Australia II is an Australian 12-metre-class America's Cup challenge racing yacht that was launched in 1982 and won the 1983 America's Cup for the Royal Perth Yacht Club. Skippered by John Bertrand, she was the first successful Cup challenger, ending a 132-year tenure by the New York Yacht Club.
Bruce Kenneth Farr is a New Zealand designer of racing and cruising yachts. Farr‑designed boats have won, challenged for, or placed highly in the Whitbread Round the World Race, America's Cup, and Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, among others.
The winged keel is a sailboat keel originally adopted by Ben Lexcen. It made its first appearance on the America's Cup winning 12-metre class yacht Australia II in the 1983 America's Cup races. Although the Australia II team claimed that Ben Lexcen was the designer, there is ample evidence that it was conceived, proposed and designed by a Dutch aerodynamicist.
The 12 Metre class is a rating class for racing sailboats that are designed to the International rule. It enables fair competition between boats that rate in the class whilst retaining the freedom to experiment with the details of their designs. The designation "12 Metre" does not refer to any single measurement on the boat, and is not referencing the vessels overall length, rather, measures the sum of the components directed by the formula which governs design and construction parameters. Typically 12 Metre class boats range from 65 to 75 feet in length overall; they are most often sloop-rigged, with masts roughly 85 feet tall.
The Universal Rule determined a yacht's eligibility to race in the America's Cup from 1914 to 1937 and for this the J-class was chosen. Boats built according to the rule reached their peak in the large J-class yachts. This Rating Rule is intended to calculate a rating for yachts, which can then be used to calculate its Time Correction Factor (T.C.F.) in order to have disparate yachts racing against each other. The first boat said to be built under the universal rule was Herreshoff's Doris built in 1905.
Dame Pattie is an International 12-metre class racing yacht built for the America's Cup challenge series in 1967. She was designed by Warwick Hood and built by W.H. Barnett in New South Wales, Australia.
The Royal Perth Yacht Club (RPYC) is an Australian yacht club in Perth, Western Australia. it is the third oldest yacht club in Australia after the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria and the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. It is based at the Crawley Marina on Pelican Point and at the Fremantle Annexe in Challenger Harbour.
The International Six Metre class is a class of classic racing yachts. Sixes are a construction class, meaning that the boats are not identical but are all designed to meet specific measurement formula, in this case International rule. At their heyday, Sixes were the most important international yacht racing class, and they are still raced around the world. "Six metre" in class name does not, somewhat confusingly, refer to length of the boat, but product of the formula; 6mR boats are, on average, 10–11 metres long.
The 1983 America's Cup was the occasion of the first winning challenge to the New York Yacht Club, which had successfully defended the cup over a period of 132 years. An Australian syndicate representing the Royal Perth Yacht Club fielded the Australia II, skippered by John Bertrand, against defender Liberty, skippered by Dennis Conner. Australia II won the match races to win the America's Cup, ending the longest winning streak in sporting history and ending U.S. domination of the racing series.
The 1987 America's Cup was the twenty-sixth challenge for the America's Cup.
Iain Murray is an Australian sailor. He is most noted for his appearances in 12-Metre Class yachts in the 1983 and 1987 America's Cup regattas and his management of the 2013 America's Cup in San Francisco, California.
Syd Fischer, is an Australian businessman and property developer and sailor.
The International Eight Metre class are class of racing yachts. Eight Metre boats are a construction class, meaning that the boats are not identical but are all designed to meet specific measurement formula, in this case International rule. Before WW II Eights were the most prestigious international yacht racing class, and they are still raced around the world. "Eight metre" in class name does not, somewhat confusingly, refer to length of the boat, but product of the formula. 8mR boats are on average some 15 metres long. Between 1907 and 2008 approximately 500 8mR boats were built, 177 of them have survived until today.
Kookaburra III was the Australian 12 Metre yacht sailed by Iain Murray in the 1987 America's Cup held off of Fremantle, Australia. She won the Defender Selection and represented Australia in the America's Cup, where she lost to American challenger Dennis Conner and his Stars & Stripes 87.
{{Infobox Americas Cup Yacht | title = Gretel II | image = Gretel II KA-3.jpg | caption = | club = Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron | nat = Australia | ac_year = 1970 | type = | class = 12-metre | designer = Alan Payne | builder = W. H. Barnett | launched = | owner = Sir Frank Packer | skip = James Hardy | crew =[[Martin Visser Tactician | wins = | sailno = KA–3 | fate = | displacement = | length = | beam = | draft = | sail = | notes = }} Gretel II (KA-3) is an International 12-metre class racing yacht built for the America's Cup challenge series in 1970. She was designed by Alan Payne and built by W.H. Barnett for Australian media tycoon Sir Frank Packer.
New Sweden, previously South Australia, is an Australian 12 metre class yacht. It was by designed by Ben Lexcen and built by Steve E. Ward.
Liberty (US-40) was an American racing yacht in the 12-metre class that unsuccessfully defended the 1983 America's Cup.
