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 MODEL1979 FASTNET CREWPETER CONRAD & JOHN MARSHALL REUNITEDFRANZ SCHNEIDER, TED TURNER, PETER BOWKERTED TURNER & MARTY O’MERA WITH THE MODEL
2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the launching and first successful defense by the 12 meter “Intrepid”. It also marks the second successful defense by the 12 meter “Courageous”. Each boat successfully defended the America’s Cup twice. Only one other boat can lay claim to that fact. That was “Columbia” 1899 & 1901. She is no longer with us.
Forty years ago about this date we towed to Newport for the start of the selection trials to defend the America’s Cup.
We had had a small regatta in Marblehead over the Memorial day weekend in which “Courageous” was faster on every point of sail. Reggie Pierce looked up from the grinder handles and quipped: “It’s going to be a long summer”. Those words proved to be prophetic.
“Independence” was supposed to be the anointed defender. The rest is history.
“Intrepid” will celebrate 50 years.
INDEPENDENCE CREW 1977
COURAGEOUS CREW 1977
LOOKING BACK AT COURAGEOUS
COURAGEOUS ON OUR WEATHER HIP
TRIMMED IN HARD
BERNADETTE WINS THE AMERICA’S CUP AT THE DOG TRACK
The Newport of my youth was a working waterfront. fishing boats, commercial boats and yachts co-existing side by side in the same water and the same docks.
Today, the is not a shred of evidence of this life.
I am working on a book of photographs of the Newport Waterfront from the 60’s and 70’s. Today I walked the waterfront to the extent I could and took photographs from as close as I could to the spot where I had taken images all those years ago.