challenger Courageous swept the best of seven series, 4-0, on the waters of Rhode Island Sound. What was to be a monumental struggle with the crew from down under, turned out to be a breeze for the sleek, white-hulled American defender.

Race Three was to be the start of the big comeback for Southern Cross. The Australian crew had been defeated in the first two contests by margins of 4:54 and 1:11, and their backs were against the proverbial wall. But the first two races had been sailed in fog and light winds. This was not the Southern Cross's weather, the boat's admirers contended. Wait until the breeze freshens, they claimed, and she'll sail up to her much-publicized potential.

Wait she did, as Race Three was cancelled twice, first due to lack of visibility before the start and later because of lack of wind. The race committee called the second effort after the two boats had spent all afternoon drifting about the Sound with no hope of finishing before the designated time limit.

But following a Sunday lay day, the fog finally exited and the wind picked up a little. It was still not the steady 20-30 knot breeze the Cross was used to off the coast of Australia, but the 12-14 knots had to do. No one had really given up on the gold-hulled challenger, and hopes were high that she would finally put it all together.

Cross On Water

The Cross was sailing by the Americas Cup bouy long before Courageous was towed out by its tender two hours before the 12:10 start of the race. The Cross was followed about by her tender and watched with curiosity by the then-small spectator fleet that had begun to gather near the starting line. She even received a rousing round of applause from the 80-or-so paying spectators as she tacked next to the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant, which patrolled the boundary of the race course.

As the starting time drew near, the fleet began to swell. The sails filled the horizen like an invading armada preparing a disorganized attack on the enemy. The two contestants paced back and forth by the committee boat waiting for the Olympic course to be posted, as the fleet of Coast Guard cutters and patrol boats attempted to beat back the invading armada.

The spectating fleet in itself was a sight, as the yachts jockied for front line position, often narrowly avoiding collisions in an attempt to see the thoroughbreds of sailboat racing up close. The passenger ferries came out packed to the railings with ogling tourists pushing and shoving to get a view. The large craft listed to the side facing the action as the mob jeered a patrol boat engaged in battle with the portly ferry, trying to herd it back behind the lines.

Only the so-called privileged boats, designated by yellow-and-orange flags with large black numbers in the center, are allowed to penetrate the Coast Guard defense. These yachts carried members of the various syndicates which had backed not only the two twelves racing that day, but also such vanquished boats as Baron Bic's French challenger, eliminated by the Cross, and the various American hopefuls--all beaten out by the Courageous for the chance to defend the Grand Auld Mug, as it is sometimes unfortunately known.

The Press boat, Hel Cat, a large catamaran that is otherwise used for charter fishing groups out of Long Island, joined the single file line of impressive power yachts as it weaved past the Vigilant and headed toward its special spectating area near the committee boat. The rest of the fleet had to stay back and be content to listen to the radio reports of Jerry Nevin and Norry Hoyt from the Hel Cat broadcast over Newport station WADK.

"And the bikinis are rampant out here today..." The voice of color man Hoyt boomed from the transistor radios aboard the Vigilant as the people began moving to the port rail to watch the combatants circle the starting line awaiting the gun, which would signal ten minutes to the start of crucial race number three.

The two helmsmen, Jim Hardy of the Southern Cross and Dennis Conner, who handled strictly the starts on Courageous--relinquishing the command to sailmaker Ted Hood the rest of the way--attempted a seemingly fruitless game of staying on the other's tail in order to force the opponent up over the line early.

But as the starting gun sounded, both boats were over early and the Cross took longer to return and restart. The challenger could never catch up and Courageous just kept increasing the lead on the hapless Australians. After the novelty of watching the graceful boats wore off, the race became rather boring. The voice of Hoyt began to lose some of its enthusiasm. "...And the Southern Cross is putting up the same old white bag..." he reported blandly as the Aussies set their white spinmaker after rounding the weather mark well behind the defender.

The final margin was 5:27, and everyone knew that the Cross was destined for the already lengthy list of unsuccessful challengers.

Newport Shipyard was quiet around 4 p.m. the afternoon of Race Four. Two miles offshore, however, Courageous had just successfully defended the America's Cup by the whopping margin of 7:19 in the final battle of the series. The radios on shore were the only clue to the jubilation on the water, as Hoyt bubbled over about the victorious American crew popping champagne on the deck as they waited for the Southern Cross to finish.

Slowly people began filtering in to the docks where the two boats would eventually tie up, hoping for a close glimpse of the post-series celebration. Some were members of the successful syndicate, or small-time contributors to the effort who wanted to get in on the celebrating they knew would come as soon as the Courageous was towed in to the shipyard.

"Well, you took it in four straight," one interested onlooker exclaimed to a syndicate contributer who was wearing the green pants and green pin, with the winning yacht's number 26 emblazoned in gold.

"Yeah," he replied somewhat calmly, "and we took it and shoved it right up Alan Bond's ass where it belongs."

The crowd grew, and the wait on the dock seemed endless. But after an hour and a half, the parade of spectators and Coast Guard craft shooting 50-foot geysers of water into the air, came into sight at the mouth of the harbor. Every horn and cannon in the harbor went off in a deafening display of jubilation as the Courageous was towed to its berth with the whole crew guzzling champagne on the decks--except one hand hanging precariously from the spreaders by his knees.

Shoving and Singing

The singing and the shoving of people into the water went on for several hours by dockside but the loudspeakers stopped after "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and then "Waltzing Matilda." Even the vanquished crew of the Cross joined the hysteria. Alan Bond, who sank nearly $9 million into the fruitless campaign, put on a show for the crowd, jumping into the water nearly on top of his boat's designer Bob Miller.

But for all the celebration, it was a dull series, a letdown after a close elimination series between American hopeful Intrepid and the eventual winner, number 26. It was a disappointment after the pre-race buildup that the Southern Cross was given.

Like Redford's "Gatsby," Bond too bombed in Newport this summer.

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Southern Cross, KA-4

Built in 1974 according to the International Third Rule- America’s Cup.

Southern Cross Day Tour

Departure Times

Departure Point: Coral Sea Marina, Airlie Beach

Sail on the famous America's Cup Yacht and see the best of the Whitsundays!

• Perfect for the whole family! 
• Real adventure sailing on a famous racing yacht.
• Journey to the beautiful northern Whitsunday islands.
• Enjoy a wide range of activities including paddle-boarding and snorkelling.

Please Note: Southern Cross Is No Longer In Operation - Please Contact For Further Information

The Southern Cross Day Tour offers not only an exciting day of sailing, but will also take you to the best parts of the northern Whitsundays. Langford Reef and Black Island are rated two of the most beautiful locations in the Whitsundays. Nestled between Hayman Island and Hook Island these two tropical wonders offer a great day trip for adventurous guests.

