Classic marks milestone
THE three-day Australian Admiral’s Cup 50th reunion regatta in Sydney last weekend was a spectacular success with 21 yachts of yesteryear entered and many sailing heroes among crews and spectators.
The regatta was to mark the occasion 50 years ago that a team of Australian yachts was taken to Cowes, England to again challenge the world in the prestigious sailing event.
This followed an attempt on the Cup two years earlier by an Australian trio of yachts — Caprice of Huon, Freya and Camille which came very close to winning.
In 1967 another Australian team of Caprice of Huon, Balandra and Mercedes 111 returned to Cowes and beat the crack three-boat teams from Great Britain, France, Spain and the US by a resounding 107 points.
This year, that triumph was celebrated by the anniversary regatta organised jointly by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron, the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club and the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia.
Entry to the regatta was open to any yacht that represented Australia in the Admiral’s Cup or had contested the trials and among the famous old offshore yachts on the water were Caprice of Huon, the first Ragamuffuin, Salacia 11, Love & War, Mister Christian, Anitra V, Lorita Maria, Mercedes 111 and 1V, Pacha and the original Wild Oats.
Races 1 and 3 were held on Sydney Harbour in near-perfect conditions, while Race 2 was a short offshore race starting on Sydney Harbour, up to Long Reef and return.
The RSYS hosted the first day’s racing and followed up with a formal dinner at the Club (with the actual Admiral’s Cup on display).
Day 2 was hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and club Commodore, John Markos, recreating an old custom, awarded winner Sagacious V with a bottle of Champagne Mumm.
The French champagne maker was a sponsor of the Cup for many years and used to award the daily winner his weight in Champagne Mumm.
Sydney Amateur Sailing Club hosted the final day, including the prize giving.
Many of the participants had come from overseas and interstate for the regatta.
A freshening nor’easter opened the event, and the start was as competitive as ever, resulting in a couple of collisions, the worst between Impetuous and the Gordon Ingate skippered Caprice of Huon (owned by a philosophical David Champtaloup who finished the regatta on Love & War). It ended with a badly broken leg for Charlie Herbert, who had recently recovered from a hip operation. It also meant the retirement of both boats, Caprice coming off worst.
In a close finish, the race was won by Ragamuffin from Love & War (owned and steered by Simon Kurts, but sailed at the Admiral’s Cup by his father Peter) after the latter’s main tore in the last third of the race. Its crew put a reef in, but could not keep pace with the longer Ragamuffin, which Syd Fischer sailed to victory in the tragic Fastnet Race in 1979, cementing Australia’s second Admiral’s Cup win.
Joining Ragamuffin in that 1979 Cup team were Impetuous, then owned by John Crisp and Graham Lambert, who sailed this regatta on the next version, Impetuous II and Peter Cantwell’s Police Car.
On board Ragamuffin were original crew members Tony “Ace’’ Ellis (1969, ’71, ’73), Peter Hemery (’69, ’71), Bruce Gould (’73), Ian “Bomber’’ Treharne (’73), Peter Tierney (’71), John “Steamer’’ Stanley (’73), joined by Henry “Hank’’ Paterson, a regular aboard the boat for other races.
This Ragamuffin was designed by Sparkman & Stephens and built by Cec Quilkey (as was Love & War and others) at Taren Point and launched in 1968. It represented Australia at the Cup in 1969.
The short offshore race went to Sagacious V. Gary Appleby was the owner when the team of Sagacious (Swan Premium II), Lou Abrahams’ Ronstan Ultimate Challenge (Swan Premium 1) and Peter Kurts’ Madeline’s Daughter (Swan Premium III) finished third at the Cup. Appleby, who has called Queensland home for years, was aboard for the first race.
Sagacious V, with a few of the originals aboard including Bob Fraser (helm), Phil Morgan, Brad Stephens, Toby Richardson and Greg Johnson, beat Wild Oats/Wild Rose (best known under the ownership of the late Roger Hickman) and Peter Stronach’s Mercedes IV Stronach.
Rod Winton’s Uptown Girl won Race 3 from Greg Maughan’s Syonara and David Salter’s Mister Christian (Peter Kurts’ first boat), with Sir James Hardy seen at the helm over the weekend.
Under spinnaker and well behind them in Race 3, Salacia II and Love & War were in a race of their own, Salacia II adding a blooper to its spinnaker in an attempts to keep Love & War at bay and beat Kurts’ boat to the line by four seconds.
Kurts, who sailed the ’83 (Once More Dear Friends) and ’85 (Drakes Prayer) Admiral’s Cups with his father, said afterwards: “I enjoyed the regatta immensely — it was a fantastic event. The organisers did an excellent job, so thanks to them.”
On the water, but viewing rather than sailing, were owners and former owners, Peter Cantwell (Police Car), Peter Briggs (Hitchhiker — 1981 team) and Syd Fischer (Ragamuffin) who represented Australia seven times.
Among old-time spectators at the
regatta were: Norman Rydge, Hugh Treharne, Scott Kaufman, Anthony Crichton-Brown, John Wigan, Peter Hemery, Phil Eadie, Wayne “Moose’’ Johnston, Tony De Young, Ron Packer, Chris McSorley, Tom Stephenson, Michael Hesse, Peter Shipway, John Harris, Mark Walsh, Rob Brown, Gary Geitz and Richard “Blue’’ Chapman.
Entries were: Anitra V (owner Philip Brown), Auric’s Quest (Frederick Bestall), Camille (Peter Moran), Caprice of Huon (David Champtaloup), Fare Thee Well (Clive Gregory), Impetuous (Tim Dawbarn/ Catherine Wildermuth), Kingurra (Ian Macfarline/Kevin Bailey/Glen Kile), Lorita Maria (Greg Barrell), Love and War (Simon Kurts), Mercedes III (Martin Ryan), Mercedes IV (Peter Stronach), Mister Christian (David Salter), Pacha (Martin Waller), Ragamuffin (Mike Freebairn). Sagacious V (David Hundt), Salacia II (Robert Bishop), Syonara (Greg Maughan), Too Impetuous (Rudy Weber). Uptown Girl (Rod Winton), Vittoria (Alan Reece) and Wild Oats (Sandy Eastman).