1987 America's Cup - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

27th America's Cup Fremantle, Western Australia
Date	January 31, 1987 – February 4, 1987
Location	Fremantle Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
Defender	Royal Perth Yacht Club Royal Perth Yacht Club The Royal Perth Yacht Club is a yacht club in Perth, Western Australia. -Early history:The "Perth Yacht and Boat Club" in 1880 was able to build a jetty at the foot of William Street in Perth Water. Perth Yacht Club received the Royal Charter in 1890. The club shifted to Crawley in 1953 when the...
Challenger	San Diego Yacht Club San Diego Yacht Club San Diego Yacht Club is a yacht club located in San Diego Bay. Its address is 1011 Anchorage Lane, San Diego, CA 92106. It is located in Point Loma across from a spit of land known as Shelter Island.- Facilities :...
Winner	San Diego Yacht Club San Diego Yacht Club San Diego Yacht Club is a yacht club located in San Diego Bay. Its address is 1011 Anchorage Lane, San Diego, CA 92106. It is located in Point Loma across from a spit of land known as Shelter Island.- Facilities :...
Coordinates	31°57′9.0"S 115°38′48.12"E

The 1987 America's Cup was the twenty-seventh challenge for the America's Cup

America's Cup

The America’s Cup is a trophy awarded to the winner of the America's Cup match races between two yachts. One yacht, known as the defender, represents the yacht club that currently holds the America's Cup and the second yacht, known as the challenger, represents the yacht club that is challenging...

and the first time for 132 years that it had not been defended by the New York Yacht Club

New York Yacht Club

The New York Yacht Club is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. The organization has over 3,000 members as of 2011. ...

.

The American challenger Stars & Stripes 87

Stars & Stripes 87

Stars & Stripes 87 was the 12 Meter challenge boat sailed by Dennis Conner in his bid to reclaim the America’s Cup from the Royal Perth Yacht Club of Australia in 1987.-Design and Development:...

, sailed by Dennis Conner

Dennis Conner

Dennis Conner is an American yachtsman, noted for winning the bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics, two Star World Championships, and four wins in the America's Cup.-America's Cup:...

, beat the Australian defender Kookaburra III

Kookaburra III

Kookaburra III was the Australian 12 Meter 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 and Stripes...

, sailed by Iain Murray

Iain Murray (sailor)

Iain Murray is an Australia sailor. He is most noted for his appearances in 12-Metre Class yachts in the 1983 and 1987 America's Cup regattas, but is also a champion 18ft Skiff skipper. The modern version of the 18ft Skiff was designed by Murray...

, four wins to nil in the best of seven series. Conner thus became the first person both to unsuccessfully defend the America's Cup and then to win it back again.

The series was held in Gage Roads

Gage Roads

Gage Roads, is the sea channel in the Indian Ocean offshore from Perth, Western Australia. It was the location of the America's Cup defence in 1986/7, and serves as a shipping lane and anchorage for most sea traffic heading towards the seaport of Fremantle....

off Fremantle, Western Australia

Fremantle, Western Australia

Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...

during the Australian summer months between October 1986 and February 1987. The Royal Perth Yacht Club

Royal Perth Yacht Club

The Royal Perth Yacht Club is a yacht club in Perth, Western Australia. -Early history:The "Perth Yacht and Boat Club" in 1880 was able to build a jetty at the foot of William Street in Perth Water. Perth Yacht Club received the Royal Charter in 1890. The club shifted to Crawley in 1953 when the...

was the defending club and the organiser of the defence series. Yacht Club Costa Smeralda

Yacht Club Costa Smeralda

Yacht Club Costa Smeralda was established by the Aga Khan in 1967. It is situated at Porto Cervo in Costa Smeralda, northern Sardinia and provides services for recreational sailors....

of Porto Cervo

Porto Cervo

Porto Cervo is an Italian seaside resort in northern Sardinia. It is a frazione of the comune of Arzachena, in the province of Olbia-Tempio. The village is the main centre of the Costa Smeralda, on the gulf of the same name. It was created by Prince Karim Aga Khan...

, Sardinia

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...

was appointed the challenger of record and hence the organiser the challenger series.

This was the last time that 12-metre class

12-metre class

The 12 Metre Class is a rating class for racing boats 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 first 12 Metres were built in 1907. The 12 Metre Class was...

yachts were used in the America's Cup.

