Thomas William Schnackenberg (born 11 May 1945) is a New Zealand sailor (sport), sailor and yacht designer best known for his involvement with the America's Cup. He was inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 2000.

Early life and education

Schnackenberg attended Auckland Grammar School before earning a master's degree in physics from the University of Auckland and enrolling for a Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia. Having served in the Auckland Grammar School Sea Cadets, Schnackenberg joined the Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNZNVR), later acquiring a commission as a Reserve officer at HMNZS Ngapona.

Career in Sailing

Schnackenberg joined North Sails in 1974 and was first involved with the 1977 America's Cup as a sailmaker for US-27 "Enterprise", skippered by Lowell North. He returned to New Zealand in 1978 to establish a branch of North Sails there.

America's Cup Involvement

1980: Designed sails for Australia (yacht), Australia 1983: Sail coordinator for Australia II (victorious) 1987: Sail coordinator for Australia III and Australia IV (unsuccessful defense) 1988: Joined New Zealand Challenge, helped design KZ1 (yacht), KZ1 1992: Part of Spirit of Australia challenge in the Louis Vuitton Cup 1995: Design coordinator and navigator for Team New Zealand (victorious) 2000: Continued with Team New Zealand (successful defense) 2003: Promoted to syndicate head for Team New Zealand (unsuccessful defense) 2007: Performance data analyst for Luna Rossa Challenge 2010: Part of Alinghi team 2013: Data analyst for Artemis Racing

Olympic Involvement

Schnackenberg coached the New Zealand yachting team for the Olympic Games in 1992, 1996, and 2000.

Honours and Awards

1984: Honorary Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service as sail coordinator in the 1983 America's Cup challenge 1995: Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to yachting 2001: Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the University of Auckland 2001: Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of British Columbia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schnackenberg, Tom 1945 births New Zealand male sailors (sport) New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire Honorary recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Team New Zealand sailors People educated at Auckland Grammar School University of British Columbia Faculty of Science alumni University of Auckland alumni Living people 2003 America's Cup sailors 2000 America's Cup sailors 1995 America's Cup sailors New Zealand yacht designers America's Cup yacht designers Artemis Racing sailors 1988 America's Cup sailors 20th-century New Zealand sportsmen