Lovelace (Farr One Tonner)

Lovelace, a Farr One Tonner from 1976, returned to New Zealand last year and is undergoing a full restoration in Whangārei. She was originally owned and campaigned by Keith Andrews and Jack Lloyd and was one of a number of yachts produced to Farr’s breakthrough One Ton design from 1976 (Design #51), and was a near sistership of 45 South and Jiminy Cricket which had performed well in the breezier races of the 1976 One Ton Cup. This design was 36’ 9” long and had an IOR rating of 27.5ft, the One Ton limit at that time. Lovelace was constructed in cold-moulded Kauri timber and was a striking looking yacht, with purple and white topsides and a Kiwi decal on the bow.

Lovelace leads Rockie during the 1976 New Zealand One Ton Nationals (photo DB Yachting Annual) 

Lovelace raced in the 1976 One Ton Nationals, where she competed alongside 12 other yachts and a number of variants of Design #51, including Country Boy, Mardi Gras, Rockie and Chick Chack. She was described in the DB Yachting Annual review of the series as "the purple Whangarei budget flyer", and counted Ray Haslar amongst her crew for the series. The regatta was affected by some issues in race management, with two races abandoned and Lovelace's performance was particularly impacted in this respect as she had won races 1 and 4 only to see here victories scrubbed. She eventually finished third overall, losing to the quicker and more customised Country Boy. Second was Mardi Gras. Some problem spots in her performance were evident for which crew work could not compensate, highlighted in a long beat from the Poor Knights Islands in the ocean race, where Lovelace lost touch with the leaders and no amount of trim or tweaking could make any difference. She later raced in the 1976 Auckland to Gisborne Race, finishing 11th of 19 boats.

Lovelace during the New Zealand 1977 One Ton Cup trials

Lovelace competed in New Zealand’s national trials series for the 1977 One Ton Cup that was held on the Hauraki Gulf in November of that year. By this stage the new generation centreboarders had arrived on the scene, and Farr’s fixed keel design from just a year previous, including Lovelace, Rockie and Country Boy, had now been eclipsed. Nevertheless, the trials to select six boats for New Zealand’s team produced some of the finest level-rating racing seen at that time, with 18 boats competing. The five races produced four different winners and, at the half-way stage of the ocean race finale, the four leaders were grouped together off Sail Rock off Whangarei Heads. The Whiting design Smackwater Jack went on to win the race and the series overall (with a DNF/5/1/3/1) record.

Lovelace, seen here competing in the 1978 Clipper Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

Four Farr designs were next – Mr Jumpa (3/1/4/4/3), Smir-Noff-Agen (2/2/DNF/1/2), Jenny H (DNF/4/2/6/4) and The Red Lion (1/3/6/5/5). Sixth was the Jim Young design Heatwave (DNF/10/3/2/6). Lovelace scored a fourth place in the first race, and this was the best that any of the keelers could manage in the series. This result was achieved in a race where three of the centreboarders (Smackwater Jack, Jenny H and Heatwave) were forced out with mast or sail damage. Lovelace was also the first keelboat overall, but was a distant 13 points back in seventh place (4/7/10/14/8). This left the host club, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, with no choice but to select a team comprised wholly of centreboarders.

Lovelace seen here to leeward of Magic Pudding during the 1978 Clipper Cup 

While some of the keelboats were subsequently chartered by overseas teams for the One Ton Cup, Lovelace was not. However, she went on to compete in the inaugural Clipper Cup held in Hawaii in August 1978, which was notable for the tight four-boat scrap in Class C with two other Farr keelboats, Carrie Ann V (US) and Country Boy (NZ) and the Peterson centreboarder, Magic Pudding (ex-B195). Country Boy was part of the New Zealand ‘A’ team (alongside Monique and Gerontius), while Lovelace was in the ‘B’ team (with Anticipation and Inca). 

