Australia's back!
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor 17 May 23:00 BST
Australia II in 1983 in Newport R.I © Gilles Martin-Raget
Like, did we ever leave? Not really... Ever since Sir Frank Packer KBE kicked it off, we've been there, or thereabouts. For instance, Grant Simmer OAM has been involved with every one of them since winning it in 1983. In San Fran, Team USA looked suspiciously like Team AUS. Bring on AC38 in 2027, every team will have Aussies on board, or in tech roles throughout their team, and now, Green and Gold will be there for real, National and Boxing Kangaroo flags fluttering proudly!
If you don't think there's a national interest or pride at stake, then why on Thursday was Bob Hawke's distinctive, if tremendously garish, jacket being worn by a morning show presenter on national TV? Stand up. Put your bag of 'No's away, and just accept that this is a really, really big deal.
Sshhhh! Quiet now. You're not being asked to pay, just bask in some glory, and if it comes to pass that we win, there'll be a whole new generation of people who can then remember when Mum came in to their room, got them out of bed early, and said, "Come watch this!"
So, it was hardly a surprise announcement. Even the senior souls inside the camp had to admit that it was not exactly the best kept secret, and it is not as if it has not been two years in the making. Mostly it was done quietly in that time, but it was also achieved completely assuredly, with an utter determination that was both visibly evident and totally palpable at Thursday's launch.
At this juncture, acknowledgment and appreciation must pass to John Winning Jnr and family, for without whom, all of this is just piffle. Herman has always said to me he wanted this, and here we are. Well done, champ. Love your work!
Next, thanks has to go to Grant Dalton OBE Et al., for they know a bigger Cup is a better one, and that the Antipodeans simply have to be there, en masse. Tip of the hat, and nod of the head. Cheers, and sincere appreciation.
Personnel and equipment
Something like this is always going to rely on these two things. So, in the four named to date, CEO Grant Simmer OAM, Head of Sailing Tom Slingsby OAM, Head of Performance and Design Glenn Ashby, and Sailor Tash Bryant, you have extensive knowledge across AC75, AC72, AC40, F50, International Moth, A-Class, and Tornado. America's Cup wins, SailGP wins, World Sailor of the Year (several times over), AC Hall of Fame Inductee, World Championships by the bucket full, Australian Honourees, and Olympic bling to spare. It would be easier to write down what is not on the list, and I cannot think of too much right now...
It is terribly fitting that Grant Simmer OAM is the CEO of Team Australia, for if nothing else, he get's legacy, which will be crucial to the ongoing involvement of Australia. Indeed, symbiotic circle, as one feeds the other, and you can get what I mean by looking at Sliding Doors.
'Grunter' has won it four times now as both sailor and administrator. By his own admission, "Retirement did not agree with me..." We are lucky to have him, and he's keen to make a serious and indelible mark, just like back then. In that era we got JB, Beasho, Brownie, Big Fella, quite a few more, and Grunter himself. They in turn inspired Glenn, Bundy, Jimmy, Slingers, Parko, Nathan, Goobs and plenty of others.
Indeed, Slingers famed 'Red Mist' is the same as the Red Eye of the real Roo that John Bertrand AO got the sailmakers to sew into the original BKF... Part twinkle, part tenacity, and lashings of determination. Can do personified...
Now it is on to find out who is next. Who's going to grab the baton and run? Won't have to look too far, and it is exciting to see who might get themselves into the same realm as those listed above.
Big job, even bigger skills
Categorically, Simmer is the man for the job. On the matter of where to run it when we win (this time or soon enough), "Well that's interesting because all the partners have a bit of a say in where it's going to be, but you can bet it'll be somewhere in Australia."
On the subject of looking around for projects during his retirement and this is way bigger than that, Simmer said, "Yeah, tell my wife about it. I wasn't going very well in retirement, so I've got plenty on at the moment, but but I love it because we've got good young people and, if I can help pull together a team, help make the culture, help us be super competitive, then what a legacy, hey?"
