Born to Win: A Lifelong Struggle to Capture the America's Cup

A 132-year dominance in anything isn't likely to go quietly and the 1982 America's cup was no different. The American tradition of cut-throat-competitive yacht racing regularly produced America's cup defenders of the highest caliber and it was a major step to even grasp the magnitude of what really needed to be done in order to have a fighting chance at winning the race, let alone to actually carry it out. However, one man accomplished exactly that, he did it in style, and we are most fortunate to have this tome "printed in lightning bolts" as the foreword author, Richard Bach, puts it. At the heart of it, the book is about much more than winning a boat race (although, to be fair, a very large portion of the book covers exactly that). It is the story of a man and his single-minded pursuit of his dream. The story grips the reader and draws you into the life of Bertrand. It puts you right there, standing right beside him at the helm through every mishap and expertly executed maneuver. It also takes tells the story away from the water, the stories of the exceptional men with whom he sailed, as well as his family. You will discover, along with Bertrand, what it takes to do what nobody has ever done before and, when all is said and done, you will feel privileged to have sailed with him. I also wish to correct a gross injustice in the review written by Art Tirrel. It is clear that, at the time that he wrote his review, he had not read the book in its entirety. Had he done so, he would have known that Bertrand's boat, Australia II, was not in fact faster than Liberty, Dennis Conner's. He would have also noticed that the "charismatic Aussies" were not poorly organized and had to deliver the performance of their lives in order to win. To have suggested facts "from the reading" which are clearly contrary to what is written is bordering on insulting, and I can only guess at his motives for writing an inaccurate review. A true underdog story, a magnificent recollection of one of the great sporting achievements of the 20th century, an endearing personal account of a man's journey - however you want to look at it, a riveting read. One of those rare books which will both entertain and educate the reader.

There's a saying in sailboat racing: nothing makes you look smarter than a fast boat. Yet John Bertrand and the crew of Australia II, despite having the demonstrably superior yacht, nearly failed to win the 1983 regatta that ended the longest winning streak in the history of sport. Bertrand begins at the low point. Down three races to one in the best of seven series, Australia II is on her way out for the fifth race. One more loss and it's over. What follows makes blow by blow, hold-your-breath reading. Bertrand opens with a major blunder. Australia II is over early - on the course before the starting signal - and has to go back and start correctly, thus handing the Americans and Dennis Conner a one minute advantage. In match racing, such an error is almost always fatal. Once again, however, when you have the fast boat, mistakes tend not to be as costly. Eventually, Australia II makes up the lost time and sails to a wide margin of victory to remain alive in the series. So, if they had the faster boat, how did Bertrand and crew manage to lose those three races? From the reading, I see two answers; in the "slow" boat, the American team sailed a series of unsurpassed magnificence, and the Australian team committed mistake after mistake. Race one - steering failure; race two - mainsail headboard broke; race five the major blunder described above. Fact is, from Bertrand's telling the charismatic Aussies were poorly organized in general. To complicate matters, syndicate owner Alan Bond's hatchet man Warren Jones seemed to enjoy putting the screws to Bertrand at every opportunity. Given these pressures, it's a miracle Bertrand could function on the water at all. Born to Win stands out for its wonderful race descriptions and inside knowledge but sags when the author delves into the underlying personal issues - where maybe he sounds a little too self-serving. But what would you expect, it is his side of things he's telling. Art Tirrell - author of The Secret Ever Keeps, Spring 2007 ISBN 978-1-60164-004-8.

This book is fabulous! For sailors, the story alone is worth the read, but it is much more than just a story about sailing. Bertrand's description of the final race against "the red boat" (Dennis Connor) is so powerful that I felt what he and his crew felt, even before I had read what they felt! Any reader interested in the nature of sport and competition will find this book valuable.

Fantastic book. It is an instructive lesson in how to prepare for what you overwhelmingly want to achieve. Being set in the context of one of the most famous sporting events in history, the attempt to wrest the America's Cup from the US after 132 years, makes it that much more exciting. Sailors will love it, but anyone interested in the psychology of winning will gain from this book.