50th ANNIVERSARY REGATTA ADMIRALS CUP Status Dec 27

Video of Admirals cup Anniversary Regatta. while the content has been panned by the organisers, the lead in image of Kingurra hanging on in the death rolls is terrific. It makes all the work to get to Sydney worth while. This Robert Baker  image of Kingurra on Sydney Harbour, at her powerful best, made the cover page of the Jan 2018 Afloat magazine

VIDEO: Admiral’s Cup 50th Regatta

 

 

Pics of Kingurra’s voyage to compete on the Admirals cup 50th Anniversary Regatta

Admirals Cup 50th Anniversary Regatta

 

Ragamuffin

Mercedes III thunders down the Solent during the 1967 Admiral’s Cup (Beken of Cowes photo)

Balandra 1966

 Admiral’s Cup 50th Anniversary Regatta – Media Release – August 2017

Admiral’s Cup Regatta will span the generations

Excitement in the yachting community surrounding the Admiral’s Cup 50th Anniversary Regatta has spread to all corners of the sailing world. News of the event, to be held in Sydney this December, has also inspired some remarkable reunions.

Sons of all three skippers from Australia’s victorious 1967 team will be sailing on their fathers’ yachts during the three days of racing.

Scott Kaufman is flying in from New York to helm Mercedes III which was the top-scoring boat in the 1967 series when skippered by his father, Ted. The 40-footer was co-designed by Ted and Bob Miller, who went on – as Ben Lexcen – to create the legendary America’s Cup winner Australia II.

Anthony Crichton-Brown will arrive at the regatta from his home in London to sail on Pacha, the famous ocean-racing yacht owned by his father, Sir Robert. In the 1967 Admiral’s Cup series Sir Robert campaigned his previous yacht Balandra which is still under restoration in Tasmania. 

Tony and Rob Reynolds live in Sydney, so they won’t have far to travel to step aboard Caprice of Huon, the third member of Australia’s first team to win the Admiral’s Cup half a century ago. For the1967 challenge Caprice was chartered and skippered by their father, Gordon.

To complete these remarkable reunions, Gordon Ingate, who was the skipper of Caprice of Huon when she won three races in the 1965 Cup, has accepted an invitation to helm his old yacht for the inshore races of the Anniversary Regatta. Ingate is now 91 and is still competing in – and winning – sailing races.

“This event really seems to have tapped into a deep well of nostalgia and goodwill”, says regatta chairman, David Champtaloup. “We already have more than a dozen of Australia’s great Admiral’s Cup yachts committed to the regatta.

“Veteran crew are coming out of the woodwork every day, wanting to be involved. We’re beginning to put together a register so that we can match those blokes up with appropriate boats. We’ve also had the kind offer of a comfortable big spectator boat for those who’d rather follow the fleet than get their feet wet.”

The Admiral’s Cup 50th Anniversary Regatta will be held in Sydney on December 1, 2 and 3. There will be two Harbour races and one short offshore event, with social gatherings hosted by the participating clubs after each race.

The Notice of Race and Entry Form will soon be available on the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club website. For further information contact Peter Shipway at: peter@barlowdistributors.com.au,  or David Salter at: davidelva@alpha.net.au

 

Press Release #1

Afloat – Admiral’s Cup 50th – 20.5.17

When Australian offshore racing came of age

David Salter reports on the planned celebrations for a landmark yachting anniversary

Fifty years ago a team of three Australian yachts arrived in Cowes to take on the world. Two years earlier, in 1965, our first challengers for the Admiral’s Cup, Caprice of Huon, Freya and Camille, had been snobbishly mocked by the British yachting establishment as being too small and old fashioned. The Poms soon had to eat their words as the Australians went very close to winning the Cup at their first attempt

When Caprice of Huon returned in 1967, this time with Balandra and Mercedes III, the Aussie team was better prepared for the tricky racing in the Solent and the Channel, and the tough Fastnet Race that closes out the Admiral’s Cup series. They beat the crack three-boat teams from Great Britain, France, Spain and the USA by a whopping 107 points. And just to rub it in, Mercedes III, Balandra and Caprice of Huon finished first, second and third in the individual points score. It was a complete victory, and Australian offshore racing had arrived on the world stage.

A group of local yachtsmen, all with a connection to the Admiral’s Cup, are now organizing a special, one-off Regatta to mark the 50th anniversary of that first Admiral’s Cup win. Staged jointly on Sydney Harbour by the SASC, RSYS and CYCA, the racing will be held over three days on December 1, 2 and 3. There will also be a full “après racing” social program over that weekend hosted by the participating clubs.

As important as re-uniting the yachts that represented Australia will be the opportunity of bringing the crews together again. Admiral’s Cup veterans whose original “ride” is no longer racing will be welcome to join the crews of other boats in the regatta.

In keeping with the “three-boat team” theme, the Admiral’s Cup Anniversary Regatta has three co-patrons: Sir James Hardy OBE, Syd Fischer OBE and Gordon Ingate OAM. All three have distinguished Admiral’s Cup records.

Entry is open to any yacht that either represented Australia in the Admiral’s Cup or competed in the selection trials. The records show that upwards of 60 yachts might qualify for the Regatta. Many of those may no longer be in racing trim and some, such as the legendary Freya, are now overseas. Nevertheless, a fleet of 10-15 is expected, including some from the 1965 and 1967 campaigns, led by the ageless Caprice of Huon and Mercedes III.

Some of the other famous names we might see racing each other again include Camille, Impetuous, Police Car, Balandra, Salacia II, Challenge, Love & War and Mister Christian. There will be one race per day – two on the Harbour (Friday and Sunday) and a short offshore event on the Saturday.

Organisers of the Regatta are keen to hear from any yacht owners and Admiral’s Cup crew interested in taking part. They should contact:

Peter Shipway at peter@barlowdistributors.com.au

or,David Salter at davidelva@alpha.net.au

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