The point that they have just over 12 months, and that it took Bondy and Co a whole decade, is not lost on Simmer, either. That means the legacy has public inspiration, involvement, and engagement, which off course the Kiwis are very good at. We would do well to use some of that playbook. "We're in the era of social media, and we've got a lot of great stories to tell. I think we'll gather momentum with public support. It would be nice to be competing more, but we're starting late, and we've got to focus on the big prize, and we are really focussed on that!" (Yes. It is in bold for a reason, as it is clear it IS the reason.)
On the matter of the first time
So there is no doubt that a lot of JATO rockets will be needed to get this down the short runway and airborne. A lot of that will come down to Glenn Ashby as he and ETNZ convert the very special AC75, Te Rehutai, into the yet-to-be-named Aussie beast. Apart from a whole lot of new parts, she's been at Weight Watchers and the plastique for a significant nip and tuck. Forget Grandpa's Axe, it's all new, and all very, very good.
Ashby said, "We certainly have a vertical trajectory at the moment with this cut, but what we do have is some fantastic support from Emirates Team New Zealand with the boat. We knew that it was going to be tight, but they're basically doing a great job working with us to help facilitate getting the design package available. That's been in the making now for over two years."
"The guys in New Zealand at the moment are retrofitting the old hull that we used in 2021. The bow is getting chopped off, the back of the boat cut up, and also a bit of a weight loss program. It will largely just be a carbon fibre shell, which we will then put new electronics, hydraulics, foils, systems, rig, sails, rigging and a whole new sailing team on. So when we get to Naples next year, we're going to be hitting the ground with our wheels absolutely smoking and probably on fire, but we do have the makings of a brilliant team, which we're putting team together now. So we're going to be in good shape."
"The fact that the AC75 class will be going into its third generation now is an advantage for us. Obviously, the boats get more and more refined as time goes on, but what we have the ability now to actually come into the playing field relatively up to date, and if we actually put together a good package, we move forward with our own design, simulation, sail design, mast design as we go forwards, we'll be competitive."
"At the end of the day, it's not one or two people or things that win or lose the America's Cup. It's a whole team package, and we're looking at putting together an absolute A-grade team across every single department, and that will create a foundation for the future. Whilst next year is going to be a big challenge, we're up for it, we're ready to go."
Sailing once more? "I'd say a very, very small chance of me being on board because my biggest value to the team is to make sure that the global team has a boat to use next year that's going to be fast. So if I was just focusing on the sailing side, I wouldn't be able to focus on all the other things I need to as design coordinator and performance director, so I need to keep focusing on that and I've had a good run over the years, so I'm all right."
So are there any conflicts with his role at Ferrari Hypersail? "Busy schedule at the moment for sure. I mean there's obviously been existing projects that I've been involved with over a period of time, but at the end of the day I'll be looking to put together a really great group of people around me to help with the program going forward and my focus absolutely over the next 12, 18 months is on the America's Cup. I'll still have some involvement with other projects, but that'll be minimal compared to what we'll be doing with the Cup."
"It's a massive challenge to win the America's Cup first time around with a new team. Having said that though, we do have the people and the ability, I believe, to be successful, so the beauty about the America's Cup is you never actually know until you get to the start line how you're going to go, and that's the excitement about it, and that's what we're all up for."
I pondered how it's a bit hard to have aces up your sleeve when you're effectively so in bed with the Kiwis, but we need them, and Dalts want us, desperately. How do you balance that when you're in bed over there, but we're still sleeping with others? We call it polyamory these days BTW...
"It's a great question. I think at the end of the day it's such a refinement game now in the America's Cup with the AC75. I mean, it's not a new class. Eight years ago the 75 was first drawn up and I was lucky enough to be part of the team that put that design together and basically got the agreement of Luna Rossa back in 2018 to actually turn that into the next America's Cup class."
