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| Windward Passage, seen here racing in the 1980 Clipper Cup (photo Phil Uhl | Facebook) |
Windward Passage was one of the best-known Maxi yachts of the IOR period, and greatly admired for her longevity that spanned much this era, thanks to continual upgrades and the age allowance provisions of the rule. Windward Passage was designed by Alan P Gurney for Robert Johnson of the New York Yacht Club, to replace his earlier yacht Ticonderoga, and the ocean racer was built by Grand Bahama Yacht Builders. She was 72ft 9in long, just below the 73ft maximum length then imposed for the Bermuda Race, with a relatively light displacement of 80,000lb and an easily driven dinghy-like hull form, and a balanced blade rudder without a skeg – a combination that was markedly different to any other large yachts of her time. Her original configuration was that of a ketch (where the rudder was set abaft the mizzen), with the mainmast forestay set off a short bowsprit. |
| The original design for Windward Passage (above) and interior profile and plan arrangement (below) |
Windward Passage’s unusual design reflected Gurney’s thinking at the time for a truly competitive yacht, and incorporated some unique features in her construction, utilising triple diagonal spruce planking, covered with Dynel set in epoxy resin, laid over longitudinal Douglas fir and spruce stringers and plywood structural bulkheads approximately 6ft apart, to laminated fir floor timbers, stem, keel and beams (at the time she was considered to be the second-largest spruce structure in the world, after the massive Spruce Goose airplane - she was in fact the largest such structure because the Spruce Goose incorporated a variety of other types of wood). Her plywood deck was also covered in Dynel. Passage was built under a tent in an empty lot in Freeport, Grand Bahama. The first shipment of lumber for the boat was unloaded in November 1967, and she was launched just one year later. |
| An early photo of Windward Passage (photo Facebook) |
Within a month, and with an IOR rating of 70.9ft (replacing her original CCA rating issued in December 1968 of 76.8ft), Windward Passage had won her first race, the Miami to Palm Beach event, which she won again in 1969, and took top honours in the Miami/Nassau race, and the Transpac, setting new records for both. Johnson died in 1969 but his sons, Mark and Fritz, continued to campaign the yacht. In 1971 she broke her own Transpac record (with a time that stood until 1977 when Merlin snatched the prize).
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| Windward Passage during the record-breaking Sydney-Hobart race in 1975 |
She competed in the 1975 Southern Cross Cup, sailing as part of the South Australian team (which finished eighth), and enjoyed an epic battle with Kialoa III in that year’s Sydney to Hobart race. An early easterly gave way to hard running north-easterly conditions, with all of the fleet clocking high mileages. Passage and Kialoa were within sight of each other all the way to the finish, with Kialoa taking line honours in a new record time of 2 days 14 hours and 36 minutes (nearly 11 hours faster than the previous record set in 1973 by the 73-footer Helsal, with Passage just 23 minutes behind, although both boats finished well down in the fleet on corrected time). A video of this race can be seen in the Kialoa link above.  |
| Windward Passage crosses Kialoa III in San Francisco, date unknown (photo Facebook) |
Windward Passage then joined Kialoa III and others in the 1976 Hobart-Auckland race, with Kialoa setting another record time (just over seven days) and beating Passage by nearly three hours. Following her regular beatings by Kialoa, Fritz Johnson added 20ft to both of Passage’s masts, and although this boosted her rating to 72.6ft, she re-emerged as a winner in the 1977 Big Boat Series.
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| Windward Passage surges towards the finish line of the 1977 Transpac Race (photo Phil Uhl | Facebook) |
Later, Windward Passage travelled back to Australia for the 1977 Southern Cross Cup, teaming up with Phantom for one of the two 2-boat US teams (with Kialoa III joining Bravura). This series was notable for a major collision between the two maxis in the first race of the regatta, with Passage hitting Kialoa on her port quarter during a leeward mark rounding, resulting in a large hole in Kialoa’s hull above the waterline and significant deck damage, caused by a combination of the bow and the sawing action of Passage’s heavy wire bobstay. This also put Passage at serious risk of losing her main mast as the bowsprit and headstay were no longer supported. Kialoa protested Passage (and won), but was unable to race again until the Sydney-Hobart finale. Passage had to sit out the second race, and finished 20th in the third race.