Highlights & Features:

• Visit Langford Reef and Black Island
• Snorkel gear and instruction all included
• Morning tea and afternoon tea included
• Lunch freshly prepared on board by your crew
• Authentic sailing experience 
• Snorkelling at an amazing reef
• Great for couples, friends and families
• Onboard toilet and both indoor and outdoor seating
• Stand-up paddle boards
• BYO alcohol

Jump onboard this popular all inclusive day tour around the Whitsundays to take advantage of the full range of activities that are offered! Time time to relax and enjoy the area natural beauty.

Sample Itinerary

Langford Reef

Langford Island is a pristine and uninhabited island in the Whitsundays that has a fringing coral reef ideal for snorkelling. Langford Island features a long sand spit that all but disappears at high tide. It is one of the more defining features of the island and it stretches for several hundred metres at low-tide and is perfect for beach picnicking, swimming and sunbathing. The s...

Langford Island is a pristine and uninhabited island in the Whitsundays that has a fringing coral reef ideal for snorkelling. Langford Island features a long sand spit that all but disappears at high tide. It is one of the more defining features of the island and it stretches for several hundred metres at low-tide and is perfect for beach picnicking, swimming and sunbathing. The soft sands are a perfect place to hang out in between snorkelling, which you can do right off the beach. 

The fringing reef surrounding Langford Island contains a large number of small and colourful fish species, which hang out around the bommies that have formed around the spit. A bommie is a cluster of coral that forms in column and is great for exploring, as you are able to swim around them and see them from all angles. The many fishes species that live here call these bommies home. At Langford Spit, snorkellers will find an abundance of underwater gardens to explore, and more often than not, be able to spot a turtle or two! Turtles like to hang out here and are always an amazing sight to see while enjoying the warm blue waters. This a great place to swim alongside them while in the Whitsundays.

Black Island

Also known as Bali Hai, Black Island is one of the most popular snorkel locations within the Whitsunday islands with it's fringing coral, clear calm waters and bustling marine life population. Though it is a minuet island compared to others in the Whitsundays, Black Island is a mariners haven, safely situated by a green zone between among Stonehaven, Langford and Hayman Island. Perfect for snorkelling and scuba diving, green sea turtles, giant clams, colourful corals and exotic fish can be seen frequently.

The History of Southern Cross...

Southern Cross was the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup by successfully out-sailing competitors to make it to the final of the Americas Cup, a world-famous and prestigious sailing race. Southern Cross was built specifically to race against the Americans in Newport to win the Americas Cup. The race itself is held in a different location each year, attracting competitive sailors from all over the world. Built in Perth in Western Australia, Southern Cross measures 68ft in length with a single mast which is 97ft high and is made of aluminium, making her ideal for sailing at top speeds.  As a true Aussie icon, her name represents the Southern Hemisphere's most famous constellation, the Southern Cross, which is easily spotted from the Whitsundays. The constellation itself is so bright and well known, it has been used traditionally in navigation, aiding sailors to make their way across the seas. Now its your chance to join this legendary vessel and sail around the Whitsundays at speed!

Please note:

• The itinerary described is a sample only. Itineraries will vary based on the weather and tides and professional judgement of the Captain.

More Information

What to bring.

• Jumper (if weather is cool)
• Cash for drinks
• Guests may also bring their own snacks and water
• BYO Alcohol, no glass, please

What's Included

• Morning Tea and Afternoon tea
• Snorkel equipment, mask, snorkel and wetsuit
• Marine and National Park Fees
• Courtesy transfers from select local accommodations

What's Extra

Any dietary requirements (such as vegetarian, vegan, pesca...

Any dietary requirements (such as vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, gluten-free diets and dairy/lactose-free) will need to pay a surcharge of $15 per person payable on check in. Kosher and Halal diets are unable to be catered for.

Public Holiday Surcharge:

A once-off fee of $20 per person (payable at check-in) applies to departures on ALL public holidays:

• Between Easter Friday – Easter Monday inclusive. 
• Anzac Day - 25th April
• Labour Day - 1st May
• Queen's Birthday - 3rd Oct 2022 & 2nd Oct 2023
• Christmas - Between 26 - 28 December inclusive.
• New Years - 1st January
• Australia Day - 26th January

Terms and Conditions

Your Responsibilities:

Please advise us before booking if any passengers are under 18 years old to ensure this is the appropriate trip. 

You must reconfirm all booked tours prior to travel as specified on your voucher. If applicable, notes such as dietary requirements, pick-up locations and additional fees should also be confirmed at this time. Reconfirmations cannot be actioned through Sailing Whitsundays/Mr Travel, and must be done so directly through the Service Operator as specified on each ticket.

It is your responsibility to notify us of ticket discrepancies. Please read through the details on your voucher thoroughly to ensure all details such as passenger names, ages and dates of travel on vouchers are correct.

It is the responsibility of all passengers travelling to advise both your travel agent at the time of booking and vessel check-in agent before boarding of any medical conditions including food allergies you may suffer from.

You need to allow adequate time to check-in prior to the specified departure time. 

Prices/Extra Costs:

All prices are stated in Australian dollars and include GST. Surcharges over peak holiday seasons may apply. 

The Service Operator reserves the right to alter prices and extra costs. Extra costs may include EMC fees, Stingersuit/Wetsuit Hire, Luggage Storage, Insurance, Linen Hire, National Park Fees, Fuel Levies, Dietary Fees, etc. Bonds may also apply.

We will also endeavour to communicate these extra costs with you at the time of booking, and on your ticket. However, it is your responsibility to confirm which (if any) additional costs apply with each Service Operator upon reconfirming your trip.

Travel Risk/Insurance:

It should be noted that adventure travel involves risk. Whilst we make every effort to safeguard clients, we cannot be responsible for personal injury or loss due to the actions of our clients which are beyond our control. We highly recommend that all clients have travel insurance covering illness, injury, loss or damage to personal belongings and not being able to travel on the confirmed date of departure. You should also ensure your travel insurance will cover special circumstances including weather events preventing guests from travelling to their tour departure destination and cancelled flights due to unforeseen circumstances. 

The Service Operator reserves the right to limit courtesy transfers to select local accommodations. Private residences or Airbnb properties may be asked to meet at the closest confirmed location. Failure to meet at the specified pick-up location may be treated as “No Show”, for which the Client Cancellation Policy applies.

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Please be aware operators pass on credit card merchant fees so there is a non-refundable 1% surcharge for VISA and MASTERCARD card purchases.

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Terms and Conditions (including the Cancellation Policy) are subject to change. The most recent versions can be found online on the relevant product pages. 

All ticket/voucher reissues attract a $20 administration fee.

Open Date Vouchers / Gift Certificate:

Shipping Costs are in addition to the ticket price and will be added at check-out. Shipping costs are non-refundable and do not makeup part of the ticket value. 

E-Vouchers incur no shipping fees. You have 5 years to use the value of the voucher. Seasonal Price Rises will apply if travelling out the current seasons pricing. Vouchers can be exchanged for free up to the full value of the voucher excluding credit card fees and charges.