Lovelace enjoying close racing in Class C alongside another New Zealand yacht, Country Boy (photo DB Yachting Annual)

The four One Tonners were always in a close group minutes ahead of the rest of their division, which was won by Carrie Ann V, with Magic Pudding second, Country Boy third (3/3/4/1/3), and Lovelace fourth (5/2/1/3/4). In overall fleet results, Magic Pudding was third, Carrie Ann V fourth, Lovelace eighth and Country Boy tenth. Lovelace had done well with a first, second and third overall in the Olympic courses, but lost out in the long offshore races to finish ninth overall in the 40-boat fleet. The New Zealand ‘B’ team finished third, behind Australia ‘A’ in first place and New Zealand ‘A’ in second. 

Sailing as Petard, in the US (photo Histoiredeshalfs, date and photographer unknown)

Changes to the IOR in late 1978, including a displacement-to-length formula, that penalised the Farr style of lighter displacement yacht severely impacted the likes of Lovelace, and her rating rose by around 1.5ft, making the design uncompetitive under the rule. Lovelace was however later bought by Alamo resident Keith Buck in 1982 who renamed her Petard (named after the explosive device used to blow down castle walls). He fitted a new Bob Smith-designed rudder in 1992 (with an elliptical shape), and a taller mast (off another version of Design #51, Sweet Okole) in 1994. She was noted in a Latitude 38 article in 2005 to have won well over 100 trophies over the years, and that she performed particularly well in heavy air. Her results recorded in Histoiredeshalfs shows that Buck raced Petard from 1982 before she was advertised for sale in 2022 in San Francisco, by then in a somewhat derelict state.

Lovelace as found in San Francisco, photo circa 2022

Lovelace was found in San Francisco and bought by Kurtis Andrews, son of the original owner Keith. She was found during the Covid era and at the time shipping prices had skyrocketed and it cost a fortune to relocate her to New Zealand. She was shipped to Auckland and then transported to Whangārei where she is being restored by one of her original builders, Ian Mason from Mason Boatbuilders. The last time Ian was on the the boat was in Whangārei back in 1978.

Lovelace seen here enroute to Whangārei 

Kurtis Andrews says “it’s a crazy project to have undertaken and one that would have been far easier not to do. The boat was 10,000 miles away in San Francisco and in a state of disrepair, but something was burning inside to get that boat back to New Zealand, and we did! Keith Andrews (my father) and Jack Lloyd were only 22 when they built the boat on a shoestring budget. Its an amazing feat to have done what they did, including shipping the boat to Hawaii and representing New Zealand in the Clipper Cup. I remember Jack telling me that they used plenty of glue when putting the thing together and when it returned to New Zealand, Ian Mason couldn’t believe the work it had done and that it was still holding together”.  

All going well, the family is aiming to have the boat completed and back in the water by Christmas 2025. 

Article dated September 2024

Admiral's Cup 1979 - the film

A film of the 1979 Admiral's Cup has recently surfaced on YouTube - it provides excellent coverage of this event that was contested by 19 teams, and features a mix of onboard, aerial and close-up footage.  

For more on the 1979 edition of the Admiral's Cup readers of this blog might also enjoy the following articles:

* Photos from the first race (by Sharon Green)

* Photos from the second race (by Sharon Green) 

* A feature on Jonathan Eastland's photos of the regatta here and more of his photographs here and of the Hong Kong yacht Vanguard during the second inshore race

* Articles on  Big Shadow, Eclipse, Imp, Police Car and Red Rock IV

* A feature on the Italian team for 1979 

* A video about the tragic storm-afflicted 1979 Fastnet Race 

The videos below are from Cowes Week 1979, held the week prior to the Admiral's Cup:

SORC 1983 - Part 2

Kialoa IV (right), Windward Passage and Nirvana in a close tussle off the startline during one of the races during the 1983 SORC (photo Phil Uhl)

This post features photographs from the SORC 1983 series taken by Phil Uhl. For more about this series, see an earlier post and article here, and the regatta video here.

