The noisy bird Kookaburra belongs to the kingfishers family and gave the Australian 12-m yacht its name. 1987 had all boats, whether Defenders  or Challenger, wing keels of various constructions. As winner of the AC 83 Australia had now to defend the Cup for 1987. Four teams with six boats were nominated for the Defender Selection Series to determine the winner, who then defends alone the Cup. The main opponents were Allen Bond and Kevin Perry. Both sailed (and disputed) under the Royal Perth YC . Australian media criticized that the YC was more concerned about his financial success and cared and showed little interest in a perfect yacht with a strong crew, with the synergy of both teams. Kookaburra III won the Defender Selection Series against Bond's Australia IV but lost the AC against Dennis Conner's US-55.