Cancellations

Client Cancellations:

No shows or client cancellations made within 24 hours of departure forfeit 100% of the total ticket price. 

Sailing Whitsundays are required to notify the operator of any cancellations within the specified cancellation period (24 hours). It is your responsibility to make sure you submit your cancellation request with adequate time, and during standard business hours (9am-5pm), to allow us to contact the tour provider.

Transfers between tours can be made at the suppliers discretion, however, it should be noted that supplier fees may apply. Tour transfers also incur a $20 administration fee. 

It is compulsory that all cancellation requests are in writing and sent via email to [email protected]. Cancellations attempted via online chat or phone will not be actioned.

Supplier Cancellations:

The Service Operator reserves the right to alter prices, alter itineraries, apply a fuel surcharge, cancel departures, arrange alternative transport and vary itineraries and services if necessary.

All departures and itineraries are subject to weather. Tours may be changed or cancelled for any reason at the discretion of the Service Operator. If the Service Operator has to cancel the trip or activity (prior to departure) and we cannot offer a suitable alternative, then a refund will be given minus a 20% administration fee and any associated card fees. We strongly recommend that you have travel insurance, especially during the wet season.

In the unlikely event of your trip being cancelled or stood down, all guest communication is required to go through our Online Store via telephone or email. While there is a Sailing Whitsundays retail outlet located Airlie Beach, please be aware that they operate as a separate entity and are unable to access reservations made by the Mr Travel online department.

All refunds are in Australian Dollars and must be made to the card of payment. Sailing Whitsundays/Mr Travel is not liable for exchange rate fluctuations or fees, or any other merchant/bank fees associated with domestic and/or international transactions.

Where a full refund is applicable, there is the option to transfer the whole cost of the tour to another tour or “Credit” to avoid the administration fee. A transfer fee of $20 will apply.

You will be emailed confirmation once the refund has been processed. Once the refund has been processed, it may still take time for the banks to clear the amount. Please allow 7-10 business days for the funds to clear into Australian accounts and up to 21 business days for international accounts.

Accountability/Misconduct:

All Service Operators have the right to provide client feedback and to cancel bookings based off of feedback from other Service Operators. 

Please enjoy your travel experience in a kind and responsible manner.

Sailing Whitsundays/Mr Travel will treat this as any normal client cancellation and therefore the cancellation fees stated in the Client Cancellation Policy will apply.

Thank you for booking with our East-Coast travel experts here at Mr Travel/Sailing Whitsundays.  If you would like any further advice, assistance in arranging accommodation, transfers or additional tours please get in touch.

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The Southern Cross; Australia's 1974 challenge for America's Cup

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Alan Bond’s America’s Cup superyacht up for auction

Southern cross ii, a superyacht built for high-flying businessman alan bond, looks for a new owner.

A superyacht built to witness Australia wresting the America’s Cup from the New York Yacht Club for the first time in its 132-year history has come up for auction.

The Southern Cross II , a 34-metre aluminium flybridge superyacht named after an unsuccessful America’s Cup contender and built as a spectator vessel to shadow the Royal Perth Yacht Club’s successful America’s Cup challenger, Australia II .

It was built to a Jack Hargrave design for high-flying businessman Alan Bond but is currently owned by Brisbane-based businessman Keith Lloyd.

“Since 1983 to the present day the Southern Cross II has been a proven traveller, traversing the world eight times in luxury and comfort and now presents in showroom condition,” a release announcing the superyacht’s sale says.

“Keith Lloyd had the dream to manufacture ships with the shortest of design briefs being ‘supreme quality’.

“He established Keith Lloyd Ships Pty Ltd in 1975 in Brisbane signaling a new era in Australia for the construction of aluminum ships for both the luxury superyacht and commercial shipping markets.”

The Southern Cross II was built in Brisbane in 1982 and commissioned at the Royal Motor Yacht Club in Newport, refitted in 2003, and underwent a second major retrofit carried out at the Gold Coast City Marina and Shipyard in 2018. Once white, its hull is now blue.

Onboard are three staterooms, each with an ensuite, and four single crew berths, providing comfortable accommodation for up to 10 people.

Other features include an exquisite saloon with dining and lounge areas, a galley including two wine fridges, a study, and an enclosed upper deck with refrigeration and ice makers.

A seasoned bluewater cruiser, the Southern Cross II is fitted with Naiad fin stabilisers to smooth out the ride while underway, with power coming from twin 1400hp Caterpillar turbo-diesel engines.

Southern Cross II has been for sale before, with a price tag nudging past $4 million, but t he current top bid is sitting at just above the bargain price of $1 million .

Specifications Model: Lloyd Ships 110 Length: 34m Draft: 2.59m Beam: 6.75m Weight: 150,000kg (dry) Speed: 9-12kt (cruise)/20kt (WOT) Fuel: 35,000L Water: 5000L Range: 4000nm Accommodation: 6+4

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PERTH, Australia, Jan. 12 (UPI)—Australia's challenge yacht for the 1974 America's Cup was today officially named the “Southern Cross”.

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America’s Cup boats: 8 facts about the AC75 and why they’re unique

• Toby Heppell
• August 20, 2024

The America's Cup boats to be used on the 2024 edition of the event are immensely complicated high tech bits of kit. They might be officially sailing craft but they behave in some remarkable ways

The AC75 is the class of boat that takes part in the America’s Cup and are arguably the most radical boats the compeition has ever seen.  This type of America’s Cup boat was first used in the 2021 America’s Cup so this is the second event in which these boats have been used.  

The America’s Cup is, fundamentally, a design competition, and successive America’s Cups have featured the most extreme yachts yet – for their time – ever since the first race in 1851.

However, the foiling boats we have seen in the last four editions of America’s Cup racing (the AC72 and AC50 catamarans, and now the AC75 monohulls) do represent a new direction for the highest level of sailing.

There are plenty who argue that this technology is so far beyond the bounds of what most people consider sailing as to be an entirely different sport. Equally, there are those who believe this is simply a continuation of the development that the America’s Cup has always pushed to the fore, from Bermudan rigs, to composite materials, winged keels, and everything in between.

Good arguments can be made either way and foiling in the world’s oldest sporting trophy will always be a subjective and controversial topic. But one thing is certain: the current America’s Cup boats, the AC75s, are unlike anything seen before and are showcasing to the world just what is possible under sail power alone.

Photo: Ian Roman / America’s Cup

1 Unimaginable speed

Topping the 50-knot barrier used to be the preserve of extreme speed record craft and kiteboarders. A World Speed Sailing Record was set in 2009 of 51.36 knots by Alain Thebault in his early foiling trimaran, Hydroptere , and was bested in 2010 by kite boarder, Alexandre Caizergues who managed 54.10 knots.

Only one craft has ever topped 60-knots, the asymmetric Vestas Sail Rocket 2 , which was designed for straight line speed only and could no more get around an America’s Cup course than cross an ocean. Such records are set by sailing an average speed over the course of 500m, usually over a perfectly straight, flat course in optimum conditions.