Background

The 1983 America's Cup

1983 America's Cup

The 1983 America's Cup was the occasion of the first winning challenge to the New York Yacht Club who had successfully defended the cup over a period of 132 years...

off Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

was the most significant America's Cup regatta since the first event off the Isle of Wight. Alan Bond's

Alan Bond (businessman)

Alan Bond is an Australian businessman noted for his criminal convictions and high-profile business dealings, including what was at the time the biggest corporate collapse in Australian history. Bond was born in the Hammersmith district of London, England, and emigrated to Australia with his...

Australia II

Australia II is the Australian 12-metre-class challenge racing yacht that was launched in 1982 and won the 1983 America's Cup for the Royal Perth Yacht Club...

pulled off a major upset by winning the series from Conner's Liberty to become the first successful challenger in 132 years. The New York Yacht Club

New York Yacht Club

had previously enjoyed the longest winning streak

Winning streak (sports)

In sports, a winning streak refers to a consecutive number of games won. A winning streak can be held by a team, as in baseball, football, basketball, hockey, or by an individual, as in tennis...

in international sporting history, having successfully defended the trophy over twenty challenges.

Most previous challengers had been from the United Kingdom - notably by Scotsman Sir Thomas Lipton

Thomas Lipton

Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton, 1st Baronet, KCVO was a Scotsman of Ulster-Scots parentage who was a self-made man, merchant, and yachtsman. He created the Lipton tea brand and was the most persistent challenger in the history of the America's Cup.-Parentage and childhood:Lipton was born in Glasgow...

who had challenged five times between 1899 and 1930 in his 37 metres (121.4 ft) Shamrock

Shamrock (yacht)

Shamrock was the unsuccessful Irish challenger for the 10th America's Cup in 1899 against the United States defender, Columbia.-Design:Shamrock was designed by third-generation Scottish boatbuilder, William Fife III, Jr., and built in 1898 by J...

sloops. Australia mounted its first challenge in 1962 with 12-metre class

12-metre class

yachts when Sir Frank Packer

Frank Packer

Sir Douglas Frank Hewson Packer, KBE , was an Australian media proprietor who controlled Australian Consolidated Press and the Nine Network.-Biography:...

and his Gretel were beaten 4-1. Packer made more challenges, with Dame Pattie

Dame Pattie

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....

and Gretel II. Alan Bond

Alan Bond (businessman)

mounted his first challenge in 1974 with Southern Cross, followed by Australia in 1977 and 1980 and ultimately had success with Australia II

Australia II

Australia II is the Australian 12-metre-class challenge racing yacht that was launched in 1982 and won the 1983 America's Cup for the Royal Perth Yacht Club...

in 1983.

It was in this context that the 1987 America's Cup was seen as the best opportunity yet for a successful challenge, as the event was now outside the control of the NYCC and held in a location with strong but variable breezes, unlike the predictable and placid winds off Rhode Island

Rhode Island

The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...

. The regatta therefore attracted enormous additional interest over previous series.

Selection

Following the 1983 win, there was speculation over the likely location of the defence, with three main candidates potentially under consideration. In the late 1970s, Alan Bond had developed a marina and a large associated housing development north of Yanchep

Yanchep, Western Australia

Yanchep is an outer coastal suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 56 kilometres north of Perth's central business district. It is part of the City of Wanneroo local government area. It was built by entrepreneur Alan Bond in the 1970s for the 1977 America's Cup...

called "Yanchep Sun City" (now known as Two Rocks

Two Rocks, Western Australia

Two Rocks is an outer suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located 61 kilometres north of Perth's central business district. It is part of the City of Wanneroo local authority and straddles the northernmost boundaries of the Perth metropolitan area....

), about one hour's drive north of Perth. The marina was built with an expectation of success from earlier America's Cup challenges. The second candidate was the town of Mandurah

Mandurah, Western Australia

Mandurah is the second-largest city in Western Australia and is located approximately south of the state capital, Perth.The city attracts a large number of tourists, including many international visitors...

, a coastal township a similar distance south of Perth. The last, and ultimately successful location considered was Fremantle

Fremantle, Western Australia

as the required infrastructure at the other two locations were considered inadequate by the Royal Perth Yacht Club as defender. Also, the proximity to the major population centre of Perth and its international airport were seen as an important factor.

Development

For most of its life until 1985, Fremantle had been a port city with a population of less than 24,000. Private investment and public infrastructure redevelopment commenced on a massive scale in anticipation of a large influx of visitors arriving to watch the event. This expectation proved over-ambitious, but 13 challenging syndicates from six countries and four defence syndicates arrived with a fleet of 29 12-metre yachts.

