1983 America's Cup - The Races

The Races

The U.S. yacht won the first and second races by margins of more than a minute when the Australian yacht suffered equipment failure, but the Australia II took the third race, and came back to win the fifth and sixth races after the Liberty won the fourth. This was the first time the America's Cup had needed a sixth race, let alone a seventh.

The cup title came down to the seventh and final race. For the seventh and deciding race on 26 September 1983 the wind was light at around eight knots. The pre start was not a typical match race start. “Neither party wanted to make a mistake and end up in the protest room,” Conner would explain later. Liberty won the start by eight seconds ahead of Australia II. Over the course of the race there were three lead changes, as well as relentless pressure as each of the yachts tried to provoke dramatic new turns of events. Because both upwind speeds were nearly identical, the tacking duels were fierce and close. Dramatic winds shifts tested the tacticians on both yachts. On the penultimate leg Australia II passed Liberty. One did not need PJ Montgomery's commentary to realize, in the first minutes of that run, that Australia II was sailing significantly lower and faster than Liberty”. After 47 grueling tacks, Australia II crossed the finish line with a winning margin of 41 seconds, becoming the first successful challenger in the 132 years "since the schooner America won it in a race around England's Isle of Wight in 1851”.