Admiral's Cup 1993

A stampede of 50-footers during the 1993 Admiral's Cup, with Champosa VII leading Pro-motion VII, Indulgence and Corum Saphir (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

Just as they did in similarly boisterous conditions in 1985, Germany outlasted their opponents to win the 1993 Champagne Mumm Admiral’s Cup for the fourth time. In a series that became a battle of attrition by the end of the Fastnet race, the Germans finished with all three boats – Container, Rubin XII and Pinta - intact, while the early front-runners, Australia and Italy, paid dearly for collisions and gear failure. Germany won by just a quarter of a point, an even narrower margin than the French in 1991. It was a fittingly close result for what was to be the swansong for the IOR in the Admiral's Cup.

Starline action during the 1993 Admiral's Cup, with Nippon to windward (mid-tack), Swing (JPN3553), Indulgence (GBR) and Jameson 3, with the bow of Mandrake to the right (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

The win nevertheless came as a surprise to the German team. Despite having the current One Ton champion Pinta, their team was not considered to be as strong as Australia or Italy.

Pro-motion VII powers along in fresh reaching conditions during the 1993 Admiral's Cup (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

As with the 1991 event, teams were made up of a 50-footer, Two Tonner and a One Tonner. However, the three-class level-rating scoring that had proved so successful in 1991 was dropped. Elapsed times had to be corrected not just into class order, but fleet order too. An age allowance factor was also introduced. However, only two scores from three boats were counted for each race (after it was feared that the series might fail and so two-boat teams were permitted for the first time). Only the Dutch team failed to field a three-boat team. It was therefore impossible to tell the results while racing was underway, and as a windy series, it favoured the larger yachts. This meant that some crews may have sailed well, but were rewarded with no points. A good 50-footer seemed essential for success, since their ability to obtain clear air early in any of the races guaranteed them a better chance than the boats which had to struggle through the disturbed air of one or two bigger classes – indeed, five of the seven races were won by the 50-footers and the other two went to Two Tonners. The One Tonners hardly got a look in, but Germany’s One Tonner, Pinta, that year's World One Ton champion, was essential to the team’s success even though she only recorded a score in two races.

Mandrake leads Jameson 3, with Champosa VII setting her spinnaker and followed by Corum Saphir and Container (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

Australia showed early form – Syd Fisher’s Ragamuffin (ex-Will) in the hands of Peter Gilmour, had looked the best 50-footer on the track. Gilmour constantly proved that, and only the combined attack of his opponents, and hitting a windward mark in the third race, stopped Ragamuffin from winning every race easily. The team’s One Tonner, Ninja, was a touch off the pace but this was made up for by John Calbert Jones’ Great News II (ex-Wings of Oracle), which became a force in the hands of Colin Beashel and it was only when her mast broke off at the deck early in the Fastnet, 20 miles north of the Scillies Islands, that the Australian challenge was lost.

Corum Saphir creates a bit of white water as she rounds a leeward mark (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

The German success was due to the efficiency of the team with back-up support that was ready for almost every eventuality, with New Zealand’s Peter Lester playing a key coaching role.

Jameson 2 rounds a gybe mark ahead of Rubin XII and Swing (photographer unknown)

France had probably had more practice than the rest of the team, but the combined talent never materialised into a winning force until the Fastnet, where once again, the French were the highest point scorers. But by then it was too late. Mistakes were common and Corum Saphir, the team's 50-footer (ex-Springbok), failed to score for her country in three of the inshore races when the big boats were dominant. Corum Rubis, the Two Tonner (ex-Bravura), recorded a solid score in every race and only Ragamuffin and Container were able to do as well. But Corum Diamant, the One Tonner (ex-Okyalos VI) failed to shine.

