25th AMERICA's CUP 1983 Newport, Rhode Island, USA
Defender Selection Series 1987
Semifinals of the DSS 1987
Final of the DSS 1987
Kookaburra III KA-15 won and became the official defender
South Australia KA-8 und Australia III KA-16 waren ausgeschieden.
Elimination race of Australian syndicates for the official defence of the AC
Elimination race of Australian syndicates to the official defense of the AC
Australia IV / KA-16 and the Defender Selection Series 1987
Australia IV / KA-16 lost the Final of the DSS 1987
The skipper of 1983 John Bertrand left the team and
Alan Bond missed to employ a perfect management.
As Australia III won 1986 the 12-m World
Championship
(without Conner, The British challenger, Blacktaller
and TaskForce 87) the team concentrated too much
on this boat.
On top of that Bond ignored Iain Murray, the young
ambitious skipper of the former, poorly financed
Advance team.
Murray, a talented organizer joined the team of
Perrey, became chief manager and built an
impressing team around the new constructions
Kookaburra I,II and III..
The beginning of Bond’s team downfall.
The boat was never trimmed to an optimum.
Ben Lexcen had designed and tested a new keel.
This was casted but could not be fixed in time on the
yacht. Australia IV reached with Kookaburra II, III
and Steak ‘N’Kidney the semifinals of the Defender
Series but lost dramatically against Kookaburra III,
which became the official defender
Yacht / Country : Steak 'N' Kidney / KA-14
Syndicate : New South Wales and Sydney
Challenge
CEO : Syd Fischer
Yacht Club: Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron
Designer : Peter Cole
Boat Builder : Consolidated Marine
Skipper: Gary Sheard
Steak 'N' Kidney / KA-14 and the Defender Selection Series 1987
Syd Fisher’s second challenge started with
severe financial difficulties.
But he could participate at the end with a new
quite fast yacht, which has been several times
considerably modified during the Defender
Selection Series.
She reached ranking 4 in the semifinals but
lost then against Kookaburra II.
Steak and Kidney, an Australian speciality, is
the synonym and nickname for Sydney.
Syd Fisher’s second challenge started with
severe financial difficulties.
But he could participate at the end with a new
quite fast yacht,
Yacht / Country : South Australia / KA-8
Syndicate : The Southern Australian Challenge
for the Defence of 1987 America's Cup
CEO : Graham Spurling
Yacht Club: Royal South Australian Yacht
Squadron.
Designer : Ben Lexcen
Boat Builder : Steve E. Ward & Co.
Skipper: John Savage
South Australia K 8
KA-8 was another construction of Ben Lexcen.
Sir James Hardy, former helmsman of Gretel II /
1970, Southern Cross / 1974 and Australia I
1980 made an agreement with Alan Bond to use
Australia II as trial boat and to pay Lexcen as
consultant for testing concepts which could be
eventually applied on Australia III or IV as well.
On top of that the syndicate was sponsored by
the South Australian government and 150 private
companies as a part of the 150 year’s
anniversary of this state.
A reason why she carries South Australia’s
heraldic bird “piping shrike” as white symbol on
her sides.
South Australia was a fast light wind design,
but did not perform very well in the stormy
and rough sea of Fremantle.
South Australia / KA-8 and the Defender Selection Series 1987
KA-8 was another construction of Ben Lexcen.
AMERICA’S CUP HISTORY 1983 - 2013
Yacht / Country : Australia IV / KA-16
Syndicate : America's Cup Defence 1987 Ltd.;
CEO : Alan Bond
Yacht Club: Royal Perth Yacht
Designer : : Ben Lexcen;
Boat Builder : Steve E. Ward & Co.
Skipper: Colin Beashel