One Ton Cup 1971 - Part 2

Here is a gallery of colour photos from the 1971 One Ton Cup, which formed part of a feature article in the New Zealand Weekly News, March 1971 (photos taken by Leon Hamlet). An earlier article about this series, the first One Ton Cup under the then new IOR rule, can be seen here.

The New Zealand yacht Runaway, sailing for Germany, sails downwind past islands in the Hauraki Gulf

Wai Aniwa leads the fleet downwind, with Escapade and Apecist to the left and Young Nick to the right

Wai Aniwa works her way through the Rakino passage on the first (short) ocean race - she looked at this stage to be an all-the-way winner of the race, but was becalmed near the finish line and slumped to sixth.

Swiss yacht Joran, foreground, and Wai Aniwa slug it out together during the beat to the weather mark in the third race

Mustang, left, rounds the weather mark in the third race to windward of Apecist (G226) and Maria (A12) on the right

The eventual winner of the Cup, Australia's Stormy Petrel

Sweden's Kishmul to windward of the Italian entry Kerkyra

The start of the 146-mile short ocean race sees Stormy Petrel get the jump on Mustang, Kerkyra, Warri and Wai Aniwa - Wai Aniwa soon after tacked to port and worked the Whangaparaoa shore to take the lead

Young Nick comes in second in the short ocean race

One Ton Revisited 2015 - Race 1

The Farr 40 Pacific Sundance (Bernard Hyde) took both line and handicap honours in Race 1 of the One Ton Revisited series on Saturday, 27 February. It was a severe test of light airs sailing, with Auckland and the inner Hauraki Gulf locked in the relentless grip of the high pressure systems that have made summer in these parts one of the warmest and driest on record. The course was shortened to a 24-miler along the northern shore of Waiheke, rounding Gannet Rock and finishing off Terahiki Island (to the east of Pakatoa).

Part of the One Ton Revisited fleet prepare for the start off the RNZYS, Westhaven

The One Ton Revisited fleet struggled in light airs that fluctuated between southerly and westerly and frequently died. There was a light northerly tantalisingly close to windward along the northern shore of Waiheke but only Pacific Sundance managed to cross the divide into the slightly more consistent breeze. It still took her nearly 7½ hours to cover the distance and take the gun, 1 hour 20 minutes ahead of the Farr 1104 Revolution (Tony Wallis/Max Cossey). Third home was the recently restored S&S 36 Rainbow II (Chris Bouzaid), some three minutes astern of Revolution.

On IRC corrected time, Pacific Sundance (rating 1.045) won by some 26 minutes from Rainbow II (0.930). Third was the smallest boat in the fleet, Kevin Kelly's Lidgard design Impact (0.935) which, with Andy Ball on the helm, led on the water in the early stages. 

Start of the first race of the One Ton Revisited - Pacific Sundance leads from Rainbow II, Result, Revolution and Wai Aniwa

Bernie Hyde (Pacific Sundance): “We got a good start and were nicely ahead until we ran out of wind off the Devonport Naval base – everyone overtook us. But, once we got going again, we got back into it and had a great ride. Ray (Haslar) did a top job. We snuck through the hole off Motutapu and wriggled around the western end of Waiheke, and then there was no catching us. We’re a bit bigger and newer than everyone else and some of that told”.

Chris Bouzaid (Rainbow II): “We changed spinnakers 47 times as we kept running out of the breeze and had to wait for it to fill in again. We didn’t get anything remotely consistent until after Gannet Rock when we nosed into the Firth of Thames and the light northerly”.

Roger Foley (Wai Aniwa): We had a bad start but led through middle section only to lose out to Rainbow II and Result after Gannet Rock. Rainbow II has a great set of sails, well suited to Auckland conditions. The boat is also slippery and well sailed. It’s going to be fun”.
Race 2 in the five-heat series is a 20-mile Olympic course scheduled to start at 11am on Monday 2 March.

Article provided by Alan Sefton 

One Ton Revisited 2015 - Update

The One Ton Revisited regatta gets underway in just under a month's time and will be hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. The most recent entry, Kevin Kelly’s Impact, has brought the number of yachts to eight.

