Bertrand and Conner meet again

by Annabel Merrison on 10 Feb 2006 John Bertrand takes the helm of the Ericsson VO60 Yacht, in a re-match of the race of the century: The 1983 America’s Cup race against arch-rival American Dennis Conner.

Australian sailing hero John Bertrand will be going head to head with arch-rival Dennis Connor for the first time since Bertrand’s victory over Conner at the 1983 America’s Cup on Saturday at the CMV Volvo Challenge.

Bertrand will be attempting to re-live breaking 132 years of American domination and the longest-running record in the history of modern sport. He will be skippering the Ericsson VO60 yacht that has also experienced significant glory.

Branded Ericsson in November 2005, this V060 yacht has had an illustrious history including many wins under past sponsorships and with well-known skippers at the helm. From winning the grueling Whitbread Round the World Race 1997-8 (under Skipper Paul Cayard for EF Language) and the Volvo Ocean Race (formerly Whitbread) in 2001-2 (under Skipper John Kostecki for illbruck), the Ericsson VO60 also came second in the treacherous 2005 Sydney to Hobart. It has continued its illustrious career on the high seas with a 12-month sponsorship of Ericsson, leveraging its entry in the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race.

Bertrand’s comeback in the ’83 America’s Cup, from 3-1 down to eventual victor, ensured the race went down in history as perhaps the greatest upset in modern Australian sports history. The re-match, taking place at 2:30pm at Sandringham Yacht Club, Melbourne, is sure to offer extreme drama on the water.

Stephanie Huf, General Manager of Public Affairs for Ericsson Australia said: ‘it is very exciting to have Australian legend John Bertrand at the helm of the Ericsson VO60 in this event and we are hoping that he will make history again.’