Kookaburra III
Kookaburra III (KA 15) was the Australian 12 Metre yacht sailed by Iain Murray in the 1987 America's Cup held off of Fremantle, Australia. She won the Defender Selection and represented Australia in the America's Cup, where she lost to American challenger Dennis Conner and his Stars & Stripes 87.
Design
Preparing for the defense of the America's Cup, Alan Bond expressed concerns that there was a lack of adequate competition in Australia to prepare for the event. Business rival Kevin Parry took him up on the challenge. Gathering together top sailors from across Australia, Parry's Taskforce 87 Syndicate generated a top flight campaign, comprising an investment of some A$28M.
Kookaburra III was built in Perth, Western Australia by Parry Boat Builders. She was the third of the Kookaburra boats built by the Taskforce 87 Syndicate, all of which were designed by Iain Murray and John Swarbrick. The golden hulled Kookaburra's were fast and evenly matched, particularly Kookaburra II and Kookaburra III. Kookaburra II was intended to be a bench mark boat and was left unaltered from May 1986 on, while significant changes went into the hulls and keels of Kookaburra I and Kookaburra III. Throughout Kookaburra II remained a very fast sailer. Iain Murray believed her to be the syndicates fastest right up until the Defender Finals, when Kookaburra III finally became faster as a result of a keel modification.
Podcasts:
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by John Vanderslice
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by Barney
Kookaburra
by: John VandersliceLightning shot from the sky
It breathed life into every, every living thing
It made you, it made me
It gave us the Kookaburra, it gave us
Frangipane tree
From dusk to dawn and dawn to dusk
The sky will fill with vaporized dust, raining
White on white, like streamers of dirty confetti
White on white, the Chrysler Tower had disappeared
White on white, the capitol dome was invisible
White on white, the hoisted flag had disappeared
It can't be stopped
Thunder clouds are tightening in the sky tonight
We can't be saved
Electricity will scribble out your name
Lightning shot from the sky
It gives, it takes away from every living thing
It made you, it made me
It gave us the terrabyte, it gave us 117
From dusk to dawn and dawn to dusk
The sky will fill with vaporized dust, raining
White on white, like streamers of dirty confetti
White on white, the gleaming spire had disappeared
White on white, and the star was invisible
White on white, the hoisted flag had disappeared
White phosphor rain
And blackout bombs are falling out the sky tonight
We can't be saved
Electricity is crossing out your family name
It made you, it made me
It gave us the Kookaburra, it gave us