Impact - the latest entry for the 2015 One Ton Revisited regatta

Impact is a John Lidgard 'Imp' design with Kelly a stalwart of the Panmure Yacht & Boating Club. Her crew for One Ton Revisited will include Andy Ball and Ian McKenzie as well as sailmaker Kenny Fyfe. Ball was tactician on Ian Gibbs’ Swuzzlebubble when she finished fifth in the 1977 Half Ton Cup, in Sydney. He filled the same roll when Gibbs’ Swuzzlebubble III finished top individual points scorer in the 1981 Admiral’s Cup. McKenzie is the son of the late John McKenzie, former commodore of the RNZYS (1975/76) and a highly respected offshore racer in his hard-chine Spencer design Sirius, while sailmaker Fyfe is a former, multiple R-Class champion who has raced everything else from Quarter Tonners to Bob Graham’s 48ft Davidson design Snow White II.

Wai Aniwa - arrived in Auckland from Wellington over the Auckland Anniversary weekend

Impact will join other entries listed in the previous update, being Panther, Pacific Sundance, Rainbow II, Result, Revolution, Wai Aniwa and Young Nick. Rainbow II has been undergoing an extensive refurbishment and is due to be re-launched at Pier 21, Westhaven, on 2 February. The group weigh-in to obtain IRC ratings will be held on 3 or 10 February.

Rainbow II at Pier 21 with mast stepped and ready for launch on 2 February

The skipper's briefing gets underway at 1610hrs on 27 February (RNZYS), followed by a cocktail welcome function. The series of five races starts on 28 February and finishes on 7 March. The prizegiving will be a public affair, using the Volvo stage and hospitality facilities in Viaduct Harbour. Trophies will be handed out by Bruce Marler, who was the commodore of the RNZYS and a driving force behind the decision to send Rainbow II to Heligoland to challenge for the One Ton Cup in 1968 and 1969. Prizes will be awarded to the overall winner of the series, to the highest placed 'classic' and 'modern' One Tonners, and the yacht that gets the most guns in the series. There will also be a Prix D'Elegance award for the best presented yacht and crew. 

Pacific Sundance has had a new paint job in readiness for the One Ton Revisited regatta

The latest press-release for the One Ton Revisited regatta advises of another event associated with the series:

"The dramatic events that, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, surrounded Chris Bouzaid and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron winning and then defending the One Ton Cup, were the launch pad for this country’s remarkable rise to dominance of world ocean racing and its attendant marine industry.

Some 25 years later, they culminated in New Zealand and the Squadron winning yachting’s greatest prize – the America’s Cup.

Not many people realise that those first faltering steps to sailing pre-eminence also launched two more Squadron members – Peter Montgomery and Bill McCarthy - on to an unsuspecting sailing public. Both became household names throughout New Zealand – Pete as the “voice of yachting” and Bill as sportscaster and then television presenter of TVNZ’s national news.

The S&S design Young Nick

We’re bringing all three back together – Bouzaid, Montgomery and McCarthy – to present a special evening that will be a precursor to the One Ton Revisited regatta (25 February to 7 March inclusive). Peter will be MC and Chris the guest speaker as we take a trip down the One Ton Cup memory lane that will feature rare footage of the 1969 and 1971 One Ton Cup events assembled and presented by now-video producer and editor Bill.

Then, as a special bonus, another Squadron member, Larry Keating, will give us a sneak preview of his yet-to-be released international television series that, in high definition, reveals the America’s Cup as it has never been seen before – great history and tradition, powerful players, intrigue and dirty tricks, warts and all.

It should be a night to remember!!!"

In addition to the passage and Gulf courses, organisers will be staging short-course harbour races in conjunction with the Volvo pro-am races on 12 March and 13 March, and with the Volvo In-Port race on 14 March.

Regatta details are available from the RNZYS.

Click on the 'One Ton Revisited 2015' label below to get the latest race results, and click here to see a TVNZ Sports feature (4 March) on the regatta.

One Ton Cup 1972

The 1972 One Ton Cup was held in Sydney, and was contested by 15 yachts representing nine countries. Designs from the Sparkman & Stephens were well represented, with no less than ten yachts from this famous design office, two from US designer Dick Carter, and one each from Joubert, Rodgers and Gary Mull. 

