Multihull designer, Australian Sailing Hall of Fame inductee and sailor Lindsay Cunningham AM (Member of the Order of Australia) has died.
Lindsay was known to many as the father of Australian multihull design, with his innovations shaping the course of competitive sailing and redefining what was possible on the water.
Lindsay was born into a sailing family with innovation in his blood and began his career working with his father Charles – a compulsive boat designer – on many of his designs.
His contributions to multihull development spanned more than five decades, beginning with the design of the Yvonne catamaran in 1952, arguably the first modern Australian catamaran class. The yacht paved the way for many of Lindsay’s multihull designs including the C Cat, Quick Cat, Mini Quest, Elwood Junior, XY16, Dolphin and Quest B2 classes.
He was one of the true visionaries who put Australia at the forefront of global sailing technology and design.
Malcolm Page
An electrical engineer by formal training, Lindsay applied his skills to create a fleet of modern multihulls which were a feature of the Australian ‘Off the Beach’ multihull scene throughout the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.
Over the course of his career, Lindsay’s understanding of fluid dynamics and sailing mechanics led to numerous competitive breakthroughs, particularly wins at the International C Class Catamaran Championship – commonly known as the Little America’s Cup.
In 1985 Lindsay’s design contributed to Australia reclaiming the championship in 1985, using the first multiple slotted, wing rigged C Class catamaran, Victoria 150, and dominating the sport for more than ten years.
In the 1990s, Lindsay set his sights on the World Sailing Speed Record, pushing the boundaries of speed sailing with his creativity and determination.
Lindsay consistently impressed on us that most challenges were just temporary phenomena which could be solved.
Simon McKeon
In 1993, his Yellow Pages Endeavour set a new world record at 46.52 knots in 19 knots of wind, holding the top spot for more than a decade.
Sixteen years later, Lindsay broke the 50-knot barrier with Macquarie Innovation, the first yacht to achieve this feat over a 500-meter course, and a major milestone in performance sailing, demonstrating that the cavitation induced speed ceiling at 50 knots was penetrable.
Beyond sail racing, Lindsay was a consultant on global sailing campaigns, including Australia’s first defence 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 in 2024 was inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame.
2011 Australian of the Year and Australian Sailing team patron, Simon McKeon AO, raced in Cunningham’s yachts across Little America’s Cup campaigns and skippered both Yellow Pages Endeavour and Macquarie Innovation.
“I was part of a small group which had the privilege of working closely with a truly inspirational genius over many years,” he said in 2024 when Lindsay was inducted.
“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.”
Australian Sailing CEO Malcolm Page OAM, added: “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.”