The aftermath of the Mandrake / Pro-motion VII collision in the fifth race (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

Italy lead into the final race, but were impacted by the loss of Mandrake, the 50-footer, in the fifth race after she had won two consecutive inshore races. Mandrake and the Dutch yacht Pro-motion VII crashed as they approached the windward mark for the second time. After losing her lead at the first mark Pro-motion was caught by other 50-footers, and then slightly over-stood the windward mark on the second time. She was slightly high on Indulgence’s weather hip as Mandrake came across on port. Skipper Francesco di Angelis dipped Indulgence’s stern but when the rudder stalled while attempting to dip Pro-motion and her bow entered the middle of Pro-motion’s hull, slicing to just below the waterline, at the same time breaking off the front four feet of the Italian yacht. For a time it seemed that both would sink, and it was a full minute before they could be prised apart. The crew of Pro-motion immediately put her on port tack to keep the gaping hole clear of the water and headed for Chichester Harbour with pumps going flat out. Mandrake’s crew, meanwhile, covered the hole in the bow with a storm jib, massed their weight and all sails in the stern and settled in for a long slow tow home to Cowes.

The extent of damage to Pro-motion is clearly visible from this photo by Gilles Martin-Raget (Facebook)

The video footage of this incident, including the lead-up and aftermath, can be seen in a Reuters film here.

Mandrake’s loss was crucial for the team which had looked so strong on paper. Larouge, the Two Tonner, had just won the Two Ton Cup and was top scorer in the class going into the Fastnet, but on the way back from Fastnet Rock, and 40 miles from Bishop Rock, her runner parted and their rig tumbled with 130 miles to go. The One Tonner, Brava Q8 (One Ton Cup winner in 1992) was seen as a potent performer, but she only produced a good score on one occasion. She was initially lucky in race 3 when after hooking the mooring of the outer distance mark, the race committee delayed the start, but later lost her mast not long after rounding the final leeward mark.

Japan finished fifth. Champosa VII, the team's 50-footer, showed flashes of brilliance but her overall score was not as hoped for. Swing was a regular scorer for her team, but Nippon, the One Tonner, was not as strong, and things were not helped when a crew-member went over the side during the Fastnet, and the yacht subsequently retired.

Britain was a lowly sixth. Indulgence (ex-Juno V) finishing as top yacht in the Fastnet, but other than a second in the opening race, she failed to score in the next four. Provezza Sauce, the Two Tonner, had good speed but this was often wasted. The young team aboard GBE International (ex-Port Pendennis), might have done better but lacked experience of mixed-fleet sailing in a small boat.

"Jameson on the rocks" (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing) 

The Irish team’s performance were impacted from the first race after the team’s One Tonner, Jameson 1 (ex-Fram XI), hit the rocks off Gurnard Ledge (to the west of Cowes) and lost her keel. Four other One Tonner’s hit as well but Jameson 1 was the only serious casualty. Down to two boats, there was further disappointment when Jameson 3 (ex-Heaven Can Wait) broke her boom at the mainsheet attachment during the Fastnet race. Jameson 2 (ex-Shockwave) was the team’s bright note, finishing as the top Two Tonner overall.

The 35th Fastnet race, the seventh race of the regatta, provided the 20 remaining boats left in the Cup with a proper test of the fleet. Good strong winds, on the wind all the way to the Fastnet Rock, and a fast run and reach back, found weaknesses and, as usual, was the final arbiter of the Cup. At the front of the fleet, it was a battle between Ragamuffin and Indulgence, with Corum Saphir coming into the equation on the way home. Corum Rubis led the Two Tonners at the Rock, 16-minutes ahead of Larouge. Pinta led the One Tonners, ahead of Brava Q8 by 11 minutes, and Ninja another seven minutes back.

Experience aboard Indulgence was a key factor at the Lizard, when in a foul tide navigator Peter Morton took the boat inshore into a countercurrent and this enabled Chris Law to steer her ahead of Gilmour and the Ragamuffin team. She then led Ragamuffin into Plymouth Sound by just 11 seconds, with Corum Saphir a further 12 seconds astern. 

However, Ragamuffin lost a place to Corum Saphir on corrected time, which was crucial for the overall results. After Larouge’s dismasting, the Cup result became a battle between Australia and Germany, and much depended on the One Tonners. Pinta was the difference, finishing seven minutes ahead of Brava Q8 and, more importantly, one place ahead of Jamieson 2 on corrected time. 

A subsequent protest against Jameson 2 by Prevezza Sauce under the Collision Regulations about an alleged luffing incident during the hours of darkness, which would have raised Ninja by one point and given the Cup to Australia, was dismissed by the International Jury and the final result, and Germany’s victory, was confirmed. 

