James
Spithill
Australia
·
Sailing
Date of birth | June 28, 1979 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Sydney, Australia |
Age | 46 |
Nationality | Australia |
Career start | 2000 |
Disciplines | Yacht Racing |
James ‘Jimmy’ Spithill is one of the most decorated sailors in the world. At the age of 30, he made history by becoming the youngest skipper to win the America's Cup, but his sailing success goes far beyond that.
The Australian grew up in a small town called Pittwater, north of Sydney, virtually surrounded by water and with no access by road, so his home was only accessible by boat and sailing became an everyday necessity. “It was a way of life to spend hours on the water,” he says. “It’s like a surfer growing up at Sunset Beach.”
Fast forward to one of the most monumental achievements in world sailing history: the crew of Australia II became the first team to wrestle the America’s Cup from the New York Yacht Club in the Auld Mug’s 132-year history in September 1983 – and crew members Colin Beashel and Rob Brown just happened to be from Pittwater. The celebrations went on for weeks and set in stone the young Jimmy Spithill’s ambition to emulate his local heroes one day.
“I was only four, but I remember the impact that win had on our entire country,” Jimmy says. “Two of the crew members were my neighbours and I worshipped them and wanted to be just like them.”
He won his first race at the age of 10, with his eight-year-old sister as his crew, and he was later named Youth Sailor of the Year. That victory was just the first of many to come. Jimmy continued winning more races, with many predicting he would one day achieve great things. A steady rise through Australian sailing onto the world stage followed. He debuted in the America’s Cup as a skipper at the age of 20 with Young Australia, becoming the youngest helmsmen in the revered race’s history, and then had stints at the helm of the Oneworld, in 2003, and Luna Rossa Challenge in 2007.
“The greatest thing about this sport is people judge you on your skill and talent, not your age,” he says. “I was lucky as I have always been surrounded by great people.”
In 2010, Jimmy made his mark on the sailing world by becoming the youngest-ever winner of the America’s Cup, as helmsman and skipper of BMW Oracle Team 90. “It was relief and ecstasy, like a huge weight came off my shoulders,” he says of his 2010 win. Three years later, in 2013, Jimmy led one of the greatest sporting comebacks ever, as Oracle Team USA came from 8-1 behind to overcome Emirates Team New Zealand 9-8 to claim his second America's Cup victory.
“That was very satisfying,” he says. “It took the entire team to have an attitude of never giving up and looking after their team-mates.”
In 2017 Jimmy once again led Oracle team USA to the America's Cup finals, though this time Emirates Team New Zealand took the spoils.
In March 2018, Jimmy announced he was returning to Luna Rossa Challenge for their tilt at the 36th America's Cup in New Zealand in 2021. The move proved to be a good one and Jimmy led his Italian team to a dominant 7-1 win over INEOS Team UK in the Prada Cup Final in February 2021, earning them a shot at the America's Cup.
Victory in New Zealand proved to be elusive, however, and the America's Cup title went to the existing holders, Team New Zealand, who won seven races against Luna Rossa's three.
After another thrilling America's Cup campaign in 2024, in which Spithill's Luna Rossa team were narrowly pipped by INEOS Team Britannia in the final of the Louis Vuitton Challenger Selection Series, Spithill announced a new direction for his stellar career, becoming founder and CEO of the newly-minted Red Bull Italy SailGP Team, overseeing an all-star crew including the talents of Ruggero Tita, Giulia Fava and Andrea Tesei, with the aim of challenging for the title in the fast-paced series.