America’s Cup: John Winning Jnr dreaming big of Australian return as women, youth test waters

The oldest continuous sporting event is getting a facelift with young guns and women entering the America’s Cup fray and a proud Aussie hoping it will trigger new interest in The Auld Mug.

Tom Needham training in Barcelona for the Youth event.. Picture: Supplied/Eugenia Brunazzo

He’s usually behind a desk running his business and preparing for the start of the 18-foot skiff season on Sydney Harbour at this time of year.

But over the next few weeks John “Herman” Winning will instead be in Barcelona on a special mission.

The 40-year-old retail business whiz’s Andoo online business is the naming sponsor of the Team Australia Challenge putting both a youth and women’s team in Spanish waters during the expanded 2024 America’s Cup.

Winning is supporting the two crews racing the super-fast foiling AC40s, scouting for intel and insight on the best way to pull together a challenge for the next battle for The Auld Mug in another four years and putting feelers out for interest in Australia returning.

The CEO of the Winning Group, founder of Appliances Online and self-confessed adrenaline junkie’s backing of the Youth and Women’s challenges is a crucial part of Australia dipping its toe back into the often controversial, sometimes murky but always fascinating waters of America’s Cup racing.

Alan Bond holds up the America's Cup watched on by John Bertrand, left, after Australia II defeated the United States contestant Liberty.

“I don’t know for sure what my plans are. I know what my dream is,” Winning said.

“My dream would be to be involved in some capacity in helping make an open America’s Cup team happen.

“I’d love to have some involvement in seeing Australia, represented by our guys on other boats, have their own boat in the future.

“There’s obviously a lot of other people and a lot of effort from a whole team of people to do it.

“It might be something that I think, after going to Barcelona, that is, you know, out of reach. I don’t know how excited the Australian public or sailing fans are to see it happen.

“But what I’m going to do is all my homework, so I’ve got all the answers of what it might take to do a team and then I’ll make a decision.

“If it’s something that I’ve got the time, energy and effort for and the capability of putting together. Not just getting a team to the start line, having a team that’s got a chance of winning it, or be in very good shape.”

John Winning Jnr is keen to gauge interest in helping return Australia to the America's Cup.

The America’s Cup has a history of memorable battles - none more so than Australia II’s incredible comeback victory to win the 1983 event under skipper John Bertrand.

It’s an event which Winning holds dear to his heart despite not even being born when Australians celebrated with an outpouring of joy and pride a team of battlers beating the American boat Liberty 4-3 after being 1-3 down to end the world’s longest sporting streak.

He has a long family history in sailing and has won a world 29er crown, a couple of JJ Giltinan 18-footer world titles and raced the ocean mauler Andoo Comanche to line honours in the 2023 Sydney to Hobart.

He loves technology, speed and anything which gets his heart beating faster and has close mates who are at the top of the game in the America’s Cup but racing for rival nations, including Australian sailing GOAT Tom Slingsby.

But perhaps the most important reason is that Winning said in his 40 years he does not believe there has been such a special or unifying moment to match the uninhibited celebrations after Australia II’s win.

The AC 75s racing in a preliminary regatta off Barcelona. The Youth and Women’s regattas will be raced in the smaller AC40s. Picture: Alberto Paredes/Europa Press via Getty Images

“I’d like to do it for the sake of Australia. I want that feeling when, you know, Australians are listening on the radio in their cars and then when Australia II crossed that finish line, I hear every car stopped on the Harbour bridge and people got out and hugged each other,” said Winning, who is keen to add his strategic nous to a Cup campaign.

“One of those amazing sporting moments when Australians feel proud that it’s their moment.”

His support and backing - he is also a co ambassador and patron alongside Bertrand of the Team Australia Challenge - will give Winning a bird’s eye view of the inside machinations of a campaign at the Youth and Women’s events while helping create a pool of talent for the future of the sport.

Olympic silver medallist Nina Curtis, John Bertrand and John Winning Jr at the announcement of Team Australia Challenge for the Youth and Women’s events. Picture: Richard Dobson

“I’ve watched it all on TV but I want to get there and immerse myself,“ Winning said.

Australia sailors - the final race crews will be confirmed next week - fly to their Barcelona base next week for as much pre-event training as they can in the head-turning foiling 40 footers being used in the Youth and Women’s event.

Until recently the sailors have been training on a simulator which resembled a giant video game based at Winning’s Alexandria offices but recently managed four days of training on a borrowed boat in Barcelona.

“It was epic,” said Youth sailor Max Paul.

“We just can’t wait to get over there and do Australia proud.”

The Youth and Women’s America’s Cup events will take place in September and October.

The Youth Cup begins after a practice period for all invited teams, which includes Australia, on September 17.

The Women’s Americas Cup practice starts on September 28 with the regatta itself beginning on October 5 and running through to October 10.

Each of the America’s Cup syndicates will field teams in both the Youth and Women’s events in New Zealand, Great Britain, USA, Italy, Switzerland and France.

The invited teams for the events are Australia, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, Germany and Sweden.

The famed America’s Cup has already begun with a preliminary regatta starting on August 22.

The America’s Cup Match will be held from October 12-27.

Originally published as America’s Cup: John Winning Jnr dreaming big of Australian return as women, youth test waters