Clipper Cup 1984

The Frers 81-foot Maxi Boomerang, top individual yacht of the 1984 Clipper Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

The 1984 Clipper Cup series attracted 69 of the world’s top IOR racing yachts from nine countries (Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States). The Maxi fleet included Boomerang, Kialoa IV, Nirvana, Sorcery and Winterhawk (ex-Ceramco New Zealand) from the United States, Condor from Bermuda and Ragamuffin (ex-Bumblebee IV) from Australia. Renowned marine photographer Phil Uhl was there to capture the action, and this article features a number of his photos from the series. 

Boomerang crosses ahead of Kialoa IV as they approach a windward mark during one of the Triangle races in the 1984 Clipper Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

The three Olympic triangle races were again the most hotly contested of the series, with the Maxis doing their best to save their time on handicap against the smaller yachts. The first two races were sailed in strong blustery winds before Hawaii’s standard tradewinds settled in. Boomerang had a slow start but by the second race was clearly the form yacht in Class A. Within the other classes, Monte Livingston’s Checkmate (ex-Bullfrog) took two firsts in Class B; US yacht Victory lead Class C with a second and first; Bondi Tram lead Class D with two first placings; and Exador lead the One Ton fleet that made up most of Class E, also with two first places.

The Soverel-designed 55-footer The Shadow, seen here rounding a windward mark in close company with Italian yacht Orlanda, a Farr 58-footer, finished fifth yacht overall (photo Phil Uhl)

Kialoa IV (second yacht overall) powers upwind with Condor on her windward hip (photo Phil Uhl)

The rough conditions of the first two races caused some attrition in the fleet, and so only 58 boats motored out for the 150-mile double-points Kalua Koi Molokai Race. Conditions were fortunately much less extreme than in 1982, and saw Boomerang take line honours from Kialoa with a margin of nine minutes, but Kialoa only just edged out Sorcery by ten seconds. The Maxis also took overall handicap honours in the race, with Boomerang first, followed by Sorcery, Kialoa and Nirvana. In Class B, Australia’s Freight Train (Frers 62) finished first, ahead of The Shadow (with designer Mark Soverel at the helm), but Tomahawk (ex-Margaret Rintoull III) and Checkmate took first and second on corrected time. The vintage Peterson 43 Scarlett O’Hara, sailed by Dee Smith, took Class C honours from the Reichel/Pugh 43 Sidewinder.

Scarlett O'Hara rounds up during one of the reaches in one of the first two Triangle races (photo Phil Uhl)

Japanese yacht Zero, a Frers 52-footer and member of the eighth-placed Japan 'East' Team (alongside Karasu and Intuition, sails past the North Shore during the Molokai Race (photo Phil Uhl)

Bondi Tram extended her dominance of Class D, soundly trashing Revenge and the rest of the class, with a 13-minute lead on corrected time. Similarly, Exador continued to be the boat to beat in Class E, trouncing her sisterships Sundance, General Hospital and Indian Gibber, and correcting to fifth in fleet behind the four leading Maxis. 

Condor, Nirvana and Ragamuffin on the charge towards a wing mark during one of the Triangle races (photo Phil Uhl)

Similar positions were recorded for the KHON/NBC triangle race, with Boomerang again winning the Maxi division and holding her time against the entire fleet, with Bondi Tram being again dominant in Class D. In Class E the Farr 40s again proved to be rocketships, with Exador surviving a collision and protest with Class D yacht Orihime to win the class. Checkmate added a second placing in Class B to her earlier firsts, and a second overall to secure the newly dedicated Hawaii Silver Jubilee Trophy for the top overall yacht in the combined ocean triangle races.

Bondi Tram, the dominant yacht of Class D, rounds a leeward mark in close company with US yacht Prism during the third Triangle race (photo Phil Uhl)

The US yacht Bravura, a Frers 46-footer and member of the ninth-placed US 'Blue' Team, alongside Scarlett O'Hara and Libalia Flash (photo Phil Uhl)

With only the 778-mile Around the State Race to go, Boomerang had accumulated 490 out of a possible 500 fleet points. Checkmate, however, lay just three points behind, and Tomahawk another three points further back. The performances of these latter two had bought their US ‘White’ Team within six points of the series-leading New Zealand ‘A’ Team of Exador, Shockwave and Sundance in the scoring for the Clipper Cup (also giving New Zealand a comfortable 34-point lead in that season’s Champagne Mumm World Cup). However, the Around the State Race counts for triple points, or three-eighths of the series scoring, which reduces the importance of all the preceding races by what some considered an excessive amount.

