It was the race that couldn’t be won by us, but we did.
In a yacht race that has been running since its birth in 1851, the America’s Cup is a prestige yacht race with the New York Yacht Club and a rival international yacht club. Challengers have been the Royal Yacht Squadron, Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Royal Sydney Yacht Club, Royal Ulster Yacht Club and many more.
From 1851 to 1980, the New York Yacht Club had an undefeated streak. However, it wasn’t until 1983, when Australian businessman Alan Bond and the Royal Perth Yacht Club finally broke through the barrier and beat the defending champions, with the yacht Australia II.
The headlines went around the world, but it was the highly amusing interview with then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke talking to Channel 9’s Today breakfast show program where he was expressing his absolute delight. In this interview, he coined his famous catchphrase “Any boss who sacks a worker for not turning up today is a bum!”