America’s Cup class yachts, designed to sail windward/leeward courses around marks, are now hitting speeds that just over a decade ago were the preserve of specialist record attempts, while mid-race. American Magic has been recorded doing 53.31 knots on their first version of the AC75 class, Patriot.

Perhaps even more impressive, in the right conditions when racing we have seen some boats managing 40 knots of boatspeed upwind in around 17 knots of wind. That is simply unheard of in performance terms and almost unimaginable just three or so years ago.

Article continues below…

How to watch today’s America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta live streams from anywhere

The America’s Cup Louis Vuitton Preliminary Regatta will start on Thursday 22 August 2024 and will run through until Sunday…

WATCH: Will the USA’s Radical America’s Cup Design Choices Pay Off?

American Magic’s new AC75, Patriot, has garnered significant attention due to its unique approach. While all the teams are bound…

2 A storm onboard the AC75

Related to the speeds the boats are sailing through the water, particularly upwind, is the wind speeds the sailors will feel on deck.

When sailing, the forward motion affects the wind we experience onboard, known as apparent wind. The oft’ trotted out explanation of how apparent wind works is to imagine driving your car at 50mph. Roll down the window and stick your hand out of it and there will be 50mph of wind hitting your hand from the direction your car is travelling.

So when an AC75 is sailing upwind in 18 knots of breeze at a boatspeed of 40 knots, the crew on deck will be experiencing 40 knots of wind over the decks plus a percentage of the true wind speed – depending on their angle to the wind.

The AC75 crews might be sailing in only 18 knots of breeze – what would feel like a decent summer breeze on any other boat – but they experience winds of around 50 knots.

To put that into context, that is a storm force 10 on the Beaufort scale!

3 Righting moment changes

The single most radical development of the AC75 is to take a 75ft ‘keelboat’, but put no keel on it whatsoever.

When the then America’s Cup Defender and the Challenger of Record, Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli respectively, announced that the 36th America’s Cup (to be held in 2021) would be sailed in 75ft monohulls, conventional wisdom had it that the boats would look something like a TP52 or a Maxi72 – both impressively high performance keelboats.

By doing away with the keel entirely, the design is now like nothing we have ever seen, particularly when it comes to how dynamic the power transition is between foiling and not foiling.

The boats are designed to foil on the leeward foil, with the windward one raised to help increase righting moment: to help balance the boat. This means that when the AC75 is not foiling they are extremely tippy – much more so than most other boats of the same size.

Essentially, when the wind catches the sails, the boat wants to fall over as there is too much sail area for the amount of weight underneath the boat – something a lead keel usually counters on a yacht or keelboat.

Once the boat is up and on the foils, however, that all changes, as everything to windward of the single foil in the water balances the sails. That means, the hull, the crew weight, the sail and rig weight, and the windward foil, all work to counter the sails.

What all this means is that the boats go from being extremely tippy, to hugely powerful in just the few seconds it takes to get up on the foil. “The [AC75s] are really very tippy pre-foiling and then they go through the transition where they will need to build significant power. Then immediately [once they lift off] you have more stability than, well, take your pick, but certainly more righting moment than something like a Volvo 70 with a big canting keel.

“That change all happens in a very short space of time,” explained Burns Fallow of North Sails, who was one of the team who developed the soft wing concept back when the concept was revealed.

Photo: Ricardo Pinto / America’s Cup

4 ‘Cyclors’ return to power America’s Cup boats

Bak in 2017 Emirates Team New Zealand stormed to America’s Cup victory in an AC50 foiling catamaran which was, by some margin, quicker than any of the other teams.

The most glaring difference was their use of pedal grinders to produce power rather than traditional pedestal arm grinders. ETNZ’s sci-fi style term for their grinders was ‘cyclors’, cyclist sailors.

The idea had actually been tried before in the America’s Cup; Pelle Petterson used pedal grinders on the 12-metre Sverige in 1977. But ETNZ’s set-up now was very different: here it was part of a linked chain of innovations, the most obvious emblem of a radical approach.

One obvious benefit was the greater power output from using legs to pedal, but beyond this it left cyclists’ hands free and allowed the team to use a highly sophisticated system of fingertip control systems, and thus to use faster, less stable foils, and then to divide up crew roles so ETNZ could be sailed in a different way.

When the AC75 was first introduced in 2021, Cyclors were specifically banned by the class rule. However, with a reduction of crew numbers from 11 to 8 in the second AC75 class rule – in use for the 2024 America’s Cup – cyclors are now allowed once again and all teams look set to be using pedal power onboard.

5 America’s Cup boats may not be heading where they point

With the AC75 sailing on its foil, drag is dramatically reduced, vast amounts of power can be generated and so speeds rapidly increase. But the foils can serve another purpose too.

In order to be able to lift each foil out of the water, the foil arms must be able to be raised and lowered. Hence the foil wings, which sit at the bottom of the foil arms (and are usually a T or Y shape), do not always sit perpendicular to the water surface and the AC75s often sail with them canted over to something nearer 45º to the surface.

The further out the leeward foil arm is canted – essentially more raised – the closer the AC75 flies to surface and, crucially, the more righting moment is generated as the hull and rest of the boat gets further from the lifting surface of the foil.

There is another positive to this: as the lifting foil is angled, it produces lift to windward, which can force the boat more towards the wind than the angle it is sailing.

Due to this negative leeway (as it is known when a foil creates lift to windward) the boat can be pointing at a compass heading of say 180º but in fact will be sailing at eg 177º as the foil pushes the boat sideways and to weather, essentially sailing to windward somewhat diagonally.

6 The foils are heavy. Very heavy.

As the foils work to provide stability to the boat (when it is stationary both foils are dropped all the way down to stop it tipping over) and to provide massive amounts of righting moment, they are incredibly heavy.

A pair of foil wings and flaps (excluding the one-design foil arm which attaches them to the boat and lifts them up and down) weigh 1842kg. To put that into perspective, the entire boat itself with all equipment (but without the crew) weighs between 6200kg and 6160kg. So the foil wings at the base of the foil arms are nearly ⅓ of the total weight of the boat.

It is partly due to this that you will see some teams with bulbs on their foils. If you decide to go for a skinny foil wing (which would be low drag and so faster) then there will not be enough volume to cram sufficient material in to make the foil weigh enough. So some teams have decided to add a bulb in order to make it weigh enough but to also keep a less draggy, slimmer foil shape.

7 Sails can invert at the head

As with everything on the AC75, the mainsail was a relatively new concept when the boat was first announced. It consists of two mainsails which are attached to both corners of a D-shaped mast tube. This has the effect of creating a profile similar to a wing.

It is well established that solid wing sails are more efficient at generating power than a soft sail and for this reason solid wings were used in both the America’s Cup in 2013 and 2017. But there are drawbacks with a wing: they cannot be lowered if something goes wrong and require a significant amount of manpower and a crane to put it on or take it off a boat.