Brooke Ann, a Nelson-Marek 41-footer, just ahead of Glory and hard on the heels of Scarlett O'Hara, in close racing in Class D - Scarlett O'Hara would go on to finish second in class (and be top yacht overall), with Glory eighth (Peterson 42) and Brooke Ann 12th (photo Phil Uhl)

Obsession, a S&S 46-footer, comes to grief in hard reaching conditions off Miami during the 1983 SORC, while chasing Secret Love (right) in the Class C division (photo Phil Uhl)

Fame, seen here to windward of Glory in a Class D start, likely the Miami-Nassau race (photo Phil Uhl)

Quest, a Rodgers 43-footer, to leeward of Glory (photo Phil Uhl)

The Peterson 45-footer Secret Love, to leeward of Avalanche, a Morgan 45-footer after a start in Class C - Secret Love went on to finish second in class (photo Phil Uhl)

Class B yacht Zero, a Frers 51-footer, in tight reaching conditions to leeward of Artemis (photo Phil Uhl)

The Farr 37 Migizi, top yacht in Class F, and 10th yacht overall (photo Phil Uhl)

A Maxi-fleet start (Class A), with Triumph seen here to windward of Nirvana, Kialoa IV and Windward Passage (photo Phil Uhl)

Quest in fresh downwind conditions (photo Phil Uhl)

Windward Passage in pre-start manoeuvres with Kialoa IV during the 1983 SORC - Kialoa IV went on to take overall honours in Class A, with Windward Passage second (photo Phil Uhl)

Stars & Stripes, a Nelson/Marek 39-footer, finished a lowly 16th in Class E (and 60th overall)

Alberta Bound, a Peterson 44-footer, finished 12th in Class C (photo Phil Uhl)

Another busy startline for the Maxis, with Windward Passage, Midnight Sun and Condor, and Nirvana visible to windward (photo Phil Uhl)

The peculiar looking 'rule beater' Cascade, a Milgrim 38-footer rating just 23.3ft, finished ninth in Class F (photo Phil Uhl)

At the St Petersburg Yacht Club marina, with Thunderbolt and Charisma V, in the foreground, and Windward Passage (photo Phil Uhl)

Part of the SORC 1983 fleet at the St Peterburg Yacht Club marina (photo Phil Uhl)

More photographs from this series can be seen here.

Article dated August 2024

Big Boat Series - 1985-1990

The IOR 50-footer Abracadabra powers across a startline during the 1987 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The St Francis Perpetual Trophies Regatta, which became known as the Big Boat Series, was an annual regatta hosted in San Francisco Harbour by the St Francis Yacht Club, first run in 1964. After the unprecedented cancellation of the 2001 edition of the series, Latitude 38 magazine published a retrospective on the regatta, which itself was an update of its September 1993 article titled '30 Years of the Big Boat Series - Thanks for the Memories'. I have combined this overview of the results for the 1985-1990 period and have included a 'Sail' magazine article covering the 1985 regatta and some spectacular photos from Sharon Green, Guy Gurney and Phil Uhl. An earlier article featuring the 1978-1984 regattas can be seen here.

The Reichel/Pugh 43-footer Sidewinder sails downwind in typically fresh conditions during the 1985 Big Boat Series (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

The 1985 Big Boat Series demonstrated once again that it pays to have a new boat, but not too new. The regatta, held from 15 to 21 September, featured five class winners (amongst the 54-boat fleet) that were recently built but had enough miles for rethinking, redesigning and rebuilding. The Reichel/Pugh 43 Lobo was sailing on its second keel, as was the Nelson/Marek 49 Crazy Horse, which was also on its seventh rudder.

Coyote in a hotly contested fleet of 40-footers, with Bondi Tram visible to leeward (KA-806) during the 1985 Big Boat Series

The 1985 edition was also notable for the support of the ‘new’ One Ton class, with only 0.3ft of rating separating the 15 smallest 40-foot boats, racing for the Rheem Trophy in a class that included ten One-Tonners and featured the toughest competition of the week. Constant changes in fortune kept the outcome in doubt until the final day, when a second place for John MacLaurin’s Davidson-designed Pendragon put them ahead of the Andrews 39 Impact. The Beneteau 39 Coyote (Irving Loube) and the Farr 40 General Hospital were close behind.

