RORC
Club page Gathering dust?
In Sydney a group of Australians thought it would be a good idea to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Australia winning the Admiral’s Cup. Crazy… absolutely not. There was huge enthusiasm for the idea and the Admiral’s Cup Anniversary Regatta went ahead at the beginning of December in Sydney as a joint venture between the Classic Yacht Association of Australia, Sydney Amateur Sailing Club, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. The event had three co-patrons, each with very special connec-
tions to the Admiral’s Cup: Syd Fischer, who competed eight times in his various Ragamuffins and captained the Australian team on six occasions; Gordon Ingate, skipper of Caprice of Huon, winner of three races in a row in the 1965 event; and Sir James Hardy, who contested the Cup in his own yachts and also as a helmsman on Impetuous during the second Australian victory in 1979. Entry was open to any yacht that had represented Australia in
the Admiral’s Cup or had sailed in the selection trials. Twenty-one entries were attracted for a three-race series raced on Sydney
members from every era. RORC agreed that the event would not be the same without the Admiral’s Cup itself and had it shipped to Australia for the occasion. There it was introduced on the night as the ‘guest of honour’ and was carried into the club by the sons of the three owners in the 1967 team… A special moment, met with rapturous applause.
Across the pond Twenty-three boats eventually came to the startline outside the city of Arrecife. All week in the lead-up to the start an unusual southerly airstream had created big, confused seas on the usual flat water side of the island – then on the morning of the start the forecast 12-15kt of wind failed to materialise! Despite the calm conditions the fleet for the fourth edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race enjoyed a good – but well-behaved – skirmish before heading west. The extensive pre-race social programme put on by the Calero
family, owners of the host Marina Lanzarote, created a very enjoyable together ness and warmth between all of the competitors. At the same time the RC44 circuit was having its final championship event at Marina Lanzarote so the transatlantic sailors were mingling with many of the world’s top professional and America’s Cup sailors and a number were invited out to take part in an RC44 race in the guest slot. The weather maps showed a complex low
to the north of the Canary Islands with a ridge of high pressure between this weather system with its southerly airstream and the NE trade winds to the south. The consensus computer- predicted routeings were sending the fleet north so it was a brave call from Ludde Ingvall with his big canting-keel cigar CQS to go south as soon as they passed Gran Canaria; it worked out well for the CQS crew, however – they had picked the narrowest part of the ridge and were first to break through to the trades on day three. Of the pack going north the quick Ker 51
Varuna was forced to return to Lanzarote with structural damage after pounding into confused
seas. The French Teasing Machine 3and German Outsidernow took up the challenge, regularly matching the pace of the much larger recently launched 96ft cruiser-racer Sorceress and previous race winner, the Marten 72 Aragon. Meanwhile, the most northerly boat, the Volvo 70 Monster Project, was steadily falling away astern. In the middle of the fleet a close battle was playing out between
Top: Kingara and Too Impetuous offer a reminder of the fun to be had pressing downwind under a big masthead rig… several former Admiral’s Cuppers also flew bloopers during the 50th Anniversary Regatta. Three veteran Admiral’s Cup campaigners (above): Ron Packer, Peter Cantwell (Police Car) and Peter Briggs (Hitchhiker)
Harbour and including a short offshore race. Among the famous old racers taking part wereCaprice of Huon, the first Ragamuffin, Salacia II, Love & War,Mister Christian, Anitra V, Mercedes III and IV, Pacha and the original Wild Oats (a Farr 43). In addition,Anitra Vand Lorita Mariawere invited to participate in recognition of their distinguished role in the development of offshore yachting in Australia. Dinner on the Friday night at RSYS was a sell-out and the biggest dinner ever held at the club, with 285 in attendance including crew
62 SEAHORSE
three German youth training vessels of near-equal size: Haspa Hamburg, owned by Hamburgischen Verein Seefahrt (HVS) and skippered by 21-year-old Max Gärtner, SKWV’s Bank von Bremen, skippered by 29-year-old Alexander Beilken, and HVS’s second boat, Broader View Hamburg, on which 50 per cent of the crew are between 18 and 22 years old and include skipper Björn Woge’s 19-year-old son. German Class40s Marie Jo and Red also looked to be having a transatlantic match race and were clearly keeping a very careful eye on each other… a battle that would last all the way to Grenada. At the time of going to press only CQS had crossed the finishing
line in Grenada to claim line honours and the Maxi trophy in an elapsed time of just over 11 days but outside the record set by the Finot Conq-designed 100ft Nomad IV in 10d 7h. Leading the race overall under IRC was the new Nivelt-Muratet IRC 54 Teasing Machine 3 with the Elliott 52 Outsider her closest rival. However, once they finish this leading group will have to be
patient… It will be a couple more days before the JPK 1010 Jangada – racing two-handed – reaches Grenada with the winds ahead of her currently looking favourable. It is a confident man who bets against a well-sailed JPK design in a major offshore race… Eddie Warden-Owen, CEO
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DI PEARSON
RJ BAKER
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