Retaliation (Frers 51)

Retaliation in the 1982 SORC (photo Leutweiler/Seahorse)

Continuing the recent theme of the early IOR 50 footers, the feature for this article is the Frers 51-footer Retaliation, which was skippered by Dennis Conner to overall victory in the 1982 SORC. Like Margaret Rintoul III from the previous article, Retaliation was another development of Frers' earlier Blizzard, but with slightly less fullness in the stern.  

Retaliation was later sold to Swedish yachtsman Victor Forss. She was re-named Carat and went on to compete in the 1982 Sardinia Cup. However, despite her impressive performance in that year's SORC, she was disappointing in Sardinia, finishing a lowly 46th, struggling to save her time in the generally light airs against lower rated boats. She showed some of her earlier form, however, in the 1983 SORC when she finished as top boat in Class B (rating 40.0ft), with consistent class placings of 1/3/3/3/3/1, and was 22nd yacht overall.

Retaliation - above and below, on her way to winning the 1982 SORC

Retaliation (right) arriving at the dock after the final race in the 1982 SORC, the Nassau Cup, with Maxis Windward Passage, Ondine, Kialoa IV and Condor visible behind (photo Facebook)

Carat during the 1983 SORC (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

Carat leads the Peterson 51-footer Artemis on a tight reaching leg during the 1983 SORC (photo Sharon Green | Ultimate Sailing)

Carat was also selected for the Swedish team for the 1983 Admiral's Cup, alongside another Frers 51, Bla Carat, the ex-Acadia, winner of the 1978 SORC and which had finished second in Class B in the 1983 SORC. The third member of the Swedish team was the Norlin 42, Paper Tiger. Carat was one of three 40.0ft IOR "maxi-raters" in the 1983 Admiral's Cup, alongside Ireland's Moonduster, another Frers 51 footer and Bla Carat.

Carat before the 1983 Admiral's Cup

Carat during the 1983 Admiral's Cup

Carat had another disappointing regatta, as did the whole of the Swedish team, finishing in 32nd place (with redress points awarded for an incident in the second race). After two average places in the breezier first two races (23/21), Carat slumped to last place in the wind-less Channel Race, and then bounced back to win the fourth race held in the open waters of Christchurch Bay and in a breeze that was much more suited to the big boats. They were further helped by a windshift that came through just after they reached the first mark and affected the chasing pack, and a dying breeze that then slowed the smaller boats further. But Carat then finished 34th in the Fastnet race finale, and, with similarly lacklustre results by Bla Carat and Paper Tiger, the Swedish team finished in 14th place, of 15 teams.

Carat then went on to compete in the 1984 SORC, in Class B against a newer version of Retaliation (see photo above). With a slightly higher rating of 40.2ft, Carat finished sixth in class and 40th overall.

Carat also raced in the 1984 Clipper Cup as an individual entry, finishing fifth in the 15-boat Class B fleet, with placings of 5/9/3/5/7. She was captured performing an unscheduled gybe alongside US entry Artemis by photographer Sharon Green (Ultimate Sailing) in the two images above and below.

Carat soon after the start of a very windy Channel Race during the 1985 Admiral's Cup, from which she would later retire (photo Phil Uhl | Facebook)

Carat later competed in the 1985 SORC, finishing fourth in Class 2 (placings of 3/5/11/4/6/1, winning the Nassau Cup finale) and then made another Admiral's Cup appearance in 1985 as part of the 13th placed Swedish team.

It is understood that in later years the boat was renamed American Eagle and later on Crazy Horse, and it was raced on the Great Lakes, before it was eventually scrapped. 

Updated May 2023

Margaret Rintoul III (Tomahawk) - Frers 50

Margaret Rintoul III was a 50.5-foot design by German Frers for Australian yachtsman Stan Edwards as a replacement for his previous Margaret Rintoul yachts. Designed in 1981, she was a development of Frers' 1979-era 51-footers Acadia, Blizzard and Moonshine, with a slight reduction in displacement and length for a similar rating (originally estimated at 39.8ft IOR). 

The hull was built of aluminium, married to a composite sandwich deck using a combination of S glass, carbon fibre and Kevlar. The hull was built by the Maas brothers, who had built Lou Abrahams' 46-foot S&S design Challenge III two years prior. Weight saving was sought in every aspect of the boats' construction, where the hull plate thickness was lighter than contemporary aluminium yachts of the same size, with additional frames to provide extra strength.  In addition to the composite deck, the boat sported a Kevlar liferaft box, a carbon fibre steering wheel and an interior fit-out utilising Klegecell board and a teak veneer covering. The rig was based around a Zapspar section, developed in conjunction with Frers, and she flew North Sails.