Fujimo leads Carat and Blade Runner during the 1987 Big Boat Series (photo Guy Gurney)

The San Francisco sea-breeze funneled in over the race area like clockwork, building to over 20-knots each day. Early races were sailed entirely on flood tides, which put a premium on upwind speed. This was no problem for Lobo, skippered by Tom Whidden, which won three races and Keefe-Kilborn Trophy, and edging out the Reichel/Pugh 42 It’s OK and the Nelson/Marek 41 Clockwork.

Abduction runs downwind alongside Lobo, seen here during the 1987 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Two members of the 1985 US Admiral’s Cup team competed against eight other boats for the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy. After a rushed trip to California from England, Bill Power’s Nelson/Marek 43 High Roler set the pace, winning three races to lead from the Frers 43 Shockwave and fellow team boat Sidewinder, a Reichel/Pugh 43. Meanwhile, Crazy Horse won four straight races in the City of San Francisco Trophy. She was the third lowest rating boat in a class of ten boats with a rating band of 10.7ft. The flood tides gave the bigger boats more time to work clear, but on the Bay, courses are tight, with short legs and turning marks that come around nearly as soon as a sail can be packed. That kept Crazy Horse within striking distance of quicker yachts such as the Soverel 55 The Shadow and the Frers 50 Tomahawk (second). The 1984 winner of this class, Blade Runner, was third.

Blade Runner with spinnaker and blooper set and backlit by the Californian sun during the 1987 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl) 

The 1986 series featured 53 boats. Gary Appleby's Farr 40 Sagacious came up from Australia to win the subjective 'overall boat of the series', a new award; bumper stickers and buttons proclaiming 'Shit Happens' made their first recorded appearance; Shockwave's 'Twisted Sisters' set a torrid fashion pace. IOR I - Infinity; IOR II - Roller; IOR III - Sleeper; One Ton - Sagacious.

Carat VI sails downwind during the 1987 Big Boat Series, with Locura visible to the left (photo Phil Uhl)

Carat VI (left) and Fujimo during the 1987 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

In 1987, contested by 45 boats, Pendragon won the 'overall performer' award (dropped after this series); Peter Stocker lost a bet and picked up the dinner tab for the Blade Runner, Bondi Tram and Sidewinder crews at Mulherns, probably the most expensive Big Boat Series dinner ever. General Hospital was dismasted in front of the clubhouse. IOR I - Jubilation; IOR II - Insatiable; One Ton - Pendragon.

Sidewinder (left) and Camouflage approach a windward mark during the 1987 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Swiftsure leads Blade Runner downwind during the 1987 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

1988 was the Big Boat Series' 25th anniversary, as well as IOR's last big hurrah in the US. Although featuring a reduced entry of 38 boats, everything fell into place to make this a fabulous event - it followed a maxi year at the Kenwood Cup and the One Ton Worlds that were held two weeks prior on the Bay. Raul Gardini and Paul Cayard teamed up on Il Moro to decimate eight other maxis with five bullets, while Tom Blackaller called tactics on the victorious Farr 50 Great News against nine hot 50-footers, edging out Royal Blue and Abracadabra. Blade Runner hooked a buoy with its lazy runner and inverted her mast three feet, but it didn't break. The Peter Gilmour-driven maxi Sovereign broke theirs, however. Maxi - Il Moro di Venezia; IOR 50 - Great News; IOR II -Shockwave; One Ton - Pendragon.