Boomerang crosses behind Condor, likely while the fleet played the windshifts off Maunalua Bay in the early stages of the Molokai Race (photo Phil Uhl)

The Around the State Race started in an easterly squall followed by light to moderate winds for the trek to Kauai and beyond Niihau. Fortunately the winds began to pick up again on the long reaching leg to South Point. Misfortune would strike when Exador was dismasted by a rogue wave off the Ka’u Coast off the Big Island. Boomerang was the first yacht around South Point, leading Kialoa by about six miles. As the wind freshened Boomerang extended her lead, finishing in 3 days, 22 hours and 34 minutes and beating the course record set by Kialoa in 1982 by an hour (and also beaten by Kialoa in 1984). Condor saved her best for the most important race, coming in third, followed by Sorcery, Nirvana, Ragamuffin and Class B’s leader Freight Train.

The Frers 62-footer Freight Train sets off on a spinnaker reach during one of the Triangle races - she finished 13th= yacht overall and was a member of the fifth-placed New South Wales Team, alongside Ragamuffin and Sweet Caroline (photo Phil Uhl)

The Farr 40 General Hospital in strong upwind conditions - she finished 13th= overall and was a member of the third-placed USA 'Red' Team, alongside Sidewinder and Artemis (photo Phil Uhl)

At about the time Boomerang finished the Class C boats Camouflage and Sidewinder were sailing between Hawaii and Maui in the middle of the Class B group, involved in what would turn out to be a 165-mile match race to the finish. By late that night, the two were sailing less than ten boat-lengths apart under light spinnakers, passing Makanalua Peninsula in company with Class B yacht Zero. As they romped across the Molokai Channel, it became apparent that this race would not be another big-boat benefit: Camouflage beat Sidewinder across the line, but Sidewinder, rating some 2.2ft less, corrected to first easily, both in class and fleet, cementing a Class C win over Shockwave which had placed second for the race. 

The crew aboard the Farr 40 Sundance enjoying their work, and the warm conditions (photo Phil Uhl)

The Nelson-Marek -designed 49-footer Brooke Ann just under control in power reaching conditions (photo Phil Uhl)

Second in fleet for the race was Sundance, as the Farr 40 picked up where her dismasted sistership and team-mate had left off. In the process, Sundance also secured Class E honours for the series and third place overall. Bondi Tram came in third in fleet for the race, completing a sweep of five wins in Class D (and was sixth overall).

 Bandido Bandido, a Peterson 43, presses on with a tri-sail after presumably blowing out her mainsail (possibly during the first Triangle race as this was her worst result) - she was a member of the 11th (last) -placed Hong Kong team, alongside Tsunami and Bimblegumbie (photo Phil Uhl)

In Class B, Checkmate’s long beat to South Point knocked her out of the running, opening the door for The Shadow to take class honours for the race and, by a single point over Tomahawk, for the series. This was another obvious example of the effect of the heavy weighting of the Around the State Race, as Tomahawk and Checkmate had taken all the class firsts and seconds in the first four races (in comparison to The Shadow's results of 4/4/4/6).

Blast Furnace (with Orlando in the background), a Murray Ross-designed 44-footer, was a member of the seventh-placed New Zealand 'B' Team, alongside Anticipation and Black Sheep (photo Phil Uhl)

The one boat impervious to the last-race shuffling of the standings was Boomerang, which had finished first in class and tenth in fleet, and so won Class A easily as well as the King Kamehameha Trophy for the best individual yacht overall, ahead of Kialoa IV in second. In team scoring, Exador’s demise allowed the US ‘White’ Team to retain the Pan Am Clipper Cup, with New Zealand ‘A’ finishing second.

US yacht High Risk, a Frers-designed One Tonner, sails upwind during one of the Triangle races, with Sweet Caroline visible behind (photo Phil Uhl)

Tsunami, a Castro-designed 40-footer, in upwind mode (above) and sliding down a big swell (below) - she was a member of the 11th-placed Hong Kong team (photo Phil Uhl)

Bandido Bandido surfs along on a windy reaching leg, this time with her mainsail intact (photo Phil Uhl)

Casa 7, a Takai 40-footer and member of Japan's sixth-placed Japan 'West' Team (alongside Saki VI and Mimi), with General Hospital to windward (photo Phil Uhl)

Grey Fox, a fractionally-rigged J-41 One Tonner skippered by Lowell North - her performance did not suggest the change from the usual masthead configuration for this design was successful (photo Phil Uhl)

Seaulater, a Dubois-designed 40-footer, sailed for the tenth-placed Victoria team alongside Challenge III and Seaquesta (photo Phil Uhl)