One reason a wing makes for such a powerful sail is that the shape can be manipulated from top to bottom fairly easily with the right controls. With the AC75 the designers wanted a sail that could have some of this manipulation, produce similar power but could also be dropped while out on the water. The twin skin, ‘soft wing’ is what they came up with for this class of America’s Cup boat.

In addition to the usual sail controls, within the rules, the teams are allowed to develop systems for controlling the top few metres of the mainsail and the bottom few metres.

What this means is that the teams are able to manipulate their mainsail in a number of different ways to develop power and control where that power is produced in the sail. But it also means that they have the ability to invert the head of the sail.

Doing this effectively means ‘tacking’ the top of the sail while the rest of the sail is in its usual shape. The advantage here is that instead of trying to tip the boat to leeward, the very top of the sail will be trying to push the boat upright and so creating even more righting moment. The disadvantage is that it would come at the cost of increased aerodynamic drag.

We know that a number of America’s Cup teams are able to do this, though whether it is effective is another question and it is very hard to spot this technique being used while the boats are racing at lightning speeds.

8 America’s Cup meets F1

A new America’s Cup boat is a vastly complex bit of kit. Each team has incredibly powerful Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software packages and simulators in order to try to understand the various gains and losses.

To make these simulators and computer projections as accurate as possible each team has been getting as much data as they can over their three year development cycle.

In the case of this America’s Cup it does seem the development process is genuinely getting closer to Formula 1 (albeit with smaller budgets than a modern F1 team has behind them).

INEOS Britannia have been work alongside the all powerful Mercedes F1 team (both of who are backed by INEOS) and have been open about how much this has helped their development process and after a relatively small amount of collaboration in 2021 the British team and Mercedes have created a much tighter relationship for the 2024 America’s Cup .

But the British team is not alone. When two-time America’s Cup winner, Alinghi announced they would be coming back to the event after some years on the sidelines, they also announced their own tie-in with current F1 World Champions, Red Bull Racing, to for Alinghi Red Bull Racing .

“It’s really similar to F1,” explains Mercedes Applied Science Principal Engineer Thomas Batch who has 11 F1 titles to his name and is was with INEOS in Auckland 2021. “Certainly in this campaign the technology is close to what we have in F1.

“In terms of raw sensors on the boat you are probably talking in the 100s but then we take that and we make that into mass channels and additional analysis with computational versions of those channels that we then analyse and get into in more detail. So you are looking at 1000s of plots that we can delve into [per race or training session].

“That level of data analysis and then feedback with the sailors is very similar to working with an [F1] driver.”

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The America's Cup: Everything you need to know about the sailing competition

Ahead of the 2021 America's Cup in New Zealand , Elaine Bunting explains everything you need to know about the sailing competition in our handy guide - from America's Cup racing rules and history, to detailing just how fast those hydrofoil boats can go...

The America’s Cup is considered the pinnacle of yacht racing. Every four years, teams compete for the oldest trophy in international sport in yachts that represent the cutting edge of yacht design and technology.

This is a magnet for the world’s most talented sailors. It is notoriously difficult to win, and the opportunity comes only once every four years. Yet the storied history of the Cup has always attracted brilliant minds and been backed by some of the world’s most ambitious and successful businessmen.

The America’s Cup match is held between only two teams, the defender and one challenger. The series that establishes the right to be that challenging team was held through January and February, and provided some genuinely shocking moments.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED SO FAR?

Two of the four challengers were eliminated in the Prada Cup challenger series in January and February. The US team American Magic spectacularly spun out of control and capsized in a high-wind, high-speed mark rounding. Despite rapidly being rebuilt, the team was unable to get the boat fully functional again and was ousted from the Prada Cup without a single win.

The British team INEOS Team UK, led by Sir Ben Ainslie, won the opening round robin series handsomely and were regarded as favourites only to shock fans when they were thrashed 7-1 in the Prada Cup final by the clearly faster Italian team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

So after several brutal gladiatorial rounds, the match is on between old rivals Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. The stakes are sky-high: whoever wins the America’s Cup not only earns the historic America’s Cup ‘Auld Mug’ trophy, but they get to write the rule for 37th America’s Cup in four years, defining the yacht design, how it is sailed – and to choose the venue where it will all take place.

It is a winner-takes-all format. The America’s Cup is famously a race in which, as Queen Victoria was informed during the first contest in 1851, “there is no second.”

HOW IS THE AMERICA’S CUP WINNER DECIDED?

The challenger, Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, will race against the defender, Emirates Team New Zealand in the 36th America’s Cup match series starting on 10 March.

There are two races each day on 12, 13 and 14 March with additional days on 15, 16 and 17 March if needed to conclude the first-to-seven wins series.

A choice of race course is decided each day depending on wind conditions, but the courses are all windward-leewards with around 3km between each end and around 1.5km from side to side.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TEAMS RACING FOR THE AMERICA’S CUP?

Emirates Team New Zealand, yacht Te Rehutai – The home team is the defender, having won the Cup in Bermuda in 2017. Heading it up is the steely Grant Dalton, with eight times America’s Cup campaigner Kevin Shoebridge capably in charge of the sailing side. The design team is also second to none – and between them they all set the rules this time.

The Kiwis boast some of the youngest sailors, who grew up in the era of foiling, notably the wildly gifted Pete Burling as helmsman and his Olympic champion crewmate Blair Tuke, who share a Gold and Silver Medal and six World Championship wins in the high performance 49er class.

The pair works in partnership with the team’s resident Australian Olympian, Glenn Ashby. This successful triumvirate was a crucial ingredient in Emirates Team New Zealand’s last Cup win. Ashby is key to tactical decisions, Blair Tuke is the so-called flight controller in charge of flaps on the foils and rudder, with Peter Burling is steering and coolly making those split-second decisions on the race course.

Their yacht Te Rehutai has many visible differences compared with Luna Rossa. It is a more brutal looking design beside the smooth shaped, elegant Italian boat, and has quite different shaped foils (see ‘How do the America’s Cup yacht work?’): New Zealand’s are almost flat across the wing base, while Luna Rossa’s foils are in a dihedral shape, sloping downwards from a central wing bulb.

These are just the most obvious differences, and there will be many more variations beneath the surface, especially in the complex control systems. Yet despite dissimilarities, the speed differential between teams in the Prada Cup varied only by fractions of a knot, putting the emphasis on dominating pre-start manoeuvres, reading the wind shifts and match racing the opponent. These will all play a part in the Cup match too.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, yacht Luna Rossa - The Italian team, backed by Patrizio Bertelli, is bristling with experience. Italian team boss Max Sirena has been involved in six America’s Cups.

At the wheel, the Italians have a set-up never seen before, with straight-talking Australian Jimmy Spithill helming on starboard and Italian Olympic sailor Francesco Bruni helming on port. When one is steering, the other acts as flight controller and trims the foils.

