1983 Louis Vuitton Cup

1st Louis Vuitton Cup
Date	1983
Winner	Australia II
Location	Newport, Rhode Island, United States

The 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup was held in Newport, Rhode Island, United States in 1983. The winner, Australia II, went on to challenge for the 1983 America's Cup.

The teams

Club	Team	Skipper	Yachts
Royal Perth Yacht Club	Australia II	John Bertrand	Australia II (KA–6)
Royal Burnham Yacht Club	Victory	Phil Crebbin, Lawrie Smith and Rodney Pattisson	Victory of Burnham (K–21), Victory '83 (K–22)
Royal Yacht Club of Victoria	Challenge 12	John Savage	Challenge 12 (KA–10)
Yacht Club Costa Smeralda	Azzurra	Mauro Pellaschier	Azzurra (I–4)
Yacht Club de France	France 3	Bruno Troublé	France 3
Secret Cove Yacht Club	Secret Cove Yacht Club Challenge	Terry McLaughlin	Canada I (KC–1)
Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron	Advance	Iain Murray	Advance

Australia II (AUS)

Owned by Alan Bond and helmed by John Bertrand, Australia II featured an innovative winged keel design developed by Ben Lexcen which helped to make it point higher, sail faster and be quicker in coming about. The boat was innovative in a number of ways, but the winged keel was the most striking design advance and the distinguishing feature of the boat.^[1] The New York Yacht Club challenged the legality of the keel design, but it was ruled to be legal. Australia II dominated the Louis Vuitton Cup and took the trophy, earning the right to compete in the 1983 America's Cup.

Victory (GBR)

Peter de Savary funded the Royal Burnham Yacht Club's Victory Syndicate. The team used three skippers over the Cup; Phil Crebbin, Lawrie Smith and Rodney Pattisson. Two boats were constructed; Victory of Burnham (K 21), Victory '83 (K 22), although K 22 was ultimately used in the Cup.

Challenge 12 (AUS)

Owned by a number of Australian businessmen from Victoria headed by Dick Pratt. Challenge 12 was also designed by Lexcen and sold to the Victorian challenge after the Bond syndicate selected Australia II.^[2] She was a fast, traditional 12 Meter, and lacked the winged keel of her sister boat Australia II. John Bertrand favored her initially, but was talked into sailing the new design by Alan Bond. She may have been superior to Australia II in heavy winds, and was a real threat to the men from the West of Australia. Skippered by John Savage.

Azzurra (ITA)

Managed by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo and funded by Aga Khan IV and Gianni Agnelli, Azzura was formed in 1982. Ambrosini was involved with the construction of the yacht Azzurra (I-4), and they proved to be a competitive new challenge. Skippered by Cino Ricci and with Mauro Pelaschier on the helm, the original Azzurra team won 24 of 49 races and developed a large and loyal following in Italy.^[3]

France 3 (FRA)

France 3, skippered by Bruno Troublé, returned for its second challenge for the America's Cup. The syndicate was financed by Yves Roussert-Rouard who had purchased the boat from Marcel Bich who had financed the first four French challenges. The syndicate was hampered by money problems and an inexperienced crew.^[4]

Canada (CAN)

Canada returned to the Cup as a challenger for the first time in over a hundred years. Their boat Canada would be completely revamped and compete again three years later at the 1987 Cup as Canada II.

Advance (AUS)

A Sydney challenger owned and run by Australian sailing legend, Syd Fischer. A very radical but ultimately slow design by Alan Payne, the designer of Gretel I and II. Skippered by 18-foot skiff champion, Iain Murray.

Finals

	Semi-finals				Final
	Australia II
	Azzurra
					Australia II	4
					Victory '83	1
	Victory '83
	Canada I

Semi-finals

Australia II defeated Azzurra while Victory '83 defeated Canada I.^[5]

Final

Australia II defeated Victory '83 4-1 in the final to win the Louis Vuitton Cup and go on to compete in the America's Cup.

References