Another image of Seaulater, with the bowman wrestling with a twisted spinnaker soon after rounding a windward mark (photo Phil Uhl)

The Peterson 42 Chimera (US)

Bloopers are deployed aboard Zero (above) and Prism (below) (photos Phil Uhl)

Pre-regatta activity, with New Zealand yachts Blast Furnace, Sundance and Exador being unloaded from the ship (above) and Nirvana undergoing final hull checks (below) (photos by Phil Uhl)

Other Clipper Cup series covered on this blog: Clipper Cup 1978, Clipper Cup 1980, Clipper Cup 1982, Kenwood Cup 1986, Kenwood Cup 1988, Kenwood Cup 1990

Article updated March 2024

Big Boat Series - 1978-84

This back-lit photo of yachts (with Geronimo leading and Medicine Man visible to the far left, and Insatiable to the right) during the 1984 Big Boat Series highlights the colourful spectacle of yacht racing in the 1980s (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

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 1978-1984 period and have included a 'Yacht Racing and Cruising' article covering the 1984 regatta and some spectacular photos from Sharon Green and Phil Uhl. A future article will cover the 1985-1988 period.

Wings follows Free Enterprise and others during the 1980 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Mistress Quickly follows Christine and Windward Passage (right) in the 1980 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The 1978 regatta was the biggest series to date with 46 boats and necessitating a fifth class for the first time - hence the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy, won by Bill Sullivan's Peterson 43 Blue Norther. Other trends included the largest entry to date (Fred Priess' 84-footer Christine); a record number of spectators (thanks in part to the superb new clubhouse) and more women crewing on boats than ever before. Maxi division - Windward Passage; IOR II - Swiftsure; IOR III - Leading Lady; IOR IV - Lois Lane.

Action aboard Windward Passage - winner of the Maxi division in 1978 and 1980 (photo Phil Uhl)

1979 was a 'little' boat series again with 37 boats competing. Swiftsure, High Roler, Wings and Brown Sugar were supposed to win, but none of them did. Brown Sugar, in fact, never finished the series: they had the dubious distinction of being the only boat ever removed from the series by the Race Committee for conduct unbecoming of gentlemen, or words to that effect. Other highlights/lowlights: the last day's dockside swim party/water fight between the crews of Swiftsure and the bilgeboarder Hawkeye; and the straight-bullet performance of John Reynold's new Peterson 46 Ghost in IOR II. IOR I - Hawkeye; IOR III - Leading Lady; IOR IV - Inca. 

High Noon completes a gybe with Tomahawk (67377) and Wings (right) close behind during the 1980 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The Peterson design Cadenza running downwind during the 1981 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

1980 saw 59 yachts racing and was considered to be a great year for spectators, featuring memorable death rolls, crash-and-burns, and assorted carnage. Five maxis and two ULDBs (Drifter and Merlin) sailed in two divisions of the St. Francis Perpetual Trophy for the first time. Bob Cole's squeaky new Farr 52 Zamazaan turned heads, as did Neville Crichton's controversial Davidson 45 Shockwave until she was dismasted in the last race. Maxi - Windward Passage; ULDB 70 - Merlin; IOR I - Zamazaan; IOR II - Jetstream; IOR III - Leading Lady; IOR IV - Big Wig.

Great Fun (Davidson 50), winner of Division 1 in the 1981 Big Boat Series, seen here rounding a leeward mark while trying to avoid the trailing spinnaker of the yacht in front (photo Phil Uhl)

The Britton Chance designed Glory during the 1981 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

In 1981 eight SoCal 50s were the 'big boats' in the biggest fleet seen yet (61 entries). Bob Brockhoff and Jim DeWitt chartered Silver Streak and won, a rare thing as rented boats seldom win the BBS. Two new grand prix boats straight-bulleted their classes: Clay Bernard's Davidson 50 Great Fun and Bill Power's Holland 43 High Roler. Bill Clute's new Peterson 48 Annabelle Lee had four bullets and a deuce. Irving Loube's Frers 46 Bravura discovered the rock at the end of the harbour breakwater, known ever since as 'Irv's Rock' - and boats still hit it. The regatta attracted some big name sailors too: Dennis Conner aboard Swiftsure, Rod Davis on High Roler, Tom Whidden on Love Machine V and many more. IOR I - Great Fun; IOR III - Annabelle Lee; IOR III - High Roler; IOR IV - Big Wig. 

