“COURAGEOUS” 50TH ANNIVERSRY, FIRST ALUMINUM 12 METER, LAST TWO TIME DEFENDER

 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of “Courageous” the first aluminum 12 meter and the last two time defender of the America’s Cup. She had a difficult birth as circumstances lento the first syndicate abandoning the cause. We kept building while Olin Stephens assembled a new syndicate.

The trials were so interesting, because “Intrepid” the other two time defender, in wood pushed “Courageous” to the wire. It was the story of the summer. The margins in the actual defense showed how very superior “Courageous” was.

https://youtu.be/Zr0kgiOrETY

1964 / 1974 CUP DEFENDERS, TALES OF THE PAST

A reunion of the crews from 1964 and 1974 America’s Cup defenders was a wonderful event filled with tales of the past. All made possible by Jimmy Gubelmann, as I like to call him the glue that binds. I heard stories that I had not heard before and a few I knew.

Mariner, Courageous, Intrepid, Valiant were represented from 1974 and Constellation and American Eagle from 1964.

TALES OF THE PAST
TALES OF THE PAST
INTREPID
INTREPID
BOB BAVIER, TED HOOD, JACK SUTPHEN, COURAGEOUS 1974
BOB BAVIER, TED HOOD, JACK SUTPHEN, COURAGEOUS 1974
AMERICAN EAGLE
AMERICAN EAGLE
CONSTELLATION 1964
CONSTELLATION 1964
MARINER 1974
MARINER 1974
COURAGEOUS 1974
COURAGEOUS 1974
THE MAN WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE, JIM GUBELMANN
THE MAN WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE, JIM GUBELMANN
HOMMAGE TO BUDDY BOMBARD
HOMMAGE TO BUDDY BOMBARD
DICK ENERSEN
DICK ENERSEN
RICH DUMOULIN
RICH DUMOULIN
LESTER ABBERLEY HANS ISBRANDTSEN
LESTER ABBERLEY HANS ISBRANDTSEN
1964/1974 AT STATION 10
1964/1974 AT STATION 10
PERFECT NIGHT
PERFECT NIGHT

PAPERS

In 1968 I sailed the Bermuda and Trans-Atlantic races. Finishing in Travemunde, Germany. My friend John Watson and I had the clever idea of selling our plane tickets, buying a car, touring Europe, selling the car at the end of the summer and buying tickets home. The problem was that the very second hand car we bought died within a few days.

Now we are stuck; with no money. The story has many twists and turns. We sold the car for junk, with difficulty; bought tickets to England , because my uncle who had been the ambassador to the court of St. James; had given me the name and address of some friends. Arriving in England, immigration was not sure they wanted us to enter the country, as we had no money, no visible means of support. I swallowed hard and called my uncle’s friends. We were immediately welcomed to their house on Hyde Park Corner. We stayed a few days, They very kindly loaned us money to get home.
This is when I decided that I would prepare for this eventuality by writing to all the shipping companies I could. There were quite a few and most of the owners had sailboats and raced them.
The Only one who responded favorably was Jakob Isbrandstsen. I did go through the process to get “papers” which I still carry, although never used.
This June at Block Island Race Week Jakob and his wife were honored at the members dinner of the Storm Trysail Club. I told him the story.