Wai Aniwa training in blustery conditions on Auckland Harbour, 1972

With the contest being held just across the Tasman, and with a number of yachts still available following the 1971 series hosted in Auckland, three yachts were selected to represent New Zealand. No new yachts were launched, but Chris Bouzaid skippered his 1971 'Mk II IOR' Carter design, Wai Aniwa to win the trials, finishing with a 6/2/1/1/1 series. After her disappointing fifth place in the 1971 One Ton Cup, Bouzaid had set out to modify and improve Wai Aniwa under the new Mk III rule - her mast was increased in height by 0.6 metres, her genoas limited to 150% LP and 680 kg of ballast was added. The changes had earlier been proven when she led New Zealand to victory in the 1971 Southern Cross Cup, where she finished as top individual yacht, ably supported by team-mates Pathfinder and Runaway. In fact, the team finished with an unprecedented, and unrepeated, 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Sydney-Hobart classic to secure the series. 

Pathfinder sailing in the New Zealand trials

Wai Aniwa's original pivoting keel had caused some issues, turning 90 degrees in one practice race and bringing the yacht to a shuddering halt, and was fixed in place before the New Zealand One Ton Cup trials, and a larger mainsail was fitted (requiring a longer boom). 

Wai Aniwa during New Zealand trials

The One Ton Cup team was completed by Pathfinder (Roy Dickson), runner up in the trials (4/1/2/2/3), and Young Nick, skippered by Peter Mulgrew, was third (1/3/4/3/5). Mulgrew's previous yacht, the diminutive Townson 32 Moonlight, finished sixth. The fourth placed yacht, Gil Hedges' Escapade, was chartered by an English team, skippered by Rodney Hill.

Ydra in winning form during Cowes Week 1972 (photo One Ton Class Facebook page)

Ydra (pronounced "Ee-dra", and named after a Greek Island) was the pre-series favourite. She was the latest design from Dick Carter, based on the Mk III version of the IOR that had been formulated to reduce the emphasis on beam and encourage more depth amidships. She was constructed in aluminium and built in Germany by Abeking & Rasmussen. Her clean flush decks gave her an appearance well in advance of all her rivals.Carter commented at the time that particular emphasis was placed on combining upwind capabilities with downwind performance. In order to achieve strong light air performance across all points of sail, Carter specified a large sail plan, with maximum emphasis on a large foretriangle, with a number one genoa programmed for 160% LP.

Profile and general arrangement plan of Dick Carter's Ydra

  A most notable feature of Ydra was the emphasis on operation efficiency. This included the provision for spinnaker poles to be stowed in tubes below deck, with opening ports on the for'ard side of the cabin trunk, to enable faster handling of the pole. The foreguy was permanently attached to further maximise handling speed. Carter noted that there was also great satisfaction in eliminating poles from the deck, both from an operational and aesthetic viewpoint. Another interesting development was the use of a solid vang, which allowed micrometer adjustment allowing very accurate control of the mainsail leech.

In her first series, the 1972 Cowes Week, and skippered by 1968 Cup winner Hans Bielken, she was completely dominant, taking six firsts and a third. She also had to carry a DSQ for being over the line early in one race, and a DNF after a collision with a larger yacht). She trained for one more month in Germany, before being shipped to Australia. Yachting journalist Jack Knights proclaimed Ydra to be the fastest One Tonner in the world and all those that saw her perform in that regatta fully expected a great performance in the Cup. 

The 1972 One Ton Cup consisted of five races, as was normal for these level rating events, including a medium offshore (1.5 points) and a long offshore (2x points), and a winning campaign could not afford a poor result in the longer races. What was not typical was that the offshore races were aligned along the coastline south of Sydney. As a result, navigation was not a major factor as nearly all the racing took place within sight of land, and visual bearings were the order the day. The main tactical consideration was to determine what the Southerly Set was doing (speed and direction).

