I have been working making short videos lately. I have made others that have nothing to do with sailing. Sailing is what people expect to find here.
Category: ted turner
SAILING THROUGH LIFE
This is in response to those who asked:”Who are you?” It is a least a dimension.Boats have always been a part of my life. Naturally interwoven with the story of Newport.
EVER CHANGING SHAPE OF SPEED
Every sailor wants a boat that is faster than his opponent. An edge that allows for errors in judgment. The achievement has been interrupted often because of rating rules; which attempt to make unequal boats equal. The disparity has now grown to a point where it is silly. Not that it was ever perfect.
Uffa Fox sitting on the upper balcony of his house in Cowes watching over the boats returning from a day’s racing, worked towards planing hulls, light and strong.
Dick Carter, so well known for fast boats that two of his designs were chosen for Admiral’s Cup teams before they were finished; i.e. untested.
Süd Fischer’s “Ragamuffin” , for me was not only the fastest of her time but the best sailed.
The just finished America’s Cup has changed the paradigm of the search for speed under sail.
GOODBY STRETCH
We are in San Diego racing in the International Masters Regatta with a contingent from 1977 when we received a telephone call with the news.
Eight Bells for Stretch Ryder
We are very sad to report from Port Washington, New York, the passing of a wonderful friend and sailor- Gould “Stretch” Ryder. Stretch is best known as the winch grinder for Ted Turner aboard Courageous for the 1977 Americas Cup defense against Australia (one).
Stretch fought cancer for the past ten months and leaves behind wife Gerry, sons Michael and Christopher, and many family and friends.
Over the past few weeks Stretch received visitors and calls from all over the country. Every member of the Courageous crew called or visited Stretch. A highlight was last Friday’s visit by half the crew of Courageous, flying in from Montana with Ted Turner on his jet. Ted, Gary Jobson (tactician), Bill Jorch (navigator) and John “LJ” Edgcomb (bow) exchanged hysterical stories (mostly true) about the 1977 Cup.
Stretch was his communicating and humorous self up to the end. Stretch grew up sailing and playing football and basketball. Winning the Bacardi Cup racing a Star with Frank Zagarino was a major sailing highlight. At AlfredUniversity he was a tight end. While serving in the Army, Stretch coached football and flew helicopters in Southeast Asia. Since 1982 Stretch worked with John Thomson, running marinas, the famous “Barge” Restaurant, and Ventura Aviation. He raced for decades on John’s famous series of ocean racers and Farr 40s named “Infinity”. Stretch has been a longtime member of the Storm Trysail Club.
There will be a celebration for Stretch at the Manhasset Bay Yacht Club at 2 pm next Friday afternoon November 1. All his friends are invited.
July 22, 1974
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| Doug McKeish the boy who had been on the deck of Valiant |
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| Valiant, july 22, 1974 |
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| Ted Turner and crew on Valiant |
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| Jeff Neuberth, John Fisher, Richie Boyd |
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| Valiant with a bone in her tail |
In 1974, Valiant, which was Sparkman & Stephens mistake, too much bustle, too much displacement; was the only consolation for Mariner, designed by Britton Chance, as she was as slow.
Courageous was the fastest boat but not as well sailed as Intrepid with Gerry Driscoll as the helm. The selection committee could not choose an old boat (Intrepid)
The entire story made all the more fun by last weekend’s festivities. We could all reminisce about the glorious past. We did have fun, not every day, but it was good.
Doug McKeish, was a young boy, and when the travel lift strap broke, Valiant fell and that sent Doug flying. I believe the photo was taken by Norris D. Hoyt.
Almost everyone in these photos came back in 1977 to finish what they could not in 1974.
Jeff Neuberth was our starboard tailer on Independence, and the Project Manager for the Courageous/Independence Syndicate. He was forced to choose; he was burning the candle at both ends to keep up (despite being a brilliant organizer). One day he was quite literally asleep in the tailer’s pit when we went to tack.
Jeff did much of the organizing for the reunion event, keeping a low profile as usual.
12 meter era re-union, first night
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| dinner in the 12 meter yacht club, candy store |
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| max awarding trophies 30 years late |
The re-union does not start until tomorrow. Thanks to Ted Turner, some of us who had sailed with him on 12 meters and other boats started early telling the stories that only those of us who were there could confirm or deny.
Tomorrow night 400 are expected. can’t wait to see everyone.