It is a formidable partnership. Spithill is the most successful Cup sailor in the line-up, having been part of seven campaigns and winning it twice in 2010 and 2013 for Larry Ellison’s US team Oracle. Bruni, meanwhile, has three Olympics behind him and several Cup campaigns himself.

While this unconventional division of control between the two helmsmen prompted observers to shake their heads at first, it has proved highly successful. Spithill has suggested that the arrangement allowed them both to accelerate their skills, while at a very practical level it means no one has to jump out of the cockpit and cross the boat during high-speed G-force tacks and gybes before settling back into continuity in a new position.

Indeed, it has been so successful that Emirates Team New Zealand have been experimenting with changing to the one-helmsman-per-side arrangement, split between Peter Burling and Glenn Ashby. Watch out, this may come into play at some point.

Meanwhile, they have increasingly brought into play the tactical skills of Pietro Sibello, an Olympic 49er sailor, who is to be seen popping up to read the wind and the race course and feed back into the strategy.

HOW TO WATCH THE AMERICA’S CUP

America’s Cup racing is split into two parts throughout February and March and you can watch them all free. All the racing will be streamed live on the official America’s Cup YouTube Channel , Facebook and on americascup.com .

It will also be on free-to-air and pay-to-view networks in 120 territories around the world, including TVNZ in New Zealand, RAI and Sky Italia in Italy, the BBC and Sky UK & Ireland in the UK, and NBC Sports in the USA and Caribbean.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN THE AMERICA’S CUP RACES

1. The pre-starts. This America’s Cup has traditional upwind starts. Each team must enter the start box from opposite ends at the two minute mark. They jostle for the best position with the aim of hitting the line powered up exactly as the clock counts down to 0:00 – and in front of their opponent.

To get an advantage, each team will look to dodge, weave, box out their opponent, put a penalty put on them, or execute some other perfectly legitimate but edge-of-the-seat manoeuvre. These minutes can be among the most exciting of a whole race, and may set the tactics and playbook for all that follows so are not to be missed.

2. Mark roundings. Teams can round either one of two marks at the top or bottom of the course, so watch for splits here, close overlaps and other tactical manoeuvres. As the boats bear away at the upwind mark rounding they head into a power zone, speeding up rapidly. This is where we have seen the AC75s exceed 50 knots of speed and get unstable and into trouble with flight control.

3. Light winds. The AC75s have sometimes struggled to foil in winds of under 8 knots. When they come off their foils they suddenly go from supersonic to super-slow. Comparatively huge distances can open up or disappear in a flash if one team finds a puff and gets flying while the other is floundering. On light days, everything can turn inside out in seconds.

4. Strong winds. The same is true in big winds. Mistakes in crewing and sailhandling can be punishing when these massively loaded boats are fully powered up. When the winds are up, the pre-starts and mark roundings are likely war zones.

5. Match race tactics. Some thought the equivalent of hand-to-hand combat could never happen in the AC75s, but they have turned out to be agile and the crews surprisingly willing to throw them into some very close quarter spots. They are also able to mark opponents tack for tack and gybe for gybe round the course to defend a lead and deny their opponent a passing lane. Watch for these clever displays of aggression and stealth. And do listen in the live audio feed from each of the boats that gives big clues as to what each skipper and tactician is doing, thinking and planning.

WHAT ARE THE AMERICA’S CUP YACHTS?

Teams are racing in the AC75 design, a radical 75ft long monohull with no keel that flies on foils at speeds of up to 50 knots.

Deciding the boat to be raced is one of the spoils of victory, and when Emirates Team New Zealand won the last America’s Cup in Bermuda in 2017 they decided to create something never seen before, and where their knowledge of foiling could be a winning advantage.

The AC75 design rule is a so-called ‘box’ rule, which sets some key parameters such as hull length and overall length with bowsprit (75ft, hence the name AC75). The 62-page rule specification defines draught, minimum hull volume, number of sails, number of foils, even the number of boats – the teams have been allowed to build two and will all be racing with iteration No. 2 – but leaves other areas such as hull shape and foil flaps open for teams to develop.

As these yachts do not have keels, they rely for stability on a mere three tonnes of total ballast, plus 960-990kg allowed for 11 crew. The ballast is spread across two swivelling foils that look like arms (some say insect legs) on each side.

To keep some design costs down, the teams have one-design elements, such as the components and arms that move the foils up and down. However, the shape of the foils, the flaps and the control systems that operate them are absolutely key, and unique to each team.

The rule has also kept hull shape relatively open so we see quite striking differences in shapes. This reflects different teams’ thinking about the best way to promote foiling as early as possible in the wind range and slip as smoothly as possible between displacement and flying modes.

The sails are unique, too. The mainsails are twin-skinned soft wings, a new hybrid between a conventional sail and hard wing.

HOW DO THE AMERICA’S CUP YACHTS WORK?

The AC75s are designed to be able to fly in as little wind as possible, and as consistently as possible across the wind range up to the maximum of 23 knots allowable for the America’s Cup match.

To do that, the yachts have a canting T-foil on each side that provides the lift to take the hull out of the water and fly.

The foils are ballasted to provide stability, and are set across a large beam, so the AC75s have a huge amount of righting moment. That means they can carry a very large and efficient sail area to drive the boat.

Once the leeward foil lifts the hull clear of the water, there is very little drag, with only one slender foil and the T-foil rudder in the water. That, in a nutshell, is how it is possible for these yachts to reach 50 knots of boat speed, and potentially more.

In the real world, there are lots of variables that will affect foiling. New Zealand’s Hauraki Gulf sees a large wind range, often blustery conditions, and there are also waves to contend with. Keeping a large boat foiling efficiently and consistently on just two slender points is like juggling on a slackline, and the control systems for rapid adjustments will be a critical but largely invisible factor.

WHAT’S THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICA’S CUP?

Books could, and have, been written about the contentious history of the America’s Cup. It all began in 1851, when a syndicate of businessmen from New York sailed the schooner America across the Atlantic and beat a fleet of British yachts in a race around the Isle of Wight, winning the 100 Guinea Cup.

Famously, Queen Victoria, who had watching the race, asked who was second and the reply came: “Your Majesty, there is no second.”

The 100 Guinea Cup was donated to the New York Yacht Club, renamed in honour of the schooner and a Deed of Gift drawn up for ‘a perpetual challenge cup for friendly competition between nations’. The America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport and arguably the most difficult (and expensive) to win.

For 160 years, Britain has been trying to win it back. Challengers have included the tea magnate Sir Thomas Lipton, who challenged five times between 1899 and 1930.

After a golden era of racing in the J Class yachts, the Cup was raced for in the 12-metre design, then an evolving International America’s Cup Class. More recently it has been contested in much faster multihull designs.

The America’s Cup has always been defined by, and contested with, the backing of some of the world’s wealthiest businessmen. Winners have included Harold Vanderbilt (1930, 1934 and 1937) and Henry Sears (1958).