The boat was commissioned by Edwards with the Southern Cross Cup and the 1982 Pan Am Clipper Cup in mind, where it was felt that the steady breezes and time-on-distance handicap system used in Hawaii and the US would encourage bigger boats rather than minimum-raters.

Margaret Rintoul III under construction

Margaret Rintoul III featuring in the centrespread of Australian Sailing magazine (photo Facebook)

The estimated rating for Margaret Rintoul III was about half a foot higher than Blizzard, but the new boat was expected to be more powerful than her predecessor, with lighter construction permitting more ballast for the same displacement (28,900lbs), and more sail area (1,266sqft). Her lines were relatively undistorted, being narrower at the waterline and flatter in the for'ard and mid-sections than Blizzard, with less wetted surface overall. She featured the sharply swept back transom of Frers' most recent designs, with only a slight hollow in the stern sections around the after girth station (see construction photo above). The design concept proved to have plenty of potential after near-sistership Retaliation finished as the winner of the 1982 SORC. Her actual rating turned out to be somewhat higher than expected, however, coming in at 41.2ft. 

Margaret Rintoul III launches over a wave during the boisterous conditions of the 1982 Clipper Cup (photo B Brown, Yacht Racing/Cruising)

Margaret Rintoul III was chosen to represent Australia in their Clipper Cup defence in 1982, alongside Hitchhiker (Frers 40) and Szechwan (Davidson 39). She was sailed by Graeme "Frizzel" Freeman, former sailing master of Bumblebee IV (Frers 76). Margaret Rintoul III performed strongly in the fresh conditions that prevailed throughout the series, proving able to sail to her relatively high rating and finishing second in Class B and seventh overall (3/1/10/10/20) and leading the Australian team to second place overall, behind the USA Blue team (Kialoa IV, Great Fun and Bullfrog).

Margaret Rintoul III became the feature of a North Sails magazine ad in the 1980s after this epic capture during the fresh conditions of the 1982 Clipper Cup (photo Richard Spindle), and below, a photo taken just prior (photo Facebook)

Margaret Rintoul III was subsequently sold to US yachtsman John Arens and was re-named Tomahawk. She had her first US regatta in the 1983 San Francisco series, where she started strongly with a win in the first race, but then had major spinnaker problems in the second race that nearly swept the crew off the deck, and then lost a man overboard in the fourth race. Nevertheless, she finished third overall in the City of San Francisco Perpetual Trophy (for the biggest IOR boats in the series), with placings of 1/2/2/4/2.

Tomahawk sailing upwind, possibly in San Francisco (Sailing Anarchy forums)

Margaret Rintoul III competing in the 1982 Clipper Cup also featured on the cover of Yachting magazine (December 1982, Guy Gurney)

Tomahawk made up part of the "USA White" team in the 1984 Clipper Cup, alongside Checkmate (Peterson 55, ex-Bullfrog) and Camouflage (Frers 44) and put in another strong performance, with close battles in Class B with teammate Checkmate, finishing second on individual points (just behind Pacific Sundance), for those boats racing within teams (2/3/2/2/12). The loss of Sundance team-mate Exador's mast in the Round the State Race let the USA team through to win the Cup, with Checkmate finishing 4th and Camouflage 15th.  The early dominance of Checkmate and Tomahawk came undone to some extent by poor performances in the heavily-weighted Round-the-State, with The Shadow overhauling both boats in Class B. Tomahawk finished fourth overall of all the boats competing (2/3/6/4/18).

Tomahawk (ex-Margaret Rintoul III) competing in the 1984 Clipper Cup (NZ Yachting magazine)

Tomahawk seen here leading the lower rating Crazy Horse (ex-Brooke Ann) in the early morning off the north shore of Molokai during the 1986 Kenwood Cup. Crazy Horse went on to be the top individual yacht of the series (photo Phil Uhl)

Tomahawk seen here during the 1987 Big Boat Series, in the photo below with Swiftsure to windward (photo Phil Uhl)

A new Margaret Rintoul IV was built for Edwards, and campaigned for a position in the Australian 1985 Admiral's Cup team, without success, before going on to race in the early years of the 50-Foot circuit.  

Margaret Rintoul III/Tomahawk was advertised for sale in late 2018 (above), lying in Lake Union Seattle. A more recent photo (moored in Deer Harbor, Orcas Island, WA) is below (from the Sailing Anarchy forums).

