Australia II, Racing yacht at WA Maritime Museum, Fremantle, Australia
Australia II is a 12-metre-class racing yacht displayed indoors at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle. Its pale cream hull has a dark lower section, a tall metal mast rises near the centre, and a tan sail lies furled horizontally across the upper part. Thin rigging wires run from the mast, and a glass barrier with a metal handrail stands in front of the bow.
Australia II, sailing as KA 6 for the Royal Perth Yacht Club, beat Dennis Conner's Liberty 4-3 off Newport, Rhode Island, on 26 September 1983, ending the New York Yacht Club's 132-year hold on the America's Cup. Skipper John Bertrand's crew won the deciding race by 41 seconds after 47 tacks. The yacht had earlier won the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup, defeating Azzurra in the semi-finals and Victory '83 in the final.
The Boxing Kangaroo was the official mascot of the Australia II campaign, and Men at Work's "Down Under" became the crew's anthem. The yacht's name and KA 6 sail number are visible on the hull and display panels. The crew included Olympic medal-winning sailor Colin Beashel and dual-Olympian oarsman Brian Richardson.
Australia II is on permanent display at the Western Australian Maritime Museum in Fremantle, not at Boola Bardip. A glass barrier with a metal handrail stands in front of the bow, so the hull and winged keel are viewed from behind it. Printed panels beside the tilted stand carry the headings "Australia II" and "Australia's Cup".
The yacht's Boxing Kangaroo mascot became the official emblem of the 1983 challenge, and the Men at Work song "Down Under" served as the crew's anthem. When the cup was handed over, workers had to unscrew the trophy from its pedestal in the New York Yacht Club building.
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