It is noted that without the discard scoring system, Germany's points margin would have been even higher, so at least the 'right' country won under the 1993 system. Ragamuffin was the highest individual points scorer.

This article (April 2025) is adapted from the accounts within Bob Fisher's article in 'Admiral's Cup Blow by Blow', September 1993 (as printed in Boating NZ magazine) and Timothy Jefferey in The Official History of the Champagne Mumm Admiral's Cup (1994). 

Kenwood Cup 1988 - Part 2

This post follows an earlier article about the 1988 edition of the Kenwood Cup that featured photographs by Sharon Green. The following gallery focuses mainly on the Maxi fleet (who were holding their World Championship for that year) and includes photographs by Kaoru Soehata, Guy Gurney and Phil Uhl.

Ondine VII leads Windward Passage 2 (the winner of Class A) and Congere in tight reaching conditions during the 1988 Kenwood Cup (photo Guy Gurney)

Il Moro di Venezia leads Ondine VII and Matador (photo Kaoru Soehata)

An aerial shot of Congere in hard reaching conditions (photo Guy Gurney)

Sorcery leading Il Moro di Venezia, Ondine VII and Matador (photo Guy Gurney)

Ondine VII just after hoisting the spinnaker on a reaching leg - likely a sea-level shot taken at about the same time as the first photograph above (photo Guy Gurney)

A start of Class E, with General Hospital leading off the windward end with The Esanda Way (aka-Beyond Thunderdome) to leeward - Ultimate Challenge, Sagacious V and Bravura are visible further down the line (photo Phil Uhl)

The One Ton fleet nears a gybe mark, with Bravura leading from Sagacious V, with Brazil's Black Jack coming up from behind (photo Phil Uhl)

Ondine VII powers to windward (photo Guy Gurney)

An aerial view of French 'mini-Maxi' Emeraude (photo Kaoru Soehata)

Matador (right) and Il Moro di Venezia nearing a downwind mark (photo Guy Gurney)

Foredeck action aboard the 54-footer Jubilation at a leeward mark (photo Guy Gurney)

Ondine VII to weather of Sorcery (photo Guy Gurney)

The crew of Il Moro di Venezia prepare for a windward mark rounding (photo Guy Gurney)

Article dated March 2025

Victory of Burnham (Dubois 44)

Victory of Burnham was an Ed Dubois -designed 44-footer, commissioned by Peter de Savary for the 1981 offshore racing season and that year’s Admiral’s Cup in particular, and as a ‘warm-up’ for his bid for the 1983 America’s Cup. She was a good-looking yacht, with a low coachroof, raked transom and blue and gold paint scheme. Her design characteristics, with a return to more conservative design style, mast-head rig and narrower aft sections, marked something of a departure from Dubois’ previous breakthrough yacht, Police Car.

Victory during the 1981 Admiral's Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

Victory was skippered by Phil Crebbin and made it into Britain’s three-boat Admiral’s Cup team, alongside Yeoman XXIII (a Frers 45-footer) and Dragon (a Dubois 40-foot minimum rater), racing with a very competitive, but ultimately inaccurate, rating of 33.1ft IOR. She finished as top boat in the trials, only once dropping out of the top three places in nine races. While this gave some indication of the issues to come, Victory sailed well and her anomalous rating is not understood to have greatly affected the outcome of the British trials, although Robin Aisher, skipper of second-placed Yeoman, recalled that Victory was tough to beat on corrected time.

Victory (K-302), seen here on the right, pursues Marionette during the 1981 British Admiral's Cup trials, with Caiman visible in the centre (photo Guy Gurney)

After the windless first race of the Admiral’s Cup, Victory won the next inshore race, with team-mate Yeoman second, covering the poor result of Dragon in 42nd and lifting the team to fourth. The team had a strong Channel Race and leapt to first place, and in another light airs inshore race, Victory finished second, with Yeoman in sixth, which saw them take a commanding lead into the Fastnet Race finale. In contrast to the storm-affected 1979 edition of this ocean racing classic, the 1981 race was affected by calms throughout and was a long drawn-out affair. Incredibly, Victory finished just under three hours behind the line honours winner, the Maxi-yacht Kialoa IV. It was a minimum-rater benefit, however, and Victory just managed 15th on corrected time in the Admiral's Cup fleet. Nevertheless, this gave her second place overall, just one point behind New Zealand’s Swuzzlebubble III, and helped her to lead the British team to an Admiral’s Cup win, by a whopping 98 points over the second-placed US team.