A mighty battle occurred amongst a fleet of eight maxis in the 1988 Big Boat Series, though it was won convincingly by Il Moro di Venezia - here we see Congere leading Matador (US-33700), Sovereign and Windward Passage II in tight reaching conditions on the Bay (photo Guy Gurney)

The bowman working in white water aboard Fujimo, trailing Insatiable, during the 1988 Big Boat Series (photo Guy Gurney)

The Vallicelli-designed 50-footer Springbok in power reaching conditions during the 1988 Big Boat Series (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

For 1989 it was evident that interest had declined further, with entries reducing to just 24 boats, possibly the Big Boat Series’ darkest hour. Cadillac sponsored this series (the first time that sponsorship was allowed) and ESPN televised it (with a heavy focus on the 50-foot and 70-foot sleds). IOR I - Shockwave; IOR II - Pendragon.

Sorcery in a close tussle with Matador during the 1988 Big Boat Series (photo Sharon Green)

Bloopers as well as spinnakers kept the bowman busy during the 1980's - in this case Blade Runner during the 1987 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The 1990 series featured a whole new look, with the regatta shortened from its previous week-long format to six races over four days. Two different courses were used for the first time, and attracted 57 boats. The highly-touted IMS rule debuted to mixed reviews, while IOR wheezed through its final death throes. Meanwhile, the rest of the series quietly went one design. IOR I - Blade Runner, IOR II – Will.

More bowman action, again during the 1987 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Article dated May 2024

Southern Cross Cup 1983

The 1983 edition of the biennial Southern Cross Cup, held in Sydney, Australia, was a memorable regatta for the dominant performance of the New Zealand team that was made up of three 40-footers built to Farr’s latest Design #136: Exador, Geronimo and Pacific Sundance.

Pacific Sundance, top yacht of the 1983 Southern Cross Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

Design 136 was an upsized development of Farr's previous 37-footers (Migizi and Freefall, Design 124) that had shown great speed at the 1983 SORC and were the first of a new generation of IOR designs from the Farr office. The design was finalised in April 1983 and was the first response to the change in the ORC rules that increased the IOR limit for the One Ton class from 27.5ft to 30.5ft. 

Exador, fourth yacht overall and part of the successful New Zealand team, seen here rounding a windward mark during the 1983 Southern Cross Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

Design 136 was pitched to excel in the typical lumpy and windy Australian and New Zealand conditions, with less sail area and more length than boats intended for Northern Hemisphere racing, but it went on to do well everywhere. The boat was considered to be extremely stiff, with small straightforwardly-shaped trapezoidal keels. The design proved a phenomenal performer upwind, and were fast reaching and OK running. New Zealand skippers Tom McCall, Owen Chantaloup and Del Hogg were quick to see the design's potential and commissioned the new boats, while a number were also built concurrently in Australia.

A closely packed fleet in very light conditions during the 1983 Southern Cross Cup - Di-Hard visible to the left, along with Highland Fling (KH-888), Hitchhiker (KA-303) and Indian Pacific (3695) (photo Phil Uhl)

Third yacht overall Di-Hard, seen here after rounding a gybe mark with Geronimo in the background (photo Phil Uhl)

The three New Zealand had yachts all benefited from the one-design nature of their pre-regatta tuning programme, and all secured places in the New Zealand Southern Cross Cup team, edging out the only other real threat in the Hitachi-sponsored trials, from Neville Crichton's Frers 43 Shockwave. Pacific Sundance was the top performer, and Geronimo and Exador finished second equal, and thus the New Zealand team for the Southern Cross Cup in 1983 was comprised of three almost-identical Farr One Tonners.

Highland Fling, rounding a weather mark with Taurus II close behind, was a member of the third-placed Hong Kong team (photo Phil Uhl)

Mandrake, a Ken Steinman 50-footer (photo Phil Uhl)

The New Zealand team put on a devastating and all-conquering performance in the Southern Cross Cup, taking wins in three out of five races to secure the Cup with 531 points, 111 points clear of the second-placed New South Wales team. The New Zealand boats proved exceptionally fast in all conditions except when the breeze dropped below six knots. Pacific Sundance, skippered by Geoff Stagg and Peter Walker, posted a first, third and fourth among the 27 yachts in the three inshore races to finish as first yacht overall, with 211 points. They also won the 180-miler (short offshore), and the Sydney-Hobart Race which doubled as the final race in the series - in fact she nearly won the Sydney-Hobart overall, but ran out of wind just 40 miles from the finish off Tasman Island and had to settle for sixth place in the 160-boat fleet.