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| Windward Passage racing in Sydney in the 1977 Southern Cross Cup (photo Guy Gurney) |
The Sydney-Hobart race that year was a storm-tossed affair that resulted in a heavy retirement rate and a subsequent inquiry by the event organiser, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. The wind abated at the end of the race for much of the fleet, but Kialoa III and Windward Passage made it across the finish before the breeze really dropped out, with Kialoa taking out a corrected time victory and Passage taking third (behind Australia’s Ragamuffin). |
| The conversion of Windward Passage to a sloop in 1978 |
Kilroy made further changes to Kialoa III on his return trip to the US via Auckland, with significant underbody modifications, and this was the trigger for Windward Passage to be re-rigged as a sloop and fitted with a new keel before the 1978 Big Boat Series.  |
| Windward Passage after conversion to a sloop (photo Facebook) |
Windward Passage, now with a lower rating of 67.7ft, contested the 1980 Clipper Cup, with the Maxis dominating overall results in the first three races, with Mistress Quickly winning opening Around Oahu race and Passage taking line and handicap honours in the first two Olympic triangles. Going into the final race, the Round the State, Passage had a clear lead on individual points, but despite taking line honours in the series finale ended up as third yacht overall (and first Maxi) after Ragamuffin and Shockwave sailed strongly to put enough lower rated boats between them and Passage.  |
| Windward Passage during the 1980 Clipper Cup (photo Guy Gurney) |
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Above and below, Windward Passage during the 1980 Clipper Cup (photos Phil Uhl | Facebook)
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| Windward Passage seen here during the 1980 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl | Facebook) |
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| An aerial view of Windward Passage by Guy Gurney during the 1981 SORC |
Bill Johnson of Atlanta (no relation) bought Windward Passage in the early 1980s, describing it as a “once-in-a-lifetime boat”. He commissioned Doug Peterson, with the assistance of Gurney, to redesign the underbody with a new keel and a titanium rudder and installed a lot of new gear, from the engine to winches and navigation, and a new 110ft-tall mast. These changes increased her rating to 68.3ft but also her competitiveness, and she went on to win her class at the 1982 SORC.
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| Windward Passage in action (above and below) during the 1982 SORC (photos by Guy Gurney | Facebook) |
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| Condor of Bermuda and Windward Passage in close windward mark action during the 1982 Clipper Cup (photo Phil Uhl | Facebook) |
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| Windward Passage runs downwind during the 1982 Clipper Cup with her spinnaker and blooper in perfect trim (photo Phil Uhl) |
Later that year she joined eight other Maxis for the 1982 Clipper Cup, including Kialoa IV, Condor and Condor of Bermuda. The series was affected by stronger than usual winds, but Passage took it in her stride, surfing past Condor and Kialoa on the downwind blast on the return leg to Molokai, taking line honours in a record setting 15 hours 33 minutes. However, she lost her mast in the Round the State race, and so finished the series in fourth place in Class A (3/1/1/3/DNF).  |
| Windward Passage in strong winds typical of the 1982 Clipper Cup (photo Phil Uhl | Facebook) |
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| Windward Passage powers upwind in the Molokai Channel during the 1982 Clipper Cup (photo Phil Uhl) |
The lost mast was replaced by one from Hood Yacht Systems with a Proctor boom. This had to be installed in Florida which ruled our Johnson’ original plan to compete in the 1982 Big Boat Series. |
| A contrast in design styles and eras, Windward Passage in light airs during the 1983 SORC, alongside Kialoa IV (photo Larry Moran) |
By the time of the 1983 season Windward Passage was benefitting significantly from the IOR Mk IIIA age allowance formula (qualifying in ‘Division 1’ of the rule that applied to yachts with hull date of 12/1972 or earlier), as well as the age allowance administered under the SORC regatta. This factor yielded a rated length measurement ‘L’ some 10ft less than her competitors, which offset higher 'DLF' and 'SHR' measurements (see table below). Her rating for this series reduced to 67.0ft, some 3ft less than the 70.0ft Maxi limit.  |
| Key IOR measurements for some of the Maxis at the 1983 SORC (Seahorse) |
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| Startline action during the 1983 SORC, with Windward Passage to leeward of Kialoa IV, Nirvana and Condor (photo Phil Uhl | Facebook) |