Victory during the 1981 British Admiral's Cup trials (photo Seahorse)

The review of the Admiral’s Cup series from ‘The World of Sailing 1981-82’ noted that in the immediate post-series review that the British victory could be attributed to three things – the first being that their boats suffered no broken gear, the second being the consistent sailing of Victory and Yeoman, and thirdly the performance of Dragon in the points-loaded offshore races. Of interest to the story that follows, it was also observed that only Britain completed the series without incurring a penalty, with team captain Aisher emphasising that the British team must keep out of trouble at all times.

Victory seen here during Cowes Week 1981 (photo Facebook)

Victory was later bought by Trevor Bailey of London, and she changed hands in January 1982, with a new measurement certificate issued by the RORC. She was transported to Florida for the 1982 SORC and put on a dominant performance, finishing first in Class C (1/1/3/5/2), and third overall.

Unfortunately, as it would transpire, Victory would be remembered mainly for the rating controversy in which she became embroiled after this success in the SORC. The preceding 1981 edition of that event, which doubled as the US Admiral’s Cup team selection series, had been impacted by controversy after the top three selectors’ choices of Louisiana Crude, Acadia and Williwaw were all found to have suspect ratings (and in the end the two reserve yachts, Stars & Stripes and Intuition were selected to join Scaramouche).

Victory has a strong start in the light-airs first race of the 1981 Admiral's Cup, seen here to weather of Australia's Apollo V, and US team-mates Scaramouche and Intuition 

There had been a feeling in the British fleet during the 1981 season that Victory's rating of 33.1ft was too good to be true. The designer, the late Ed Dubois, had even given the RORC’s rating office his predicted values for the hull depth measurements, because her rating was lower than he had expected and well below what Dubois thought was the best that could be achieved, at around 33.6ft. The inquiry on the issue that was conducted by the RORC noted that the original measurement was undertaken in April 1981, which came out at 33.3ft. Remeasurement was undertaken in June 1981 after some ballast relocation and Dubois’ recommended bumping of the CMD measurement point (to force another complete remeasurement of the boat), and again later that month (after the British Admiral’s Cup trials had commenced), with the rating now at 33.1ft. 

But the re-measurement of Victory, by another RORC measurer, concluded that the rating was correct. Based on this, and her performance during the trials as described above, Victory was duly selected for the British team and went on to finish second overall, and was the top scorer of that team.

Part way through the first race of the 1981 Admiral's Cup, Victory can be seen here just behind Italy's Almagores, with Scaramouche (US) to leeward, and Ireland's Woolly Jumper to windward (photo Phil Uhl)

However (as reported by the New York Times in March 1982), complaints were lodged after the SORC by two rival Class C skippers, William Power (High Roler) and Rodney Wallace (Thunderbird). Victory’s crew subsequently complied with the Race Committee’s request to return the yacht to Florida for remeasurement. When errors were discovered by the Chief Measurer of the US Yacht Racing Union (USYRU) they advised the RORC, who promptly sent one of their measurers over from Britain, and the boat was again remeasured, confirming the USYRU’s Chief Measurer’s work.

Victory struggles towards the finish line of the first race in the 1981 Admiral's Cup, with Germany's Pinta ahead on starboard gybe 

Victory’s remeasured freeboards showed her to float very slightly higher than expected, although this was of marginal consequence. The most significant issue, however, was that her out-of-water hull depth measurements were badly amiss (by an average of 1.65”) and all the errors added cumulatively to reduce the boat’s rating, as the computer rated the boat to be 1,675lbs heavier than she really was. The other major discrepancy related to her stability, with remeasurement showing her to be 13.5% more stable than originally assessed (noting that stability was a penalised feature in the IOR, up to a point). The USYRU remeasurement found that Victory’s rating was in fact 34.5ft.

The Chairman of the SORC disqualified Victory from that series on 23 March 1982, and High Roler was declared the winner of Class C.