In the modern era, Ernesto Bertarelli’s team Alinghi won in 2003 and 2007 before losing to Larry Ellison’s Oracle Racing in 2010. Ellison’s US team successfully defended in 2013 before losing to New Zealand in 2017.

Both men retreated from the America’s Cup following their defeats, but Patrizio Bertelli, CEO of the Prada Group, is still trying to win it for Italy after five Cup campaigns with the Luna Rossa Challenge.

Since 1851, the US has defended or won the America’s Cup 30 times, New Zealand three times, Switzerland (Alinghi) twice, and Australia once (Alan Bond’s Australia II in 1983). Despite 16 challenges in a Cup match since 1870, Britain has never yet won back the trophy that left its shores in 1851.

WHAT IS THE AMERICA’S CUP TROPHY?

The America’s Cup , affectionately known as the ‘Auld Mug’  is an impressive piece of silverware. Including its pedestal, it stands 1.1m high and weighs over 14kg. It was made by London-based silver maker Robert Garrard & Co, the royal jeweller since 1735, and was originally a claret jug.

It was given an extra pedestal in 1958 to make room for more engraving, and when that ran out of space, another was added in 1992.

A little known fact (which says so much about America’s Cup rivalry) is that when Oracle won the trophy in 2010 the engraving marking rivals Alinghi’s victory was rotated round to the rear. A new base in carbon fibre was also made to replace the mahogany one.

When Louis Vuitton sponsored the challenger series, the America’s Cup was given its own large Vuitton trunk on its 150th birthday in 1998. With Oracle as the holder it was accompanied everywhere and closely guarded by white-gloved bodyguards.

On winning it in 2017, Emirates Team New Zealand took it to yacht clubs round its home country and let members and young sailors handle the famous silver trophy.

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America’s Cup 2024: What are the AC75 boats and how do they work?

The world’s oldest international sports trophy, best yachtsmen and cutting-edge design and technology come together in Barcelona for the 37th edition of the America’s Cup.

Five boats – from Italy, the United States, Britain, Switzerland and France – will spend the coming weeks racing in the Mediterranean waves to decide who will earn the honour of trying to dethrone the mighty Emirates Team New Zealand for the Auld Mug.

As the two-time defender, the Kiwis chose Barcelona’s choppy waters as the venue and helped establish the rules and boat design for this edition. They also get a guaranteed spot in the final, to be held in October.

The results of three years of work and massive investment will now be put to the test.

“It is starting to get serious in a hurry. We are now racing for keeps,” Ben Ainslie, skipper of British team Ineos Britannia, said.

Here is everything we know about the boats – AC75s – that will be racing...

“Because Barcelona is quite a lightwind venue, you don’t actually want to design foils for going at 60 knots. Acceleration and manoeuvrability are more important. So in terms of top speeds I don’t think we will see anything radically different from the top speeds we saw in the last Cup in New Zealand. Somewhere around 50 knots. But these boats would smash the boats from last time if they actually raced. I guess it’s like Formula One cars. The new boats are much faster over a lap, but they gain that time through cornering speed and acceleration rather than on the straights.” – Giles Scott (Head of Sailing, Ineos Britannia)

This is the second iteration of the AC75 after they were also used in New Zealand at the 36th Cup.

The “75” in AC75 stands for 75-feet, the length of the boat. The boats are 16 feet wide.

The AC75 is a “foiling” monohull, which means it has only one hull which lifts up out of the water on hydrofoils - or “flies” - when the wind gets above a certain speed, typically around six knots.

Although the boats look very similar, there are various changes since the last Cup.

The rules have been tweaked partly to improve light-wind performance (frankly, it looked silly when the most technologically-advanced boats in the world fell off their foils in light winds in New Zealand in 2021, bobbing around helplessly) and partly to reduce crew numbers from 11 to eight for cost and performance reasons.

The move to reduce the crew means cycle power is again legalised, and “cyclors”, the hybrid sailor-cyclists introduced by Team New Zealand in Bermuda in 2017, return.

Length: 75 feet

Width: 16 feet

Height: 26.5m from the deck

Weight: 6,200kg

Max crew weight: 700kg

Top speed: 50 knots

Eight-man crews

Crews have been reduced from 11 to eight since the last Cup.

No boat will feature anyone crossing during manoeuvres. That will be the biggest visual change for spectators. Everyone stays where they are, with four sailors on each side of the boat.

The crews sit low in their pods, out of the airstream with only their helmeted heads exposed.

Each team is slightly different in how and where they deploy their eight men, but every team has a helm, a trimmer and two cyclors on either side of their boat.

The British team are unique in that their trimmer-pilots sit at the back of the boat in the aft pods, with the two cyclors between them and the helms in the forward pods.

The cyclors’ role is to provide hydraulic power to the boat’s systems, from the foil arms to the mainsail.

The Americans are outliers in that their cyclors are “recumbent”, meaning they are sitting/lying backwards, facing up towards the sky. This position sacrifices some power - around 10-20 per cent compared to traditional cyclists - but it does free up their hands to perform secondary functions.

But it is likely that on every boat, certainly the British one, the cyclors will all have secondary roles. On Britannia, two of those roles are critical functions but not necessarily sailing-skill oriented (these might be suitable for former rowers who do not have sailing backgrounds). Two you would want to put sailors in there.

F1 crossover

The crossover between America’s Cup and F1 is becoming ever greater. Not for nothing is sailing’s most elite competition becoming known as “F1 on water”.

Carbon-fibre composites, structural analysis, hydraulic systems, control systems, electronics, data analysis, hydrodynamics and aerodynamics are just some of the overlapping areas.

Ineos Britannia have a partnership with Mercedes F1 via joint owners Ineos. The sailing team has offices in Brackley and hundreds of Mercedes staff have been seconded to the sailing project. James Allison is Chief Technical Officer of both teams. Geoff Willis is Technical Director of Mercedes-AMG F1 Applied Science and INEOS Britannia.

Each boat is equipped with a pair of T-foils, on the end of “cant arms”. Around the size of an ironing board, the foils on the AC75 are capable of lifting a seven-tonne boat out of the water.

As in the last Cup, the mainsail is “twin skin”; two membranes held together. Teams are allowed to “endplate”, or seal the mainsail onto the deck of the hull (or platform). This provides performance gains by stopping air flowing under the bottom of the mainsail, which detrimentally reduces the pressure differential between the windward and leeward sides.

The AC75 rudder allows the boat to change pitch, or trim, by providing lift. This change in pitch moves the stern of the boat closer to the ground, which increases the angle of attack on the main foils. The foils provide lift, which moves the entire platform up.

