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Admiral’s Cup 1973 and a reaching start for the windy Channel Race with Brazil’s Saga to leeward of Syd Fischer’s Ragamuffin while to windward Saudade is just about holding course under strapped spinnaker. The German team of Carina, Saudade and Rubin went on to win that year’s unofficial Offshore Racing World Championship, the first of Germany’s three overall victories in the event… to date
The likes of whom…
One of the highlights during the depths of the Northern Hemisphere winter is the Rolex Sydney Hobart. Sadly we recently bade farewell to two of the greatest stalwarts of ocean racing who will for ever be associated with Australia’s famous 600-mile offshore classic. Syd Fischer sailed in 47 Sydney Hobarts, taking line honours in
1988 and 1990 and winning overall in 1992. He last competed in the race in 2015 when he was 88. Most of his Hobart race appear- ances were on boats carrying the Ragamuffin name. Syd Fischer also competed in eight Admiral’s Cups, captaining the Australian team seven times, winning the trophy in 1979 with four further top- three team finishes. In the 1981 Admiral’s Cup, where the Australian team could only finish eighth, Syd and Ragamuffinwon the Fastnet Race overall. Truly a great offshore sailor and also a big supporter of the RORC of which he was a member for over 50 years. Another ocean-racing legend who recently passed away is Peter
Bowker. This master of navigation was always regarded as American yet he was actually born in the UK before moving to the US in his 20s. For many years the most famous navigator on the world’s ocean-racing circuits, Peter was a key member of too many winning teams to list. Most famously, perhaps, he was the first navigator to win the big three of the early 600-milers; winning the Newport- Bermuda on Scaramouchein 1974, the Sydney-Hobart on American Eagle in 1972, and the Fastnet Race in 1979 on Tenacious with Ted Turner and then again in 2001 onboard Tonnerre de Breskens with Piet Vroon (a veteran of 24 races to The Rock and back). Peter also raced numerous SORC and Admiral’s Cup events –
primarily on USA yachts. The other thing Peter was respected for by his peers was his commitment to mentoring younger navigators. A wonderful character and a dear friend to many, he too will be sorely missed around the dock. Our own international series of races continued with the first
edition of the Nelson’s Cup in Antigua, with a short inshore series as a prelude to the Caribbean 600. Two of our less obvious objectives for the regatta were firstly for competitors to gain experience in the different wave and winds conditions they are likely to experience in the Caribbean 600; and second give crews the opportunity to gain knowledge of the opening stages of the Caribbean 600 course itself. The six-race regatta, ending with the 600 itself, attracted a remark- able spread of entries from around the world, with yachts hailing
66 SEAHORSE
from more than a dozen nations. The series included two days of windward-leeward racing in moderate trade winds followed by a lay day before the teams were back in action for the 50nm Antigua 360 Race. After a two-day break the sixth and concluding race of the Nelson’s Cup Series is the Caribbean 600 itself. Steady Caribbean conditions often favour the larger boats and
sure enough the top three overall in the Nelson’s Cup all came from IRC One. Niklas Zennström’s CF520 Ránwas the overall winner by a single point from Frederic Puzin’s Ker 46 Daguet 3 Corum. Third overall was Eric de Turckheim’s powerful NMD54 Teasing Machine. In IRC Two the winner was also decided by a narrow margin. The
Farr 65 Spirit of Juno, skippered by David Hanks, winning on count- back from Marie Tabarly’s iconic 1973 ketch Pen Duick VI. Polish skipper Szymon Kuczynski’s very much smaller Figaro one-design Hultaj was third. Following the inshore series this year’s Caribbean 600 drew a
70-strong fleet sailed by crews from no fewer than 30 different countries. This year the trade winds blew on schedule (not always the case!) and the swell kicked up to give teams the fantastic sailing conditions they come to Antigua in search of. Fastest round the racetrack after a little over 30 hours were once
again the MOD 70 trimarans, with the monohulls led home by Roy Disney’s modified Volvo 70 Pyewacket 70– which also took overall honours on corrected time. Disney joins an impressive string of overall winners from the United States including Warrior Won, Wizard, Rambler 88, Bella Mente, Shockwave, Proteus, Privateer… and Rambler 100. We couldn’t deliver these two great events without the support
of Antigua Yacht Club and the invaluable help and support of our army of tireless volunteers. Then there are partners and sponsors Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority, Rolex, Sevenstar Logistics, Axxess Marine, English Harbour Rum, Carib beer and the Inn at English Harbour. Thank you, one and all. If you’re reading this having finished the Caribbean 600 and
you’re not yet a RORC member, remember that you are now eligible to become a full Ocean Member of the world’s biggest offshore community with all its benefits. So don’t hesitate to get in contact with Vicki, our membership secretary –
membership@rorc.org. Jeremy Wilton, CEO
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JONATHAN EASTLAND/AJAX/ALAMY
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