The spinnaker is launched aboard New South Wales' team yacht Hitchhiker (photo Phil Uhl)

Geronimo, skippered by Stu Brentnall, finished as second yacht in the Southern Cross Cup fleet on 182 points (eighth overall in the Sydney-Hobart) and Exador, helmed by Ray Haslar,was fourth (and ninth in the Sydney-Hobart). The New Zealand victory was an even more dominant performance than in 1977 (Jenny H, Smir-Noff-Agen and Swuzzlebubble), and almost as good as New Zealand's first win in 1971 (Barnacle Bill, Inca and Pathfinder).

Australian yacht Black Magic, a Dubois 40-footer, sailed for the Victorian team, seen here heading off on a reaching leg during the 1983 Southern Cross Cup, with Highland Fling close behind (photo Phil Uhl)

An interesting perspective of the Southern Cross fleet making their way downwind in light reaching conditions during the Southern Cross Cup - British yacht Indulgence (Dubois 42) leads the way, with Pacific Sundance (red spinnaker) and Geronimo (green and white) visible on the right (photo Phil Uhl)

Black Magic sails upwind in the light airs and choppy conditions that prevailed throughout the 1983 Southern Cross Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

This second-placed team included two Australian Admiral’s Cup contenders, Bondi Tram and Hitchhiker, both Frers’ 41-footers, and another Farr 40, Indian Pacific (which finished sixth yacht overall). Third was the Hong Kong team of Bandido Bandido (Frers 43), Highland Fling (Dubois 42), and The Frumious Bandersnatch (Peterson 43). Another Frers 41-footer, Di-Hard, sailing for the fourth-placed Papua New Guinea team, finished as the third yacht overall on 167 points.

Hitchhiker in light airs completes a gybe during the 1983 Southern Cross Cup (photo Phil Uhl) 

The Frumious Bandersnatch, member of the third-placed Hong Kong team (photo Phil Uhl)

Australian yacht Too Impetuous, a Holland 42, rounds a leeward mark during the 1983 Southern Cross Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

Di-Hard seen here rounding a windward mark during the 1983 Southern Cross Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

A close up view of the crew of British yacht Jade shortly after rounding a windward mark (photo Phil Uhl)

The series ended with a controversial protest, which saw the British yacht Panda disqualified for a minor port and starboard incident which occurred as the fleet tacked its way out of Sydney Harbour. There had been many collisions as the fleet had jammed up after a close reach down the harbour and the turn to the south off Sydney Heads. However, few protests had been lodged and no other yachts had been penalised. Panda’s disqualification from the triple-scoring Sydney-Hobart race cost the British team 45 points, dropping it from third place to sixth in the final team standings.

Indulgence seen here amongst the melee of preparations for the 1983 Sydney-Hobart Race (photo Phil Uhl)

Indian Pacific takes a pin-end start during the 1983 Sydney-Hobart Race, with Indulgence (K-959) up to weather (photo Phil Uhl)

Panda, a member of the sixth-placed British team, was unfortunate to be disqualified from the Sydney-Hobart Race (photo Phil Uhl)

Indulgence broaches during the early stages of the 1983 Sydney-Hobart Race (photo Phil Uhl)

Australian yacht Taurus II sails downwind during the 1983 Sydney-Hobart Race (photo Phil Uhl)

1983 Southern Cross Cup team results:

1 New Zealand (531 points); 2 New South Wales (430); 3 Hong Kong (388); 4 Papua New Guinea (353); 5 Australia (350); 6 Britain (342); 7 Victoria (291); 8 Tasmania (191); 9 South Australia (141).

Article updated October 2024