In 1985, an "Office of America's Cup Defence" was set up to coordinate the state government's

Government of Western Australia

The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...

involvement in the staging of the event. The government embarked on a number of projects such as Hillarys Boat Harbour

Hillarys Boat Harbour

Hillarys Boat Harbour is a marina and tourist precinct located in Hillarys, north of Perth, Western Australia and on the Indian Ocean.Hillarys Boat Harbour was the first such major marina in the north metropolitan region of Perth. Construction of the new Harbour commenced in September 1985...

and extensions to the Perth to Fremantle railway line. A new marina, Challenger Harbour

Challenger Harbour

Challenger Harbour is a marina in Fremantle, Western Australia, adjacent to the Fishing Boat Harbour. Part of the harbour uses reclaimed land which once included the Fremantle Long Jetty. A stone breakwater protects the harbour from the ocean....

was built alongside the existing Fishing Boat Harbour, and the state government received funding from each defence syndicate, a total of $2.3 million, to offset costs associated with the harbour works of $8 million., Vehicle registration plate

Vehicle registration plate

A vehicle registration plate is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the issuing region's database...

slogans in Western Australia changed from The Wildflower State and the State of Excitement to W.A. Home of the America's Cup In 1985 and 1986 changes in liquor laws and trading hours regulations were made to expand services for visitors.

A Festival of Sport was conducted in late 1986, early 1987 which included a cricket Test

Test cricket

Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...

and One Day International tournament, athletics, hockey, basketball, squash, golf, racing, trotting, cycling, football, baseball, lawn bowls, karate and kick-boxing competitions. A heavy-weight boxing

Marquess of Queensberry rules

The Marquess of Queensberry rules is a code of generally accepted rules in the sport of boxing. They were named so because John Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry publicly endorsed the code, although they were written by a sportsman named John Graham Chambers. The code of rules on which modern...

title fight and a World Sprint Car

Sprint car racing

Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....

Championship were held in early January.

The cruise ship Achille Lauro

MS Achille Lauro

MS Achille Lauro was a cruise ship based in Naples, Italy. Built between 1939 and 1947 as MS Willem Ruys, a passenger liner for the Rotterdamsche Lloyd. It is most remembered for its 1985 hijacking...

was chartered by a private group for the duration of the series, to act as a viewing platform and accommodation for 1,400 visitors. It also housed the international jury which oversaw the races. Other cruise ships which visited the port for the races included Island Princess

Island Princess

Island Princess is a cruise ship for the Princess Cruises line. She is the sister ship to the Coral Princess and together they are the only Panamax ships in Princess's fleet. Built at Chantiers de l'Atlantique - France. The ship features a combined diesel and gas turbine electric powerplant. This...

and several Royal Viking

Royal Viking Line

The Royal Viking Line was an upmarket cruise line that operated from 1972 until 1998. The company was the brain child of Warren Titus and had its headquarters at One Embarcadero Center in San Francisco.- History :...

vessels.

12-metre 'world championship' races

In January and February 1986, a series styled as the '12-metre world championship' was staged off Fremantle as a precursor to the America's Cup event scheduled for January 1987. A dozen syndicates competed, mainly as a shakedown series to determine their relative competitiveness and to train crews for the anticipated heavy conditions. Strong winds throughout most of the regatta resulted in four 90 ft (27.4 m) masts, a dozen booms and numerous sails being destroyed. Five crewmen were washed overboard during the races. Gary Jobson, of the 'Heart of America' syndicate declared that the Fremantle waters were "unsuitable for racing."

Australia III, the heavy-weather Ben Lexcen

Ben Lexcen

Ben Lexcen AM born Robert Miller was an Australian yachtsman and marine architect. He is famous for the winged keel design applied to Australia II which, in 1983, became the first non-American yacht to win the prestigious America's Cup in 132 years.-Early life:Born in the coastal town of...

designed successor to Australia II

Australia II

Australia II is the Australian 12-metre-class challenge racing yacht that was launched in 1982 and won the 1983 America's Cup for the Royal Perth Yacht Club...

won the series comfortably. The New Zealand challenge boat KZ 5

KZ 7

New Zealand "Kiwi Magic" was the America's Cup challenge boat sailed by Chris Dickson in the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger series held in Gage Roads off Fremantle, Australia during the summer months of 1986 through 1987...

, a fibreglass-hull Bruce Farr

Bruce Farr

Bruce K. Farr OBE is a designer of racing and cruising yachts.Farr began building boats at 13 in Warkworth near Auckland,New Zealand.His first boats were plywood hard chine Moth class designs.He later designed and built variants of Cherubs and especially Flying 18s.His early designs were built in...

design, came in second, with the New York Yacht Club

New York Yacht Club

entrant America II third.

