The buccaneering tycoon scored one of Australian sport’s most spectacular successes before being jailed for a billion-dollar fraud
On 19 January 1974, a pack of journalists and dignitaries descended upon a new marina an hour north of Perth to watch property developer and business collector Alan Bond launch his first America’s Cup attempt. The upstart Australian, who became a millionaire in his 20s by trading property for credit, had a knack for starting new suburbs, and this was to be his crowning achievement.
Yanchep Sun City, a luxury lifestyle city of 200,000 people, would be Perth’s sophisticated neighbour. And the greatest drawcard: it would host the 1977 America’s Cup, after Bond’s 12-metre yacht, Southern Cross, lived up to his frequent boast that it was the fastest boat in the world and won the challenge.
Related: Alan Bond, America's Cup hero and jailed fraudster, dies age 77
Anyone who considers racing for the America’s Cup isn’t a business proposition is a bloody fool
You only get one Alan Bond in your lifetime, and I’ve had mine
Related: Alan Bond obituary
Continue reading...