Advance 12 KA 7

Overview

Advance (sail number KA-7) was one of the Australian challengers in the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup, the challenger selection series for the America’s Cup. She represented the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron out of Sydney, Australia. The campaign was owned and driven by Sydney property developer and long-time Cup campaigner Syd Fischer, one of the most relentless and influential figures in Australian grand prix sailing.

Unlike the better-funded Western Australian syndicate behind Australia II, Advance was very much an East Coast Sydney bid. She was built to show that New South Wales could still produce a serious Cup challenger — not just Perth.

Design and Concept

Advance was designed by Alan Payne, a legendary Australian naval architect. Payne was already famous for drawing two of Australia’s most important America’s Cup challengers: Gretel (1962) and Gretel II (1970). Those boats were respected—Gretel was widely considered as fast or faster than the American defender in 1962, and Gretel II reached the Cup match in 1970.

For Advance, Payne went radical. The hull and underbody pushed hard at the edges of the 12-Metre Rule. The boat was optimized for light-air performance, with a very experimental shape. The design direction was quite different from the other Australian hopefuls of 1983, which leaned toward high-stability shapes and (in the case of Australia II) the famous winged keel.

In practice, this gamble didn’t pay off. Contemporary accounts described Advance as “a very radical but ultimately slow design.” In other words, a brave idea that simply lacked speed when compared with the top contenders.

Payne’s approach to yacht design combined aerodynamic principles with lessons learned from offshore racing. Earlier in his career, he tank-tested dozens of models to develop Gretel, even inventing custom deck hardware to improve efficiency. That same spirit of experimentation guided Advance, though with less success.

Syndicate and Leadership

The Advance challenge was owned and managed by Syd Fischer, a dominant force in Australian sailing for decades. Fischer wasn’t a hands-off owner—he was deeply involved in design, logistics, and team management. He later financed several additional America’s Cup and offshore programs, including the 12-Metre Steak 'n Kidney for the 1987 Defender Series, continuing his mission to keep Sydney at the forefront of competitive sailing.

Because Fischer’s operation lacked the resources of Alan Bond’s Perth-based team (Australia II), Advance had to rely on improvisation and ingenuity rather than costly test programs and tank work. That financial gap made a difference in refining speed and consistency.

Skipper: Iain Murray

Advance was skippered by Iain Murray, already a star in Australia’s elite 18-foot skiff class—a hotbed for innovation and technical sailing. Murray brought cutting-edge trimming techniques, aggressive tactics, and a modern understanding of sail dynamics that helped elevate the crew’s performance.

After Advance, Murray remained active at the top of the sport. He later helped as a trial-horse skipper for Australia II, and subsequently became designer, manager, and helmsman for the Kookaburra syndicate in the 1987 Cup. Decades later, he would serve as Regatta Director for multiple America’s Cup events, including San Francisco (2013), Bermuda (2017), Auckland (2021), and Barcelona (2024–25).

The 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup Context

The 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup in Newport, Rhode Island, determined who would earn the right to challenge for the America’s Cup. The field included:

  • Australia II (KA-6) – John Bertrand / Alan Bond syndicate (Royal Perth Yacht Club)

  • Challenge 12 (KA-10) – Victorian syndicate led by Dick Pratt

  • Advance (KA-7) – Syd Fischer’s Sydney syndicate (Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron)

  • Azzurra (Italy), Victory ’83 (UK), France 3 (France), and Canada I (Canada)

This was the first Louis Vuitton-branded challenger series. Australia’s participation was remarkable—three separate syndicates, each fielding a different 12-Metre design.

Among them, Australia II’s winged keel proved revolutionary, propelling her to victory in both the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup itself, breaking the New York Yacht Club’s 132-year winning streak. Challenge 12 offered a more conventional design suited to heavy air, while Advance represented the experimental Sydney approach that ultimately fell short on raw performance.

Why Advance Still Matters

Even though Advance wasn’t a winning design, she holds an important place in 12-Metre and Australian sailing history:

  1. Alan Payne’s final 12-Metre design: His work spanned Gretel (1962) through Advance (1983), a 20-year evolution of Australian design thinking.

  2. Kept Sydney in the Cup conversation: While Western Australia dominated the headlines, Fischer’s persistence ensured the East Coast remained a serious player.

  3. Launchpad for Iain Murray: The campaign was the first major international platform for one of Australia’s greatest sailing minds.

  4. Part of the road to 1983 victory: Advance and her crew contributed to the collective Australian effort that culminated in Australia II’s historic win.

Legacy

After 1983, Syd Fischer continued to fund high-level match and offshore racing, often with quirky, patriotic names like Steak 'n Kidney—rhyming slang for Sydney. His later boats helped shape the 1987 Fremantle Defender trials and influenced future Cup campaigns.

Alan Payne remains revered in Australia as one of the nation’s great yacht designers, honored with the Alan Payne Trophy in offshore racing. His designs are remembered for their strength, balance, and elegant engineering.

Iain Murray’s later achievements in design, management, and race direction cemented his reputation as one of the most influential figures in modern sailing.

In Summary

Advance (KA-7) was the bold Sydney-made long shot of 1983 — Syd Fischer’s challenger, Alan Payne’s final radical 12-Metre, and the first America’s Cup platform skippered by Iain Murray. Though not a winner on the racecourse, she helped shape the sailors and ideas that finally ended the New York Yacht Club’s century-long grip on the America’s Cup.