The only time Australians (outside of the posh elite who actually sail and sponsor the race and boats) cared about sailing was when we won the Americas Cup. Now granted, I wasn’t alive for it, but I feel like we only cared because of Bob Hawkes legendary “Any boss that doesn’t let their workers take a day off is a bum” line.
I feel like outside of the Yachting community, the average Sydneysider - letalone Australian cares for the Syd-Hob for about an hour. More people surely care for the Boxing Day test match.
At my old job, the CEO actually was a Yachty, and I think he may have sailed in the race once or twice. Our company actually sponsored a boat, and the only reason I know this is because of the multiple fucking emails we used to get in the lead up to Christmas imploring us to get behind the team on the boat. We also had a work party (on the bosses boat)l - yes he had a few) during a race he was participating in around Sydney Harbour (He was racing in a little boat, not a Yacht). I was just there for the free piss on board. we had a sweep going on the race, and I got the boat that snapped a mast about 20 minutes in.
After we docked at the Double Bay sailing club, we got on more free drinks and I ended up winning $500 on the pokies off $20. That was the night a co-worker got fired for doing a line of cocaine in plain view of everybody else in the main bar. Fucking rookie error. That or he was too hanmered to care.
I hate to be the guy with a BA Hist that concentrated on Australian social, cultural and sporting history, but …
Sailing used to be a massively working class sport, with people building skiffs/18fts in their backyards in Balmain and Pyrmont and racing them on the harbour.
It’s only in the post war period that that fell away and it became a rich pursuit.
Growing up in Balmain in the 90s, I only knew of one person that did sailing, and that was because his old man worked at the shipyards at Blackwattle Bay.
My old man was in the RAN For 35 years and told me the roughest sea he was in was bass straight.
I can’t remember which ship he was on at the time but he emphasisesd that it was a bloody big ship. Said that it bent and took on a fuck tonne of water in bass straight.
I suppose different days/conditions would give different experience. He said the funny thing about rough sea is that you can throw a cork in it and it’ll never sink. I always found that profound
I was only a kid but the nation seemed pretty obsessed with it.
Ben lexon invented the winged keel that took the cup away from the Americans. It was a big deal outside of Hawkes statement due to the underdog/Aussie innovation. Even remember it being a thing in movie previews showing our secret weapon.
The news followed through with the sinking of the boat and subsequent vessel and then I remember something about NZ winning it but with a catamaran or something and it eventually just lost interest over time.
I was also just a kid, but I remember us topping the medal tally at the Brisbane Commonwealth Games in ‘82, followed by the America’s Cup win in ‘83, and I just assumed that every year Australia would win some big international sporting event.
I was in for a rude shock come the ‘84 Olympic Games in L.A.
The opening ceremony of those games, all I knew about Irish people were Irish jokes, so I remember asking in a very confused and disappointed way “where are all the funny people?!” when the perfectly normal looking Irish athletes were walking into the stadium waving to the crowd on our very high definition TV. Can we put institutionalised casual racism to the gear grind list?
That was the night a co-worker got fired for doing a line of cocaine in plain view of everybody else in the main bar. Fucking rookie error. That or he was too hanmered to care.