A study in IOR sterns during the 1981 Admiral's Cup, with Victory on the right, alongside Australia's Hitchhiker, Rebel Country and Sweden's Ra Carat (photo Phil Uhl)

In early May 1982, therefore, it became clear to the RORC inquiry team that a full remeasurement of Victory was desirable, where the yacht was prepared for measurement by Dubois himself. This remeasurement was within the expected tolerances of the early USYRU measurements. The inquiry exonerated Dubois from any fault, noting that he had previously advised the RORC of his opinion that the depth measurements were too large and asked them to be checked, and he did all that could reasonably be expected to warn that something might be wrong.

The question was then whether Britain’s earlier victory in the 1981 Admiral’s Cup should be declared null and void and the Cup handed over to the second-placed US team. However, it does not appear that Victory’s measurement saga was the result of any effort by de Savary or Dubois, who were exonerated in the RORC’s inquiry. That inquiry also found no evidence of fraud or other malpractice, and the issue appeared to be the result of a rushed check of the mid-depths while relying on the original measurement stations. The blame thus lay with the RORC’s measurer and the rating secretary, both of whom subsequently resigned from their posts.

Further, a re-calculation of the Admiral’s Cup scores, based on Victory’s corrected rating, did not suggest that Britain’s victory was in any way undeserved. Timothy Jeffery in his comprehensive Official History of the Admiral’s Cup noted that a re-calculation only dropped Victory’s contribution to the British winning total by 19 points, which would still leave Britain with a significant margin over the US. This is perhaps not surprising, as applying the formula typically used at the time to convert an IOR rating to a time correction factor (i.e., TCF = [R1/2 + 2.6] / 10) the difference in Victory’s rating would result in a TCF of 0.83, compared to 0.84. In a six-hour race, this would amount to just 3 minutes 36 seconds (approximately 1%). It is not apparent that this would have had a significant effect on the way that other yachts would have raced against Victory, even if they found her rating to be unduly ‘competitive’. Given her strong performance in the British trials, it seems equally unlikely that with a corrected rating she would have struggled to qualify for the team or would have been beaten by the fourth-placed Mayhem.

In any event, the 1981 Admiral’s Cup result stood as part of the historical record, along with Britain’s winning margin, as does Victory’s second place in the individual standings. This is, however, in some contrast to the USYRU's approach to the SORC results, albeit that the SORC is an individual event, rather than a teams-based regatta.

Victory racing in San Francisco, likely during the 1984 Big Boat Series

Victory was later bought by US yachtsman Robert Butkus and competed in the 1984 Clipper Cup (by then with a rating of 34.2ft, and sail number 87312), sailing for the Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club, and with Dubois aboard. She finished in third place in Class C (results of 2/1/3/6/8). She went on to race in Class C in the 1984 Big Boat Series, although her results in that regatta are not known, but she did not feature in the top four.

Victory lost her mast at some stage in her racing career (photo Facebook)

Article dated January 2025

Zamazaan (Farr 52)

Zamazaan is a 52-foot Farr design (Design #60), that was commissioned in 1977 by New Zealand architect Neville Price and conceived as a good all-round ocean-racing yacht with the emphasis on long passage races where a predominance of reaching and running conditions could be expected. She was also designed to be a fast yacht for its size for racing in Auckland Harbour and the Hauraki Gulf, where she would initially be based, using handicap systems other than IOR.

Zamazaan racing on the Hauraki Gulf during the 1979 Balokovic Cup (photo Maritime Museum)

The Farr design notes for Zamazaan comment that performance at that time for size and IOR handicap honours were conflicting parameters which required a compromise that was difficult to attain, and made more so by proposed changes in the IOR during the design process. These changes, which would penalise lighter displacement yachts for which Farr was renowned, went through three iterations during the construction of Zamazaan (in kauri wood), "requiring considerable use of the crystal ball". 

The underwater shape and sharp-looking profile of Zamazaan visible before her launch in 1977

The more significant changes made during that time were a switch from the planned centreboard (or drop keel) in favour of a fixed keel, a slight increase in displacement, alterations to the aft sections, and a slight change in the forward depth area where the dimension was to be restricted. These tweaks in response to the dictates of the IOR were evident in her stern overhang that resulted in a waterline length of just 39'6" and displacement of 21,043lbs (which compares favourably to the IOR 50-footers of the late 1980s that displaced approximately 26,000lbs), but ensured a competitive rating of 41.7ft IOR.

