It's 30 years to the day that....

anoccasionalyachtsman

Well-known member
Joined
15 Jun 2015
Messages
4,173
Visit site
I was watching from the beach by Hamble Point and it's just occurred to me that I've never known exactly where the finish line was. Would you mind educating me?
 

matt1

Well-known member
Joined
11 Feb 2005
Messages
1,217
Location
Hamble, UK
Visit site
Yes, that’s where the finish was. I was in Ocean Village. Amazing experience. Amazing sailor Peter Blake and an awesome ketch. To me (other than Vendee Globe) racing round the world has never been better than this edition. Would have loved to see the ketches come in to Auckland
 

E39mad

Well-known member
Joined
15 Mar 2011
Messages
2,402
Location
Nr Macclesfield
Visit site
Agree, it's my favourite edition of the Whitbread/Volvo. IIRC Steinlager sailed more miles than any other boat. They were one of the first to study weather routing to favour their boat speed. I have a picture as they crossed the line with the kite just rippling after being tripped. Two weeks later the boat and Peter Blake were in Port Hamble/HYS and I got him to sign it for me.
 

blush2

Active member
Joined
26 Dec 2008
Messages
241
Visit site
I worked at Calshot Activities Centre then and spent some time watching the yachts come in.

Peter Blake was a really nice guy, we kept our Trapper 30 in HYS and he often stopped for a chat.
 

newtothis

Well-known member
Joined
28 May 2012
Messages
1,480
Visit site
Steinlager 2 crossed the line in Southampton Water giving the late great Sir Peter Blake a clean sweep win for each leg of the Whitbread Round the World Race.

I was out there watching them cross the line and Grant Dalton on Fischer & Paykel who came in a couple of hours later.

View attachment 90823
Which basically proves Kiwis have been sailing the arses off the rest of you for decades :)
 

Seven Spades

Well-known member
Joined
30 Aug 2003
Messages
4,701
Location
Surrey
Visit site
I liked the first race That looked like anyone could have a go with a decent boat. Today it is multi-million pound corporate funded with professional crews. It is not quite the same.
 

Bajansailor

Well-known member
Joined
27 Dec 2004
Messages
6,446
Location
Marine Surveyor in Barbados
Visit site
I liked the first race That looked like anyone could have a go with a decent boat. Today it is multi-million pound corporate funded with professional crews. It is not quite the same.

Production boats in the first race included a Swan 65 (Sayula II, who won overall), an Ocean 71, and a couple of Nicholson 55's.
1973–1974 Whitbread Round the World Race - Wikipedia
I think that 33 Export was the smallest yacht in that race?

The first Flyer won the second Whitbread in 1977 - and there were 3 Swan 65's in this race.
1977–1978 Whitbread Round the World Race - Wikipedia

Here are the Wiki results re the 1989 race with Steinlager.
I was living in Southampton then, and I didn't manage to get to Ocean Village to see Steinlager arrive, but I was there when Maiden turned up on the May bank holiday in glorious weather - I remember there were estimates of 30,000 people welcoming Maiden home.
1989–1990 Whitbread Round the World Race - Wikipedia

I would agree with Seven Spades, it is all so totally different now.
 

newtothis

Well-known member
Joined
28 May 2012
Messages
1,480
Visit site
Yeah, well, I'm too young to remember the last time the UK even made it to an America's Cup final. And I'm in my 50s. :unsure:
 

capnsensible

Well-known member
Joined
15 Mar 2007
Messages
42,951
Location
Atlantic
www.herculessailing.com
Fisher and Paykel had been earning her keep in the Canary Islands in a harbour on the south edge of Fuertaventura doing day trips. For the past couple of months she has been laying to anchor outside Marina Rubicon, Lanzarote. I can see her mast from the balcony of my house.

I was unaware of the start date of the next race. However I found out about it. I had just sailed back at late oclock from Cherbourg with a very hung over crew and we picked up one of the visitor moorings off Yarmouth, IOW to wait for the flood and get some zzzz's. As we slipped late morning, there was an awesome sight of what looked like a wall of white water coming towards us across the width of the western Solent. Thats when I became 'aware'. It wasnt the best time to be heading towards Gosport.
 

E39mad

Well-known member
Joined
15 Mar 2011
Messages
2,402
Location
Nr Macclesfield
Visit site
Yeah, well, I'm too young to remember the last time the UK even made it to an America's Cup final. And I'm in my 50s. :unsure:

Remind me who was put in as tactician upon Oracle in the 2013 Americas Cup when NZ were 8-1 up and lost the series 9-8 ;)

Anyway this isn't about nationalities it's about a great event in yacht racing history.
 
Top