Leading Lady leads Love Machine (30333), Monique (3325) and Illusion (67666) during the 1981 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Spinnakers and bloopers provided colour and lots of work for the crews, as evident here during the 1981 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The original Checkmate (Peterson 50) during the 1981 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Zamazaan, a Farr 52-footer and winner of the IOR 1 division in 1980, seen here in the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

52 boats competed in the 1982 series the two-boat maxi division was a bust when Jim Kilroy's new Holland 81 Kialoa IV thrashed the Jeff Madrigali-driven Condor of Bermuda. The wind was mostly light and fluky. In one race, the entire fleet 'parked' together at one of the marks (YRA #8) for hours! Talent in the four IOR classes was abundant; Dave Fenix's new Peterson 55 Bullfrog, with Steve Taft driving, was the stand-out performer of the week. Maxi - Kialoa IV; IOR I - Bullfrog; IOR II - Bravura; IOR III - Clockwork; IOR IV - Shenandoah. 

New Zealand yacht Bad Habits (Mull 45) struggles with an errant spinnaker during the 1982 BBS (photo Phil Uhl) 

The Davidson-designed Pendragon follows Celerity around a leeward mark during the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The Farr 48 Sangvind on a tight reach during the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Kialoa IV in power reaching conditions during the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

1983 was the heyday of local IOR racing, with 33 of the 52 boats hailing from the Bay Area. Al Schultz and Vicki Lawrence sailed their two-week-old Camouflage to a near-perfect record in her debut; Larry Harvey and Bill Twist won their respective classes in their 'small boats'; Secret Love 'fouled' a tanker in one of the most celebrated instances of interfering with commercial traffic. IOR I - Bullfrog (1st), The Shadow (2nd), Tomahawk (3rd); IOR II - Camouflage (1st), Secret Love (2nd), Annabelle Lee (3rd); IOR III - Brooke Ann (1st), Secret Love (2nd), Wings (3rd); IOR IV - Salute (1st), Quintessence (2nd), High Risk (3rd). 

A group of Class D yachts led by Geronimo in power reaching conditions during the 1984 Big Boat Series, with It's Ok (87477) visible to the right (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

The Big Boat Series celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1984 with its biggest fleet ever (68 boats) and the return of the maxis, which put in an appearance on the Bay on alternate years following the biennial Clipper Cup regatta. Five maxis, and one 'mini-maxi', Winterhawk (ex-Ceramco New Zealand) were on the line in Class A. In the four smaller classes, competition was tight during the five-race series, which was held two weeks later to attract Clipper Cup yachts and other new boats that had not been ready for that earlier regatta. This did not affect the reliable 20-knot north-westerly that funneled through the Golden Gate Bridge. Jim Kilroy, with Dennis Conner beside him at the wheel of Kialoa IV took the first start of the maxi division, but didn't hold it for long as George Coumantaros' Frers 81 Boomerang quickly overhauled Kialoa to lead the way around the 34-mile course and eventually capture the St Francis Perpetual Trophy.

The Peterson-designed Wings during the 1984 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

The second race of the maxis provided the high point for spectators, after Boomerang started early and had to play catch-up on the first long beat. Two legs later she was overlapped with Sorcery as they ran down the city waterfront and hardened up for a tight reach out into the Bay. The sailed the entire leg overlapped with their spinnakers on the verge of collapse, their mainsails flogging. They rounded the next mark with Sorcery still holding a marginal lead and squared away for the run. A poor headsail choice on the last upwind leg saw them underpowered and she was quickly overtaken by Boomerang and Kialoa.

Sorcery and Boomerang in a close battle in the second race of the 1984 Big Boat Series (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

Class B was made up of 15 boats, separated by a whopping 14.6ft of rating, competing for the City of San Francisco Trophy. The Frers 50 Tomahawk (ex-Margaret Rintoul III) won the first race over the Soverel 55 The Shadow and Brooke Ann, and this was the same order in the final results. Basil Twist's new Reichel/Pugh 48 Blade Runner was the early favourite in Class C (for the Atlantic Perpetual Trophy). She was not completed in time for the Clipper Cup but blasted off the line from the first race to dominate the class with three firsts and two second places, with Bravura in second overall, Sidewinder third and Shockwave fourth.

The Shadow leads Checkmate (ex-Bullfrog) and Jubilation during the 1984 Big Boat Series (unknown photographer)

The tightest racing was in the 19-boat Class D (with a narrow rating range of just 1.3ft). Lee Otterson's Clockwork (Nelson/Marek 41) taking the overall win from Scarlett O'Hara. In Class E, Denis O'Neil's Bondi Tram consolidated her legend status from a perfect Clipper Cup performance (winner of Class D and third overall) by taking four firsts and a second.

Confrontation (ex-Shockwave) during the Big Boat Series circa 1984 (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)