Australia II’s feat can be repeated in America’s Cup says Tom Slingsby
THIRTY four years after Australia II’s win in the America’s Cup one of our greatest sailors says not only can we win again we can do it with an all-Aussie team including women sailors.
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THIRTY four years after Australia II’s win in the 1983 America’s Cup one of our greatest sailors says not only can we win again we can do it with an all-Aussie team including women sailors.
Olympic champion, multiple world titleholder and America’s Cup winner Tom Slingsby is hunting for sponsor backing as he attempts to recreate what is still considered one of Australia’s greatest sporting moments - and the outpouring of national pride it triggered.
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The long-term goal of the first Australian to be named World Sailor of the Year is to see the America’s Cup fought in the natural amphitheatre of Sydney Harbour.
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He would also like to see a Bledisloe Cup style competition battle with New Zealand raced in the lead up to the Cup.
“If we got a team together everyone in the world could know we would be one of the hardest to beat,” said Slingsby, who won the Cup with Oracle in 2013 under Australian two-time winning skipper James Spithill and raced again this year when New Zealand regained the Cup with a crew lead by Australian Glenn Ashby.
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Slingsby has the contacts to pull together a “dream team” of both male and female sailors so Australia can compete for the first time since 2000, but says he needs to act quickly before they are snared by rivals teams.
I would like to see a woman sailing. It is an old boys club
“There has been interest but we just need one to make that leap of faith,” he said.
“It’s about one big fish coming in then everyone will follow. Someone believe in what we could do and getting behind us and getting a whole country.
“I just need to find that national pride and spirit we saw in 1983, the type of backing the New Zealander’s give their All-Blacks and their sailing.”
Slingsby said the amount of talent here means he is looking at putting together an all-Australian team, including women.
“The last America’s Cup was all about power to weight ratio and all our grinders were 98 kilos, but with more traditional sailing we will need lighter and women could be an option with their tactical ability and steering expertise.
“I would like to see a woman sailing. It is an old boys club.”
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The Australia II team were in Sydney last weekend for their induction to the inaugural Sailing Australia Hall for Fame.
Other inductees were solo round the world sailor Kay Cottee, Australia’s first female Olympic gold medallists Jenny Armstrong and Belinda Stowell, Paralympic dual gold medallists Dan Fitzgibbons and Liesl Tesch, our first gold medal winning Olympic crew, Rolly Tasker and coach Victor Kovalenko.