Peter John "PJ" Montgomery MBE is a New Zealand sports broadcaster. His work has covered many sports, but he is best known as "The Voice of the America's Cup" [1] on New Zealand and International radio and television. He is often remembered for "The America's Cup is now New Zealand's Cup", his summary when New Zealand won their first America's Cup in San Diego in 1995. The line was voted the most memorable sporting commentary moment in history by the Sunday Star Times. [2]
Montgomery was born in Kaitaia, Northland but moved with his family to Dunedin at a young age, where he attended King's High School. He was an Otago junior representative at both sprinting and rugby union. After moving to Auckland in 1965, he became interested in yachting, and started sailing on various keel boats before gaining regular crew spots.
Montgomery has broadcast thirteen America's Cup regattas, ten Olympic Games and all thirteen Whitbread Round the World/Volvo Ocean Races. [3] He has been regularly invited to commentate at major regattas across the world, including World Championships and key regattas on the World Match Racing Tour, including The Bermuda Gold Cup, The Swedish Match Cup and The Monsoon Cup Malaysia. World Sailing also chose him to be the first Host / MC for the World Sailor of The Year and Sailing Hall of Fame ceremonies.
In addition to commentating and reporting on sailing regattas he has also broadcast many other sports including rowing and rugby. He was the "sideline eye" for the Radio Network "Radio Rugby Team" in Auckland for over twenty years, where his Driz-a-Bone raincoat had become as recognised on the sideline as his microphone. [3]
He was chosen to play the America's Cup broadcaster in the 1992 movie Wind to lend authenticity to the racing scenes and is featured in the America's Cup documentary film The Wind Gods.
Montgomery is a Patron or Vice Patron of several yacht clubs, a member of the selection committees for The America's Cup Hall of Fame and The Yachting New Zealand Sailor of the Year Award. He is a Life Member of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Yachting New Zealand, The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and The New Zealand Sports Journalists Association. [7]
The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy and the other from the yacht club that is challenging for the cup. Matches are held several years apart on dates agreed between the defender and the challenger. There is no fixed schedule, but the races have generally been held every three to four years. The most recent America's Cup match took place in March 2021.
Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other water-borne craft for as long as such watercraft have existed.
Alexander Stuart "Jock" Sturrock MBE was a noted Australian yachtsman who won over four hundred international, national, state and club championship yachting races.
Bruce Robert William Kirby, was a Canadian-born sailboat designer, dinghy and offshore racer and journalist. His designs spanned in size from the single-handed Laser dinghy to the 12-meter class Louis Vuitton Cup yacht, Canada One. He continued his design work in his American company, Bruce Kirby Marine.
San Diego Yacht Club is a yacht club located in San Diego Bay. It is located in Point Loma across from a spit of land known as Shelter Island.
Paul Pierre Cayard is an American yachtsman and professional sailor. He has competed at multiple world championship level sailing events, including the America's Cup, the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Volvo Ocean Race and the Olympic Games. In 1998 he was selected as the US Rolex Yachtsmen of the Year. He has won seven world championships, twice participated in the Olympic Games and seven times in the America's Cup. In 2011 he was elected into the US Sailing Hall of Fame.
Charles Barr, was an accomplished sailing skipper who three times captained winning America's Cup yachts.
Syd Fischer, is an Australian businessman and property developer and sailor.
Gary Jobson is a sailor, television commentator and author based in Annapolis, Maryland. He is a Vice President of the International Sailing Federation. Gary has authored 19 sailing books and is Editor at Large of Sailing World and Cruising World magazines. He is President of the National Sailing Hall of Fame.
The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series was a match race regatta in America's Cup Class yachts in Auckland, New Zealand during January and February 2009. Racing started on 30 January. The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series was organised in association with the New Zealand Government, Emirates Team New Zealand, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Auckland City and Skycity Entertainment Group. Bruno Troublé was Louis Vuitton's organizer and spokesperson for the Series.
The Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland was the second in a scheduled series of regattas that compete for the Louis Vuitton Trophy. The regatta was held in Auckland between 7–21 March 2010. The Louis Vuitton Trophy format uses existing International America's Cup Class yachts loaned to the regatta by various America's Cup racing syndicates, keeping costs low for the competing teams.
John Scott Biddle was a foremost yachting cinematographer and lecturer, establishing a film-making career that spanned more than forty years. His films captured not only the technical aspects of sailing but also the human story in events as tranquil as a Nova Scotia cruise and as grand as the America's Cup Races.
John Rousmaniere is an American writer and author of 30 historical. technical, and instructional books on sailing, yachting history, New York history, business history, and the histories of clubs, businesses, and other organizations. An authority on seamanship and boating safety, he has conducted tests of equipment and sailing skills, and led or participated in fact-finding inquiries into boating accidents. He has been presented with several awards for his writing and his contributions to boating safety and seamanship.
Paul Franklin Henderson is a former president of the International Sailing Federation, renamed since as World Sailing, and is a member of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.
Peter Burling is a New Zealand sailor. He was the 2021 America's Cup winning skipper and helmsman, and the 2017 America's Cup winning helmsman of Team New Zealand, and won an Olympic gold medal in the 49er class at the 2016 games and silver medals in the 2012 and 2020 Olympics.
Thomas A. Whidden is one of the most-acclaimed sailors of all-time. He is a member of both the America's Cup Hall of Fame and the National Sailing Hall of Fame. Whidden joined North Sails, the world's largest sailmaker, in 1986, just before being part of the crew of the yacht Stars & Stripes in the victory over Australia in the 1987 America's Cup. He became CEO and co-owner of North Technology Group, formerly known as North Marine Group, parent company to North Sails, when it was established several years later.
Joanna Ayela Aleh is a New Zealand sailor. She is a national champion, a former world champion, and an Olympic gold medallist.
Andrew Blair Tuke is a New Zealand sailor who won the 2021 Americas Cup Held in Auckland and also won the 2017 Version held in Bermuda. He also won the gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, and the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 49er class alongside Peter Burling.
Stuart Hodge Walker was an American Olympic yachtsman, writer, and a professor of pediatrics. He competed as a sailor at the Olympic Games; won many national and international championships in different classes and wrote over ten books.
The Museum of Yachting was a not-for-profit organization in Newport, Rhode Island which worked to preserve the culture and heritage of yachting. The Museum was founded in 1979 by John Mecray and a small group of friends and was first housed at Fort Adams. In 2007, the International Yacht Restoration School acquired the museum and, in 2008, relocated its collection to the Edward W. Kane and James Gubelmann Library located in the restored John Mecray Aquidneck Mill Building.