John Bertrand and Alan Bond joined former prime minister Bob Hawke in Sydney on the 30th anniversary of the America's Cup victory in 2013.
Hawk gay bar nyc series#
The US had lost only three of 39 races dating back to 1937, and had dropped just nine races since the America's Cup began in 1851.īut, with the 1983 series tied at 3-3 going into race seven, one member, with a no-dial rotary telephone in hand, was given the job of relaying information from Newport to an increasingly concerned gathering within the club. Most of the previous series were lopsided, with the defender rarely troubled. So, with no television or radio on the premises, the only way to get updates on the racing was from an open telephone line to Newport.īecause retaining the America's Cup was almost a formality, members hadn't felt the need to closely follow each day's racing. Then, like now, it was a cosy and refined refuge where members could peacefully enjoy a drink, meal and thoughtful conversation without distraction. In contrast to Manhattan's rowdy sports bars, the New York Yacht Club had (in its own words) a "ship-at-sea echo". The US hands over the America's Cup, with Australia II ending a 132-year winning streak in 1983. On American soil, Zimbabwe Prime Minister Robert Mugabe, who had risen to power three years earlier, was on a tense state visit to Washington DC. That same day, Soviet military officer Stanislav Petrov averted a possible nuclear war by correctly identifying a US missile attack warning in Moscow as a false alarm.
Hawk gay bar nyc full#
And, with the Cold War still in full swing, it was also a kind of entente cordiale: two potential adversaries breaking bread in the name of a higher cause. In the heart of a city with the world's highest concentration of psychiatrists, the meal with a gracious American host had the unfettered air of a therapy session. So, the New York Yacht Club visitors' book for the evening of September 26, 1983, registered one Australian guest. Instead, there was an invitation to join him and his wife for a complimentary dinner at the club. Once the vehicle was out of sight, a few of the members lingered on the footpath, trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed, including a middle-aged man with red eyes.įortunately, the man did not throw punches in a fit of New York rage when approached by a journalist from Sydney interested in hearing his views.
Jason Dasey lands in New York City in September 1983. In holiday mode, joining some fellow Australian journalists in a Manhattan bar, someone remarked what a great story it would be to sneak into the New York Yacht Club to see how the members were handling the shock of losing the cup. The America's Cup was the last thing on my mind when air tickets were booked several months earlier. I'd started the marathon journey from Sydney with Australia II headed for a noble defeat but arrived in New York City with John Bertrand's crew pulling off the near impossible. This moment in history coincided with my first trip - a backpacker-style vacation - to the United States.
As uplifting as the result was for underdog Aussies 16,000 kilometres away, it was, in equal measure, devastating for those supporting the losing favourite. There, more than anywhere else, at the club's home since 1901, the impact of Australia II's triumph was being felt.
Three hundred kilometres south of the racing off Rhode Island, the New York Yacht Club was in a state of shock, unprepared for the end of a winning streak - the longest in sports - dating back to 1851. It was on September 26, 1983, that Australia II completed an improbable comeback over US boat, Liberty, winning race seven at Newport, Rhode Island, for a 4-3 victory overall, having trailed 3-1.īack in Australia, a nation celebrated, led by a champagne-soaked prime minister in Perth.Īfter a night of watching the drama on television, Bob Hawke effectively declared the following day - a Tuesday - a national public holiday, saying: "Any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up today is a bum."īob Hawke gave advice to Australia's bosses after the America's Cup win in 1983. The New York Yacht Club in mourning might be the last place you'd expect a visiting Australian to try to gatecrash.īut that's where I found myself on that fateful night: borrowing an oversized blue blazer, jumping in a yellow cab to West 44th Street and talking my way into the members' only enclave.Īnd all because an elitist yachting competition had somehow captivated our entire nation. A weepy, funeral-like procession in midtown Manhattan and an empty champagne bottle turned upside down: two striking images from the day the US lost the America's Cup for the first time after more than a century of dominance - exactly 38 years ago.