It was noted in previews to the 1983 SORC that her speed producing characteristics, following her keel and rig modifications in 1982, were such that she would be in a position to perform at least as well as her rivals while benefitting from her new rating advantage. She was some 9,000 to 10,000lbs lighter than the newer boats on an effective waterline only fractionally shorter than her competition, while sporting a rig of equal size to the others in absolute size and considerably larger when compared to her lighter displacement. |
| Windward Passage powers to windward during the 1983 SORC (photo Larry Moran) |
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| Windward Passage and Kialoa IV (and Nirvana just visible on the right) in pre-start manoeuvres during the 1983 SORC (photo Phil Uhl | Facebook) |
So it proved, and Windward Passage finished second in Class A (but 57th overall) behind Kialoa IV and with results of 1/3/DNF/2/2/7. Notably, she finished ahead of newer boats such as Boomerang, Condor, Midnight Sun and Nirvana. The DNF occurred in the Lipton Cup, which featured some very tight racing in the Maxi fleet. At the Lauderdale mark, Midnight Sun bore away to pass to leeward as Passage heeled to a gust while the crew were dousing the spinnaker - as she heeled the head of the spinnaker and its halyard blew to leeward, forming a loop into which Midnight Sun poked her bow. As she pressed forward, Midnight Sun was pulled into the side of Passage by the halyard. At the same time a crewman had been flicked into the water when she heeled and was entangled with the spinnaker, and only swift action by another crew member in cutting the spinnaker halyard saved him from a potentially serious injury. Passage retired while the crewman was rushed to hospital by the Coast Guard (and later discharged).  |
| Windward Passage during the St Petersburg to Ft. Lauderdale Race during the 1983 SORC (photo Larry Moran) |
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| Windward Passage along with other Maxis Midnight Sun, Condor, Nirvana and Kialoa IV at the start of the Nassau Cup finale during the 1983 SORC (photo Phil Uhl | Facebook) |
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| Windward Passage seen here during a stopover in the 1983 SORC, with smaller yachts Thunderbolt (Class D) and Charisma V (Class E) visible in the foreground (photo Phil Uhl) |
Windward Passage went on to compete in the 1984 SORC, where she again entered the record books with a strong easterly arriving for the second race, the 365-mile St Petersburg-Fort Lauderdale race. These conditions suited her perfectly and she finished in 39 hours 14 minutes, often sustaining speeds in excess of 16 knots, and allowed her to beat Kialoa IV by a full 15 minutes. However, she finished the series in third place in Class A (placings of 3/2/5/7/4/5), behind The Shadow (a Soverel 55-footer) and Kialoa, and 45th overall in what turned out to be a small boat bonanza that year. |
| Windward Passage under new ownership and sailing in Australia (photo Historiedeshalfs website) |
She was then bought by Australian Rod Muir in 1985, who took the yacht to Tim Gurr’s yard in New Zealand for a complete refit, where she was stripped to her bare hull and her keel and stern were redesigned. The floors were replaced with an aluminium space-frame and new bulkheads of ply over foam were installed, along with a new composite deck and cockpit. She raced in the 1985 Sydney-Hobart race, finishing 60th on corrected time. |
| Windward Passage - the poster yacht for the 1986 Kenwood Cup |
Having missed the 1984 Clipper Cup series, Windward Passage was back for the 1986 edition, now re-named the Kenwood Cup, although the only other Maxi to sail that year was Sorcery. Sorcery beat Windward Passage in the Molokai Race by 12 minutes, but it was much closer in the series finale, the 775-mile Round the State race, with Sorcery edging out Passage by just under 2 minutes and taking overall honours in Class A (Passage was third, behind Marishiten, a Nelson-Pugh 62-footer). She then raced in the 1986 Sydney-Hobart, finishing 15th on corrected time. |
| Windward Passage in power reaching conditions during the 1986 Kenwood Cup (photo Sharon Green Ultimate Sailing | Facebook), and below, from a different angle (photo Guy Gurney) |
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| Above and below, images of Windward Passage during the 1986 Kenwood Cup (photos Facebook) |
Muir then commissioned a new boat, a fractional maxi designed by German Frers, named Windward Passage 2. He campaigned both yachts in 1989, including the Sydney-Newcastle race.
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| Windward Passage and Windward Passage 2 at the end of the Sydney-Newcastle Race in 1988 |
Peterson designed further modifications for the boat after she was retired from racing by Muir, with a shorter rig and shoal keel, along with interior and deck modifications. It appears she had a second life as a charter yacht in the early 1990s, and she has undergone further upgrades and modernisation and is now looking as good as ever, and being sailed from Newport Beach, California. |
| Windward Passage looks to be in fine form in these photographs (Facebook) from 2022 |
A new book about Windward Passage ('Windward Passage - A Maxi-yacht in her Sixth Decade', by Randall Peffer) is now available here.
Article updated April 2024
