James Hardy

The son of a winemaker and competitive sailor, James Hardy studied at the South Australian Institute of Technology (now part of the University of South Australia) and joined the family wine business, Thomas Hardy and Sons, in 1953. Having won his first Australian national Flying Dutchman championship at the age of 16, he was selected as a reserve for the tournament at the Tokyo Olympics, but his only actual Olympic appearance came in 1968 in the 5.5 metre class. In Mexico City, he finished seventh with Bill Solomons and Gilbert Kaufman. He was also the challenger at three America’s Cups, in 1970, 1974, and 1980, but never won.

Hardy was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1975 for his services to sport, as well as his philanthropic efforts, and he was knighted in 1981. He was inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame in 1994 and received the Australian Sports Medal in 2000.