The 25th America’s Cup (1983)
AMERICA’S CUP HISTORY 1983 - 2013
Australia II (KA-4) won as
first challenger the Americas Cup
after 132 years
Liberty (US 40) the luckless
loser of the AC 1983
With the first challenge in 1870 by the
British, the NYCC was able to defend
the Cup successfully in 24 races.
Defender and challenger sailed with
magnificent yachts which were
financed by syndicates of the then
most powerful industrialists. They
developed various powerful boat
classes. The last one was the already
smaller, but still expensive J-Class.
The "Endeavour II" fought in the AC
1937 with "Ranger" to the last time.
The Second World War (1939-45)
broke the America's Cup until 1958. A
change of the "Deed of Gift" reducing
the minimum waterline from 90 to 44
feet enabled the introduction of the
already successful 12-m class. But the
90 feet were not deleted and
interpreted later on as maximum
length (see AC 1988)
The 12ms sailed in 10 Cups (1958, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1980, 1983 and
1987)
1983 was the year in which the New York Yacht Club, resp.. the United States lost after 132
years for the first time the America's Cup's to a challenger, in this case to the Australian Royal
Perth YC with its Australia II
