1972 BERMUDA & TRANSATLANTIC RACES

In 1972 I was Sailing on “Charisma” a 56 foot S&S. A wonderful powerful boat. A Hurricane (Agnes) crossed the course to Bermuda. We had 70 knots over the deck at the finish.

The Transatlantic race to Spain started in Bermuda and was in stark contrast as the course crossed two high pressure zones. The boat that won sailed the isobars. I had argued the point to no avail aboard “Charisma” as it meant sailing at right angles to the course. Less than 24 hours after finishing we set out for Sardinia; for what would be the first Mediterranean Championship; winning every race with Bill Ficker steering.

TRANSATLANTIC RACE 2003

This race was the second longest race I ever sailed. The start was once again in Newport, finishing in Hamburg, Germany. The course took us north of Ireland, Scotland and north of the Orkneys. Our time was 18 days 19 hours; I believe. Like every transatlantic race there are so many anecdotes that are associated with the race.

Start 2003 transatlantic race

MY LIFE IN BOATS

I assembled this a few years ago because even I forget some of the boats and events I sailed. Still fond memories; and still making more.

TENACIOUS TED

ON FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22 2019 TED TURNER PRESENTED THE NEW YORK YACHT CLUB WITH A FULL RIGGED MODEL OF “TENACIOUS” THE 61 FOOT S&S DESIGN IN WHICH TED WON THE FAMOUS 1979 FASTNET RACE.

TED AT 80 YEARS OLD IS SUFFERING FROM LEWY BODY DEMENTIA. EACH OF THESE REUNIONS ARE SPECIAL AS WE ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER WITH THOSE WITH WHOM WE SHARED SPECIAL MOMENTS.

TENACIOUS MODEL
1979 FASTNET CREW
PETER CONRAD & JOHN MARSHALL REUNITED
FRANZ SCHNEIDER, TED TURNER, PETER BOWKER
TED TURNER & MARTY O’MERA WITH THE MODEL

LARRY HUNTINGTON

 

 

 

No-one deserves to be nominated more than Larry Huntington. Sailor of the Month really does not justify the lifetime of Love of the Sea. Few have demonstrated a stronger commitment to sailing; particularly offshore long distance racing. His career spans wooden schooners to the latest carbon yachts.

 

CLICK HERE TO CAST A VOTE FOR LARRY.Screen Shot 2015-10-19 at 10.10.24 AMScreen Shot 2015-10-19 at 10.08.56 AM

LARRY WITH HIS SEXTANT
LARRY WITH HIS SEXTANT

COMPUTER NAVIGATION
COMPUTER NAVIGATION

PAPER CHARTS
PAPER CHARTS

LARRY AND STEVE COLGATE 1969
LARRY AND STEVE COLGATE 1969

FINISH OF 2003 TRANSATLANTIC
FINISH OF 2003 TRANSATLANTIC

HARD RUNNING 2015
HARD RUNNING 2015

BLOCK ISLAND RACE
BLOCK ISLAND RACE

BREAKFAST TRANSATLANTIC 2011
BREAKFAST TRANSATLANTIC 2011

RUNNING TRANSATLANTIC 2003
RUNNING TRANSATLANTIC 2003

another look at the 2015 transatlantic race:

BETTER BE GOOD AT KEDGING, LIGHT AIR FASTNET

ELAINE BUNTING

The challenge on this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race will be coaxing yachts around the course in ultra light winds 

Skippers preparing ready for the Rolex Fastnet Race 2015 on Sunday were warned that it could be a slow race with very light winds ahead. “If you really want to win this race you are going to have to be good at kedging!” joked Eddie Warden Owen, CEO of organisers the Royal Ocean Racing Club.

A record number of 370 yachts will set off from Cowes on Sunday on the 604-mile classic to the Fastnet Rock lighthouse and back to Plymouth. During its 90-year history the race has seen some intense and stormy weather, but this year it promises to be quite the opposite, with some of the lightest forecasts ever seen.

Ian Walker, skipper of the victorious Volvo Ocean Race team Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, also joked about the weather ahead. “There is another isobar approximately in Iceland,” he said.

But the fleet this year includes some of the world’s fastest monohulls and multihulls, which are capable of making enough speed to set off a virtuous circle of apparent wind. These include the 100ft supermaxi Comanche, the big MOD70 trimarans and the 40m trimaran Spindrift 2.

Kenny Read, skipper of Comanche, says: “I don’t think any of us do very well in absolutely no wind, but we all have to play the same game. Whatever the breeze is we just have to adapt. Certainly dragging around a boat with a seven metre-plus beam in very light air is no fun.”

But he did admit that, in flat water, Comanche does only need five knots of true wind to get going.

Learn more about the headlands and tidal gates that are make and break on the Fastnet Race.

While the forecasts are making predicting finish times a bit of a nightmare, this is another indication of the potency of these big machines. Spindrift’s likely elapsed times in these conditions, as predicted on routeing software, is somewhere between 1 day 18 hours and 3 days 15 hours.

This race will also be a tough one for the new IMOCA 60s, especially those with the new L-shaped foils. These are great when power reaching, which is what they have been designed for as the optimal configuration for racing round the world, but they are draggy and reported to make more leeway in light conditions.

Morgan Lagravière, the skipper of Safran, who is new to the class but comes from a very strong Olympic 49er and Figaro background, admitted as much at this morning’s media briefing. “I’m not sure this year’s Fastnet will be for us. We will try to do our best. It will be very interesting learning how to use this new boat with the foils and to race with other IMOCA boats, especially Banque Populaire,” he said.

A large contingent this year is the two-handed crews. This is a growing area of offshore sailing, one that fits into a kind of sailing Enduro category. Some 59 boats in the IRC fleet are also sailing doublehanded. The lowest rated is Lucinda Allaway’s and Tom Barker’s Contessa 32 Hurrying Angel.

Like many of the smaller and lower yachts the Rolex Fastnet Race is most likely to favour them, as the breeze will pick up later in the week. Could this be a small boat year?

It is a year also when retirements could be lower than usual – the average is around ten per cent of the fleet. That would be good news for the event as a whole, and the Commodore of the RORC, Michael Boyd, concluded the briefing today by saying: “We are delighted that this is a record year and by the quality of the competition. There are a lot of fantastic sailors, who have put their effort, energy and money to be with us for this special race.

“We wish you all a very successful race and a safe passage.”

Read more at http://www.yachtingworld.com/blogs/elaine-bunting/youll-have-to-be-good-at-kedging-light-winds-endurance-ahead-for-rolex-fastnet-race-2015-66820#vrRt82RB41D4B5bt.99

FASTNET RACE AUGUST 2015

Made famous by the 1979 tragedy, however the 1957 race was just as hard. Truly one of my favorite races as there are many tide gates and turns; a real challenge.

THE JOY OF SAILING
THE JOY OF SAILING

needles489snow lion fastnet647mccurdy fastnet260nye fastent522rock407SNOWfastnet rock2804fastnet rock light

FASTNET ROCK
FASTNET ROCK