"Shift to 2027, and I think all the teams will be much more like for like in speed and performance. So having those small differences, getting off the start line well, and then when you actually do get on the water, making sure you get the best possible performance out of the actual boat as a sailing team and as a design team is extremely important. We'll be working hard on that."
Of course, the Bay of Naples can offer everything from becalmed to decent old blow. So being good in a range of conditions will be critical, and you may argue plays into Australia's hand, a little.
"The boat, the sailing team, and the wider team will have to be very, very good in a multiple range of conditions, and I think that's the beauty about going to somewhere like Naples. It's not just the same every day. It's different and that's a great challenge for all the sailing teams."
First up needs big shoulders
She's got them, and is delightfully personable, as well. First nominated into the new era of stipulated female participation in the main game is Tash Bryant. Also part of that all-important Next Gen. To get one's mind around that, remember that her first Cup memories are San Fran, so all foiling, and not a displacement craft in sight!
She's hardly green around the gills, by any means. Quite the contrary. So what does it all mean to her? "I'm just really excited, trying to absorb as much as I can from all the sailors, the technical directors, the engineers, and everything around me. I feel like every opportunity I've been given so far, I've always been the young newbie, the rookie on the circuit, and so I kind of just have to take it on with an attitude of trying to learn as much as I can from these amazing people around me."
"Put simply, it's such a privilege to be here, and I can't wait to see where we end up in a few years' time."
Short version - Absorb. Absorb. Absorb.
Obviously it is about time, as women have been on board SailGP's F50s for five years now. That means there is a large pool of sailors, and they have good knowledge. "It was about time that something like this was going to happen, and it's really, really exciting. I'm stoked to be part of the first women's selection on board the America's Cup boats," added Bryant.
As for the legacy aspect, Bryant says, "Every conversation I have with people about their memories from '83, and all their biggest memories with the America's Cup is incredible. Just for everyone to be able to remember where they were and remember watching, even if they're not huge sailing fans, people remember that day. Just the excitement that having the America's Cup (Auld Mug) in Australia brings is incredible, and I can't wait to see where we take it."
Nothing little about this club
The Challenger is the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club. Commodore, Sven Runow, said on the day, "It's an honour and a privilege. The America's Cup is an international sporting icon, a trophy that is the Holy Grail of sailing. And for the Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club to be challenging is a dream come true, really." Given Runow has a decent old pedigree himself that goes all the way through to being on the bow of supermaxis, it's a fair old statement.
"Like you said, it's cool, and to have the backing of the Winning family, who have been such great sponsors and invested in sailing in such a big way, is such a marvellous thing."
RPEYC is now in the same sentence as Costa Smeralda and NYYC, which is pretty awesome. "It is very prestigious. We're only a really small yacht club, but it is just such an honour. To win it, and then bring it home, where we can actually defend it in front of all the supporters and Australia itself would be incredible. To now have the most participants in the Cup for many, many years is really good to see."
President of Australian Sailing, Shevaun Bruland said, "Australian Sailing proudly supports the announcement that Australia will field an official challenger for the 38th America's Cup in 2027. This is a landmark moment for our sport and reignites the country's proud association with one of the oldest and most iconic trophies in world sport."
"To see an Australian challenge return for the first time in more than two decades is incredibly exciting for our sailing community and for Australian sport more broadly. Australia has its fingerprints on almost every America's Cup and SailGP team through the involvement of our athletes, coaches, designers and technical team members."
"They are the best of the best, and now they can represent their home country in an America's Cup campaign which will also inspire more Australians to get involved in sailing at their local club. Major sporting moments create aspiration and excitement, and we know this challenge can inspire the nation and encourage the next generation of Australians to discover a lifelong connection with sailing."
This is big!
So, yes. Let's dare to dream big, and when we forget, let's remember to look across The Ditch and remind ourselves exactly what the ANZAC Spirit is all about, and then make sure perseverance, resilience, determination, humour, and honour are omnipresent. Let's not squander the opportunity.
Thank you for being a crucial part of Sail-World.com
John Curnow
Sail-World.com AUS Editor