BRISBANE—Alan Bond's biographer says the corporate high flyer would be "absolutely livid" at reports he paid hush money to a Dutch architect about inventing the winged keel that guided the Australia II yacht to America's Cup victory in 1983.
Ben Lexcen's contribution to the winged keel came into doubt on Wednesday when Dutch naval architect Peter van Oossanen broke his silence after 26 years, saying he and Dutch aerodynamics expert Joop Slooff, were the main designers of the winged keel.
Van Oossanen said he was given a $25,000 gift from Australia II owner Alan Bond, which he now regarded as hush money for keeping the secret of the keel's origin.
However, Gold Coast based writer Rob Mundle, the author of Alan Bond's authorised 2004 biography, says this is the Dutch naval architect's second attempt at fame.
"This is an old story - (van Oossanen's) done it before and is just reviving the claims," Mundle said.
"It's now 26 years later. It's a bit like the older someone gets, the more famous they become in their own eyes."
Mundle, who covered the America's Cup as a journalist for The Australian and Channel 10 in 1983, said Bond would be "absolutely livid" at the claims.
"I'm extremely disappointed," Mundle said.
"The New York Yacht Club did everything they could, they went to unbelievable lengths to try and prove that Ben didn't design that keel.
"They went to Holland using fair means and foul to prove it wasn't Benny's idea.
"Oossanen could have stood up then, but he didn't, and one has to ask whether he would be doing this if Ben was still alive today."
The Australia II syndicate was given permission from the New York Yacht Club to use Holland as a base to design the keel, as Australia didn't have the facilities in 1983.
Mundle said Lexcen conceived the idea for the winged keel late one night while testing water drag patterns on towing tank models.
"He was there with a young technician from The Netherlands' ship model base and it was that conversation there and then where Ben said `wow, this is where we go'," Mr Mundle said.
"And that person sitting on the trolley with Ben that night wasn't Oossanen."
