A slick new sailboat hovers in the air, its logo – an encircled “9AM” – glistening like a mini rainbow over Sydney Harbour. The “9″ refers to the craft’s length in metres, the “A” is for Richie Allanson, and the “M” for Iain Murray – two supremos of Australian sailing who have together devised the genre-bending boat.

“We wanted to make something that was beautiful and simple but also wild and fast that represented the best of new technology,” says Murray, whose inductions last year into both the America’s Cup and Australian Sailing halls of fame acknowledge half a century of nautical prowess.