Eight Bells: Lindsay Cunningham

Legendary sailor, multihull designer, and Australian Sailing Hall of Fame Inductee Lindsay Cunningham AM has passed. Widely known as the father of Australian multihull design, Cunningham’s visionary innovations shaped the course of competitive sailing and redefined what was possible on the water.

Cunningham’s contributions to multihull development spanned more than five decades, beginning with the groundbreaking design of the Yvonne catamaran in 1952 which laid the foundation for a new generation of high-performance multihulls, including the Quickcat, Mini Quest, XY16, and the iconic Quest series. His deep understanding of fluid dynamics and sailing mechanics led to numerous competitive breakthroughs.

“The Australian sailing community is saddened to hear about the passing of Lindsay, a man who gave so much to the sport,” said Australian Sailing CEO Malcolm Page OAM. “He was one of the true visionaries who put Australia at the forefront of global sailing technology and design at a time when competition across the space was incredibly high.”

Lindsay spearheaded the Australian campaigns that were victorious in five International C Class Catamaran Championship, known as the Little America’s Cup. He also designed and coordinated the construction of yachts which initially broke the world sailing speed record and ultimately became the first to break the highly prized 50 knot (93 kmh) barrier.

2011 Australian of the Year and current Australian Sailing Team Patron, Simon McKeon AO, raced in Cunningham’s yachts across Little America’s Cup campaigns. “I was part of a small group which had the privilege of working closely with a truly inspirational genius over many years,” said McKeon.

“Lindsay consistently impressed on us that most challenges were just temporary phenomena which could be solved and to have no fear in going where others had not yet been.”

Beyond competition, Cunningham served as a respected consultant on global sailing campaigns, including Australia’s first defense of the America’s Cup, and provided expert testimony in the landmark 1988 “Deed of Gift” legal case between a catamaran and monohull yacht.

In 1999 he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for Service to Sailing as a yacht designed and builder, and just last year was inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame.