Australian 'did not invent winged keel on yacht that won America's Cup'
Dutch designer claims Ben Lexcen played minor role in creating revolutionary keel for 1983 cup-winning boat
Toni O'Loughlin in Sydney
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 14 October 2009 17.13 BST
It was a sporting victory that inspired Australia's then prime minister, Bob Hawke, to declare any boss a "bum" if they sacked a worker who took the day off to revel in the nation's glory.
But now the legacy of the Australian yachting team's spectacular triumph, when it seized the America's Cup in 1983 to end the New York Yacht Club's 126-year grip, has been rocked by claims that the man hailed as a hero for the winning vessel's revolutionary design only played a minor role in its creation.
Ben Lexcen is credited for Australia II's winged keel. But Peter van Oossanen, a Dutch naval architect who worked with Lexcen on the vessel, says he can confirm what the Americans alleged in protracted court battles but could not prove - that the boat broke America's Cup rules on yachts having to be designed by residents or citizens of the country they represented.
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