The 1972 One Ton Cup fleet assembled in Sydney, Australia

In the first race Ydra sailed away at the start, demonstrating superior windward ability to such an extent that after five miles in light winds she was over two minutes ahead which she extended to 12 minutes by the finish.  However, in the long offshore she stripped her forestay turnbuckle and this put her out of contention for Cup honours, and she finished with results of 1/2/2/DNF/1. Wai Aniwa sailed a conservative series, and the result came down to the final ocean race. Wai Aniwa and Australian yacht Pilgrim (the ex-Italian yacht and S&S design Kerkyra IV) raced neck and neck throughout the race, Bouzaid and his crew finally leading Pilgrim into Sydney Harbour by seven minutes to reclaim the One Ton Cup for New Zealand.

Wai Aniwa finishes one of the ocean races in tight reaching conditions

So Wai Aniwa won the series with placings of 3/4/3/1/4, Pilgrim was second (2/1/7/2/7) and Pathfinder was third (8/3/1/4/10).

Second placed Pilgrim (Australia)

Wai Aniwa was a two year old design, to the Mk II version of the rule, but such was Chris Bouzaid's proficiency as a sailmaker, tuner and skipper of an offshore yacht, that it was difficult to draw a conclusion that Wai Aniwa's win marked a victory of Mk II designs over the first attempts of Carter and S&S at Mk III designs. Although Wai Aniwa won the series, Ydra was considered the faster boat, and also benefited from having a sail-maker at the helm, Hans Beilken. 

Ydra with spinnaker and big staysail set

However, it was apparent that Carter and S&S were designing quite different boats for Mk III than their earlier efforts under Mk II. This could be seen in the design contrast between Wai Aniwa and Ydra. Wai Aniwa was rounded for'ard with dish-like midship sections and slack bilges. A long flat run hull finished in a deep bustle and skeg with the rudder faired in. Ydra was slab sided in her for'ard sections, and was noticeably beamy, 0.3 metres wider than Wai Aniwa. 

The extreme beam of Ydra is evident in this photo

The Mk III version of the IOR had come about as a result of criticism, particularly in the US, of Mk II, the original version of the rule issued in 1970. The most publicised change inherent in Mk III was in the depth formula (D), and it was claimed that the extra depth measurements and loading of the inboard depth measurement in particular (MDI) would curb the tendency to extreme beam which was becoming evident. 

The differences between Wai Aniwa (solid line) and Ydra (dashed line)

It was therefore interesting to find that the two newest designs in the fleet, and the only ones designed to Mk III (Ydra and the S&S Columbine) were about a foot wider than the beamiest yacht in the 1971 contest, the S&S Kerkyra IV. 

Ydra sail plan

The trend to extreme beam was even more startling, given that the designers of these new boats were both involved in the original drafting of the IOR. It was apparent that the new depth measurements were not sufficiently attractive to encourage the design of narrower, deeper yachts, and this was considered disappointing at the time, as beamier yachts were viewed as being difficult to handle, especially downwind. One positive development was that, based on Ydra and Columbine, the stern buttock lines could be made lower and wider under Mk III without undue penalty. 

In terms of sail plans, there was no apparent move towards larger mainsails, and only Wai Aniwa had taken extra mainsail area under Mk III. Most other mainsails were very close to the minimum permissible area, but the aspect ratios of foretriangles were slightly higher than in 1971. 

The next competition for the One Ton Cup would be held in 1973 in Sardinia, where Ydra would herself be surpassed, but once again the series would prove that having the fastest yacht was only one part of a winning campaign...


Footnote: Ydra is current understood to be located in northern Germany - if anyone knows of her actual whereabouts one of the followers of this blog would be very grateful! Leave a comment or send an email to rb_sailing@outlook.com.

One Ton Cup 1971

1971 One Ton Cup winner - Stormy Petrel

The 1971 One Ton Cup was hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland in late February and early March, 1971. New Zealand had selected its team of three yachts, and some of the unsuccessful trialists were made available for overseas entries, and these joined international arrivals from Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

The series got underway in very strange conditions - constant and fresh easterlies had affected the pre-regatta preparation for most boats over the previous week, and even precluded any flotation and inclining measurement check. Incredibly, the wind finally ran out of puff just before the start of the first race, an Olympic course 26 miler, leaving light winds and a choppy left-over sea. Syd Fischer's S&S design Stormy Petrel started her regatta the way she would finish it, winning by a good margin over the Dick Carter design Apecist (Germany) and S&S design Young Nick (New Zealand). Curiously, a general recall that was signalled because an inner mark boat was out of position, was ignored by the entire fleet - a subsequent protest by Sweden's Kishmul was ruled invalid and so the results stood.