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America's Cup sets sail in Barcelona with New Zealand defending the Auld Mug

NYYC American Magic's AC75, left, and Luna Rosa Prada Pirelli Team's AC75 boat sail during America's Cup Preliminary Regatta ahead of the 37th America's Cup sailing race at the Barcelona's coast, Spain, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The world's oldest international sports trophy, best yachtsmen and cutting-edge design and technology will come together in Barcelona when the 37th edition of the America's Cup starts on Thursday. Credit: AP/Joan Monfort

BARCELONA, Spain — The world's oldest international sports trophy, best yachtsmen and cutting-edge design and technology will come together in Barcelona when the 37th edition of the America’s Cup starts on Thursday.

Five boats – from Italy, the United States, Britain, Switzerland and France – will spend the coming weeks racing in the Mediterranean waves to decide which will earn the honor of trying to dethrone the almighty Emirates Team New Zealand for the Auld Mug.

As the two-time defender, the Kiwis chose Barcelona’s choppy waters as the venue and helped establish the rules and boat design for this edition. They also get a guaranteed spot in the final to be held in October.

The results of three years of work and massive investment will now be put to the test.

“It is starting to get serious in a hurry. We are now racing for keeps,” Ben Ainslie, skipper of British team INEOS Britannia, said Wednesday.

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Here is what else you need to know about the equivalent of the World Cup of sailing.

Sci-fi Boats

For anyone who has not followed the foiling revolution in sailing over the past decade, America's Cup yachts look more like something designed to fly through outer space in a sci-fi film than a traditional sailboat.

A spectator watches the race as Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team's AC75 boat sails during the America's Cup Preliminary Regatta ahead of the 37th America's Cup sailing race off the coast of Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The world's oldest international sports trophy, along with the best yachtsmen and cutting-edge design and technology, will come together in Barcelona when the 37th edition of the America's Cup starts on Thursday. Credit: AP/Joan Monfort

The only parts more or less recognizable are the rudder, mast, mainsail and jib on the foiling 75-foot monohull that the champions chose as the boat type for these regattas. This AC75 is an evolution of the 2021 monohulls, which were a radical leap from the catamarans that the same New Zealand team sailed to victory in 2017.

If you are looking for a skipper standing tall at the helm while sailors scamper around the deck, then forget it. The helmeted crew members are tucked into cockpits, keeping them out of the wind and favoring the boats' aerodynamics.

But the most remarkable feature of these boats are the two hydrofoils, attached to winglike appendages port and starboard, that make these boats look like giant water strider insects. The foils enable these wonders of nautical engineering to spend more time with the bottom of their hulls above the water than submerged while racing. Their “T” shape resembles the inverted tail of an orca whale, and their 4.5-meter span sustains the more than six-ton boat as it rockets over the water at 50 knots per hour (92 kph/57.5 mph).

All the teams have two helmsmen for this race – copying a move made by the Italian Luna Rossa team three years ago. The two helmsmen take turns steering and watching the other's blind spot since each one has half his visibility cut off by the sails. There are also two trimmers.

Spectators watch the race between Ineos Britannia's AC75 and Alinghi Red Bull Racing's AC75 boats during the America's Cup Preliminary Regatta ahead of the 37th America's Cup sailing race off the coast of Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. The world's oldest international sports trophy, best yachtsmen and cutting-edge design and technology will come together in Barcelona when the 37th edition of the America's Cup starts on Thursday. Credit: AP/Joan Monfort

Gone this time are the grinders. Instead, each boat has four cyclists, called “cyclors” — many of whom are world-class rowers — who pedal away to power the hydraulic mechanisms needed to trim the sails and rotate the mast.

The Defender

Emirates Team New Zealand won the America’s Cup in 1995 and 2000 before winning the last two editions.

They are without a doubt the team to beat.

The team led by Grant Dalton has earned the respect of their rivals for their daring boat designs and flawless execution. They will participate in the opening round, but their points won’t count. They will then sit out the next two rounds while the remaining teams duke it out to see which will meet them in the final.

Peter Burling is back at the helm after helping the team win in 2017 and 2021. He is joined by fellow Olympic medalist Nathan Outteridge in steering their super-sleek Taihoro yacht.

“The challenger group is the strongest it has been in a long time at the America’s Cup,” Burling said. “It is going to be super exciting to see what happens over the next weeks.”

The Challengers

— Italy’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team reached the last final in 2021 — and lost 7-3. The team representing the Sicily Yacht Club is steered by helmsmen Jimmy Spithill and Francesco Bruni.

— INEOS Britannia is hoping to end Britain’s painfully long search for a title. No team has challenged as many times as the British, a losing streak which started back in 1851 when they were bettered by the schooner America in a race around the Isle of Wight. INEOS is led by helmsman and Olympic great Ainslie and is supported by the Mercedes Formula 1 team.

— NYYC American Magic is back after its 2021 campaign ended shortly after its Patriot boat capsized and almost sank. The New York Yacht Club draws on the history of having won the first edition and then successfully defending the title 24 times until that incredible 132-year run ended in 1983. It's helmed by Tom Slingsby, the sailor of the year, an Australian who has an American passport thanks to his American mother, and Englishman Paul Goodison, a fellow Olympic gold medalist.

__ Alinghi Red Bull Racing is backed by the sports drink giant and its F1 team. The Swiss outfit is seeking a title after the landlocked nation won the cup in 2003 and 2007. It has been training in Barcelona the longest after setting up base here two years ago.

__ Orient Express Racing Team comes with a boat based on a design it purchased from the New Zealand team. The last team to arrive in Barcelona, the French face the extra challenge of having less on-site practice time.

A round-robin stage will eliminate the weakest challenger by Sept. 8. The remaining four will have two playoff series to decide which boat will take on New Zealand in a best-of-13 series starting on Oct. 12.

This year’s event also includes a new Women’s America’s Cup and a youth competition.

The Race Course

The racing will take place in the same stretch of water used for the sailing events at the 1992 Olympics.

Boats zigzag back and forth across a rectangular race course located in waters just off the Barcelona beachfront, within view of fans on the shore. Boats have to pass through a pair of buoys – called a gate – and perform hairpin turns by shifting from one foil to the other.

Several teams have said that Barcelona’s waters can produce trickier race conditions than, for example, Auckland, since there is no natural bay to stop the wave action that comes from far offshore and often goes in a direction off-angle from the wind.

Race starts are crucial as boats maneuver to be in a leading position when they hit the starting line.

In choosing Spain, New Zealand broke with its tradition of picking Auckland as this edition’s venue because of the need to ensure a big payday. And what better place to ensure people would flock to see the event than one of Europe’s major Mediterranean destinations?

The last regatta in New Zealand was held when the world was still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. That meant there were scant crowds and little of the glamor – think superyachts and wealthy sailing amateurs — who are expected to be back en masse at Barcelona. Fashion and luxury goods designer Louis Vuitton has returned as the official sponsor of the race, and the trophy is secured in a custom Louis Vuitton case when it travels.

Barcelona calculates the event will attract some 2.5 million tourists and leave over a billion euros in the city. It is being held during an upsurge in citizen complaints against what they consider “overtourism” and skyrocketing rents.

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