An extraordinary vintage –Part I


Steve Benjamin is one of the most enduringly successful sailors in the world – but his is a long career that goes way beyond turning up and winning races. Trevor Davis is one of countless young sailors given their first big break by ‘Benj’ so it seemed only right and proper to ask Trevor’s dad Dobbs to give his modest old buddy a bit of a gentle grilling… 36 SEAHORSE


The early years The story behind May’s Seahorse Sailor of the Month is much, much more than our short blurb reveals… Steve Benjamin is only one of a handful of sailors in the world today who can be said to be completely, deeply and meaningfully immersed in this sport. From nearly any angle – dinghies, keelboats, offshore boats and even classics – Benj has demonstrated not only prowess on the racecourse but a passionate interest in the details that benefit everyone around him, whether they are crew mates, competi- tive peers, colleagues in any of several organisations that he devotes time to improve, or friends and family. As with many high-achievers in our


sport, this passion started early in his youth years in Oyster Bay, New York on the north shore of Long Island. With its proximity to the wealth and power of New York City, this area has been fertile ground for generations of great sailors competing out of numerous clubs on the Connecticut


and Long Island shores. As a result, the one-design, keelboat and big boat racing on western Long Island Sound is some the most competitive local racing in the US. Benj started sailing here at nine and from


the age of 10 to 17 he was active at Sea- wanhaka Corinthian YC racing in a variety of dinghy classes, including the Fireball. ‘I received terrific instruction at Seawan- haka,’ says Benj. ‘Both my parents and great coaches like Skip White were really supportive.’ Benj soon started getting good results – blushingly conceding that ‘the competition on Long Island Sound was actually pretty intense.’ In 1973 Benj went to Yale and was on


their sailing team for two years before tak- ing a one-year break to train for the 1976 Olympic Trials in the 470 class. During this year with crew Tucker Edmundson he also entered the Fireball Worlds, winning that year and the following one, in Kinsale, Ire- land, against some pretty good competition with a narrow victory over Lawrie Smith.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98