Germany's Apecist - started strongly but faded in later stages to finish 12th overall

Moves had been made before the series to add a further offshore race to the One Ton Cup regatta format, and for 1971 the second race was a 146-miler, sailed the day after the first race. Stormy Petrel got off to a good start and managed to escape the difficult calm that descended over the leaders towards the end of the race. 

Wai Aniwa powers upwind during one of the offshore races during the 1971 One Ton Cup

New Zealand's Wai Aniwa, another highly fancied Carter design, skippered by Chris Bouzaid, had shown some excellent form, lead from the first mark, but lost any trace of wind at the finish, losing out to Stormy Petrel, and with just 50 yards to go, saw Young Nick, Escapade (New Zealand), Optimist B (Germany) and Joran (Swizerland) slip through as she drifted in helplessly for sixth.

Italy's Kerkyra IV rounds the leeward mark in the third race ahead of Stormy Petrel and Escapade

Worse was to come for Wai Aniwa after she was protested by Young Nick for an alleged port-starboard incident at the first mark. The mark was to be rounded to starboard, with early leaders having to run downwind through competitors still beating to the mark. Wai Aniwa arrived first, set her spinnaker, then ran under the stern of Escapade and across the bow of Young Nick, before heading off on the run to Channel Island. The crew of Young Nick (members of the same New Zealand team) claimed that they had been forced to take action to avoid Wai Aniwa. The protest was upheld by the race committee and Wai Aniwa was disqualified. With the race counting for 150% points, it effectively ended Wai Aniwa's Cup chances.

The photograph by Jack Knights at the first mark of the second race showing Wai Aniwa well clear of team-mates Young Nick (left) and Escapade (right)

Sea Spray magazine later published an article and photograph by British yachting correspondent Jack Knights that cast some doubt on the validity of the disqualification. The photograph, not properly studied until Knights returned to England, shows Wai Aniwa shortly after rounding the mark, gybing 'all standing' onto starboard, to pass behind Escapade and to pass well clear of Young Nick.

Young Nick sails downwind during the 1971 One Ton Cup (photo Facebook)

Optimist B heads back upwind in the third race, with Wai Aniwa and the rest of the fleet still heading downwind

The third race was another 26 miler in a good north-easter of about 15 knots. This race saw Germany's Hans Beilken and Optimist B come to the fore to win by more than four minutes from the Italian yacht Kerkyra IV. A small Bob Miller design, Warri, from Australia, was the surprise result taking third. Wai Aniwa was fourth, but New Zealand's only remaining hope, Young Nick, slumped to seventh. Stormy Petrel suffered from a torn genoa to finish sixth. 

Optimist B sails upwind clear of the fleet in the third race

The double points long ocean race (270 miles) was the fourth race in the series (this was changed in later events to be the regatta finale). Young Nick headed off into an early lead, but failed to cover Stormy Petrel and later sailed into a private calm patch from which she never recovered. Stormy Petrel sailed on to win, from Wai Aniwa and Victoria (Sweden). The victory secured the Cup for Fischer before the final race, another 26 miler. 

Optimist B flat running on the Hauraki Gulf during one of the offshore races during the 1971 One Ton Cup

Mustang, a Cuthbertson and Cassian design, chartered by a Canadian team, had her best race in the last race, finishing fourth, but was otherwise disappointing, placing 11th overall

The 1971 One Ton Cup commemorative coin

Although the Cup had been won, there were still minor trophies at stake. The race, sailed in light airs of 8 knots, was won by Optimist B, with Joran and Kerkyra IV taking second and third. This gave Optimist B second place overall, with Young Nick the best of the New Zealand boats in third. Another New Zealand boat, but under charter to Germany, the Lidgard design Runaway, finished fourth. Wai Aniwa, never able to recover from her disqualification in the second race, finished fifth.

The next regatta was held in Sydney, Australia. It was not hosted by New Zealand again until 1977, by which time the boats would be very different. 

More photos from the 1971 Cup can be seen here, and a video of the series can be viewed below: