Yacht / Country : South Australia / KA-8
Syndicate : The Southern Australian Challenge
for the Defence of 1987 America's Cup
CEO : Graham Spurling
Yacht Club: Royal South Australian Yacht
Squadron.
Designer : Ben Lexcen
Boat Builder : Steve E. Ward & Co.
Skipper: John Savage
Souith Auistralia K 8
KA-8 was another construction of Ben Lexcen.
Sir James Hardy, former helmsman of Gretel II /
1970, Southern Cross / 1974 and Australia I
1980 made an agreement with Alan Bond to use
Australia II as trial boat and to pay Lexcen as
consultant for testing concepts which could be
eventually applied on Australia III or IV as well.
On top of that the syndicate was sponsored by
the South Australian government and 150 private
companies as a part of the 150 year’s
anniversary of this state.
A reason why she carries South Australia’s
heraldic bird “piping shrike” as white symbol on
her sides.
South Australia was a fast light wind design,
but did not perform very well in the stormy
and rough sea of Fremantle.
South Australia / KA-8 and the Defender Selection Series 1987
KA-8 was another construction of Ben Lexcen.
AMERICA’S CUP HISTORY 1983 - 2013