Course

The Fremantle Fairway Buoy

Safe water mark

thumb|right|Examples of Safe Water MarksA Safe Water Mark, as defined by the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities, is a sea mark used in maritime pilotage to indicate the end of a channel...

31°57′9.0"S 115°38′48.12"E was renamed the "America's Cup Buoy" for the duration of the event and marked one end of the start and finish lines for each America's Cup race. The buoy is a permanent navigation marker used for shipping in and out of Fremantle harbour and is located 8 nautical miles (14.8 km) west-north-west of the harbour, in Gage Roads

Gage Roads

or 5.5 nautical miles (10.2 km) due west of City Beach

City Beach, Western Australia

City Beach is a beachside suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the Town of Cambridge. Its postcode is 6015. The term "City Beach" is also used to describe a specific beach located within the suburb of the same name....

. Races in the challenge and defence elimination trials used other markers in the general vicinity.

The orientation of the course was set such that the starting line was square to the prevailing wind 20 minutes before each race start. Races were 24.3 nautical miles (45 km) long, consisting of beats into the wind in legs 1, 3, 6 and 8; downwind runs on legs 2 and 7; and reaches on legs 4 and 5.

Challengers

Thirteen syndicates from six countries (Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States) competed, bringing 25 boats for the right to challenge. Stars & Stripes 87

Stars & Stripes 87

Stars & Stripes 87 was the 12 Meter challenge boat sailed by Dennis Conner in his bid to reclaim the America’s Cup from the Royal Perth Yacht Club of Australia in 1987.-Design and Development:...

was the winner of the 1987 Louis Vuitton Cup

1987 Louis Vuitton Cup

The 2nd Louis Vuitton Cup was held in Fremantle, Australia in 1987. The winner, Stars & Stripes, went on to challenge for and win the 1987 America's Cup.-The teams:...

and earned the right to sail for the America's Cup

America's Cup

Defenders

Four syndicates competed for the right to represent the Royal Perth Yacht Club

Royal Perth Yacht Club

as the defender of the America's Cup. After a series of round robin races, a Defender Finals contest was sailed between Alan Bond

Alan Bond (businessman)

's Australia IV and Kookaburra III

Kookaburra III

of Kevin Parry

Kevin Parry

Kevin John Parry was a businessman from Western Australia, most noted for his backing of the Taskforce '87 syndicate which unsuccessfully defended the 1987 America's Cup in Fremantle, Western Australia...

's Taskforce 87 syndicate, with Kookaburra III sweeping the finals five races to nil to win the Defender selection process. In doing so she placed Alan Bond's syndicate on the outside of an America's Cup regatta for the first time in thirteen years.

Races for the Cup

The best-of-seven final series were scheduled to be held between 31 January and 15 February 1987. There being a four-nil result, the final race was held on 4 February.

Race 1	31 January: Course direction: 225° on leg one. Wind speed: 8 to 18 knots (35.3 km/h).	Stars & Stripes beat Kookaburra III by one minute and 41 seconds.
Race 2	1 February: Course direction: 195° on leg one.	Stars & Stripes beat Kookaburra III by one minute and 10 seconds.
Race 3	2 February: Course direction: 210° on leg one.	Stars & Stripes beat Kookaburra III by one minute and 46 seconds.
Race 4	4 February: Course direction: 220° on leg one. Changed to 210° on leg three.	Stars & Stripes beat Kookaburra III by one minute and 59 seconds.

Newsletters

(Held in Battye Library)

Defence Downunder : official newsletter of the America's Cup Defence 1987 Ltd. Perth, W.A. : America's Cup Defence 1987 Ltd., 1984-1986.
- Issues: Vol. 1, no. 1 ([June 1984])-v. 3, no. 3 (Dec. 1986)

Kookaburra : Taskforce 1987 America's Cup Defence. North Fremantle, W.A : Taskforce 1987, 1985-1987.
- Issues: Vol. 1, no. 1 (June 1985)-v. 1, no. 6 (Jan. 1987)

Maps

Roberts, N and D. (1986) America's Cup course, Fremantle W.A. [cartographic material] Fremantle, W.A. : Postcard Factory at Down Under Press, Reduced facsimile of "Approaches to Fremantle", Royal Australian Navy Hydrographic Service (Chart No. AUS 112m), America's Cup Race Edition.

Background

Selection

Development

12-metre 'world championship' races

Course

Challengers

Defenders

Races for the Cup

Newsletters

Maps

Further reading