A photo of Zamazaan during her preparation for the 1979 Transpac - showing an alteration to incorporate a boarding platform within her transom (photo Facebook)

Zamazaan featured a large fractional rig, while the keel was a high aspect ratio minimum thickness foil with computer-developed sections to produce required lift with as little drag as possible. 

Zamazaan during the 1979 Laihana Sauza Cup in Hawaii, after the 1979 Transpac (photo Phil Uhl)

After some racing in the local New Zealand scene, Zamazaan was bought by US interests

A short documentary here follows a three-day yacht race in the Hauraki Gulf in autumn 1980, against a new Farr 54-footer Cotton Blossom, this being Zamazaan's first race under her new American skipper Warwick Tompkins, before being relocated to the US where she was owned by Bob Cole, but retained her NZ sail number (3883). She was delivered to the US by a crew of four, via Tahiti and then to Honolulu in time for the 1980 Clipper Cup where she finished first in Class A. She didn't feature in the results for the very windy 1982 series.  

Zamazaan on a close reach during the 1980 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Zamazaan during the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Skippered by Paul Cayard, she finished third in the City of San Francisco Trophy division of the 1981 Big Boat Series (with results of 2/4/4/3/6), behind Great Fun and Swiftsure. In the 1982 series (now under semi-charter to the Sausalito Yacht Club) she finished in sixth place (6/5/9/3/7) in the nine-boat division. Zamazaan then continued to compete in the IOR racing scene in San Francisco, and other races off the West Coast of USA,

Zamazaan suffers a broach during the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

According to comments on Facebook, Zamazaan's luck faded in the late 1980s, after she was stranded on a reef in Hawaii. however, she was fixed up by a local sailor but was then confiscated by authorities.

Zamazaan seen here during a Friday night race off Waikiki after the 1987 Transpac (photo Phil Uhl)

Zamazaan (US-3883) seen here again in 1987 off Waikiki (photo Phil Uhl)

Zamazaan in another spot of trouble while racing in 2008 (photo Facebook)

Zamazaan seen here racing in the Pacific Cup in 2017 (photo Facebook)

Zamazaan has since benefited from numerous upgrades and renovations over the years. This has included a higher boom, so the crew doesn't have to hide in the 'foxholes' carved into the trimming stations. The current owner Greg Mullins has put a lot of effort into the boat over the past several years, with a new deck layout, floating leads, bowsprit, asymmetric spinnakers etc. 

Zamazaan in her current livery, circa 2022 (photo Facebook)

Part of the deck layout on Zamazaan, as seen in 2022 (photo Facebook)

Some onboard footage can be seen here (while racing in 2020).

Article updated March 2025

Police Car - Two Ton Cup 1979

This post features another superb set of photographs by Guy Gurney, this time of the legendary Australian yacht Police Car, a Dubois 42-footer, while she was competing in the Two Ton Cup held in Poole on 24-28th July 1979. The photos, which show off Police Car's striking hull graphics to great effect, were taken on the second and windiest day of the Two Ton Cup, which she won, but later suffered a controversial protest by the Argentinian yacht Sur. The series was otherwise a generally light-air affair that was not Police Car's forte and she finished  in fourth place overall, behind the French yacht Gitana VII (Frers), Sur (Frers) and Great Britain's Winsome Gold (Dubois).  

Police Car sails downwind during the 1979 Two Ton Cup (photo Guy Gurney)

Police Car sails downwind during the 1979 Two Ton Cup (photo Guy Gurney)

Police Car sails downwind during the 1979 Two Ton Cup (photo Guy Gurney)

Police Car sails downwind during the 1979 Two Ton Cup (photo Guy Gurney)

Police Car sails downwind during the 1979 Two Ton Cup (photo Guy Gurney)

The Two Ton Cup was held just prior to that year's Admiral's Cup where Police Car revelled in the fresher breezes of that series and formed an integral part of the Australian team's victory (alongside Impetuous and Ragamuffin).

For more about the history of Police Car (and her current whereabouts) see this earlier article here.