Tomahawk in the yard for a refit, November 2022 (photo Facebook)

Tomahawk back in the water, as seen in March 2026

Tomahawk on a cruise in July 2026 (photo Facebook)

Article updated July 2026

Checkmate (Peterson 50)

Checkmate is a 50 foot Doug Peterson design (Design #61, with input from Design Associates Bill Tripp and Bill Hardin) for US yachtsman Monte Livingston, and which was launched in April 1978. She was notable for her varnished topsides that showed off a Meranti veneer over her Cedar plank construction (and her glossy finish remains to this day). Checkmate was lighter and featured wider stern sections than typical Peterson designs of the time, and was aimed at doing well in the light air downwind races to Mexico on the US West Coast. These characteristics contributed to a reasonably high rating for a 50-footer of 42.6ft IOR. 

Checkmate on launching day, 7 April 1978 (photo courtesy Doug Peterson Collection)

Profile, sail plan and interior arrangement drawing of Checkmate

Checkmate on her launching day, 7 April 1978 (photo courtesy Doug Peterson Collection)

Checkmate raced in the inaugural 1978 Clipper Cup where she finished a very creditable 7th place in the 39-boat fleet. She went on to establish an outright elapsed time record in the La Paz Race in 1979 (where she also finished second overall and first in Class A), and held this record for about 20 years.

Checkmate sailing off Molokai in 1978, before that year's Clipper Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

Checkmate during the Laihana Sauza Cup in Maui, possibly before the 1978 Clipper Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

Checkmate seen here during the 1980 Lahaina Sauza Cup (photo Phil Uhl)

Checkmate seen here during the 1981 Big Boat Series in San Francisco, with Zamazaan to leeward (photo Phil Uhl)

The original Checkmate is sometimes confused with the Peterson 55 Bullfrog, which she campaigned alongside in the 1982 Clipper Cup, where Checkmate managed a podium position in Class B (third) after Bullfrog broke her forestay while leading overall and in class (finishing fourth in Class B). She later raced in the 1982 Big Boat Series, where she finished second in Class B with results of 4/2/3/2/2, behind class winner Bullfrog.

Checkmate seen here tacking out of Hanauma Bay followed by Great Fun and Jumpin' Jack Flash (photo Phil Uhl)

Checkmate, seen here during the 1982 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

Checkmate leads Zamazaan and Great Fun during the 1982 Big Boat Series in San Francisco (Yachting magazine cover, photo J Eisberg, Doug Peterson Tribute page)

Bullfrog was later taken over by Livingston and his Checkmate team, and was renamed accordingly. This later Checkmate sailed with great success in the 1984 Clipper Cup, finishing fourth overall (1/1/3/1/15) and was a member of the winning USA White team, alongside Tomahawk and Camouflage.

Checkmate and the Farr-designed Sangvind running downwind in San Francisco, likely during either the 1982 or 1983 Big Boat Series (Doug Peterson Tribute page)

Checkmate seen here leading Jubilation on San Francisco Harbour, likely during the 1986 Big Boat Series (photo Phil Uhl)

It was expected that the original Checkmate would sail in the 2017 Rolex Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race as Checkmate of Hollywood, but unfortunately the boat wasn't quite ready on time. The yacht profile from the Sydney-Hobart 2017 website provides some detail on the boat and her crew for the race:

"A change of pace for Ray ‘Hollywood’ Roberts who has chartered the 40 year-old IOR Doug Peterson designed Checkmate, built in San Diego by the famous Carl Eichenlaub, but updated in 2000 to make her a fast, comfortable boat. Roberts sailed Hollywood Boulevard, his Farr 55, to 36th overall for fifth in Division 1 in the Sydney Hobart last year, then placed fourth overall in the Brisbane Gladstone Race.... Roberts says Checkmate is a special (yacht), one of the last cold-moulded wooden boats. "It’s a showpiece and with her age allowance, we could be half a chance.”

Checkmate sailing upwind (above and below) after a recent restoration and while still based in the US

While Checkmate wasn't ready for the Sydney-Hobart, she made the startline for the 360nm Pittwater to Paradise Race (from north Sydney to the Gold Coast), and now featured a small cabin top (rear of the mast). Crew member Michael Spies reported that, with some good yardsticks in the fleet, including the Australian IRC champion Nine Dragons, it provided the perfect race to see where the boat was at performance-wise. Checkmate was fitted with a complete new sail inventory including main, J1, J2, J5, S2, S4, staysails and even a blooper. Headsails were intentionally built smaller to reduce the IRC rating (to 1.113). The bottom was completely re-done and the foils faired and optimised. 

Checkmate after a recent restoration and while still based in the US

All the work paid off, and Checkmate won all the handicap prizes (IRC, ORCi and PHRF), and finished fifth on line (in the 17 boat fleet). Spies commented afterwards that "It was our first Australian race, after the disappointment of missing the Hobart. We backed ourselves. The competition wasn’t soft. Nine Dragons is an Australian champion. It wasn’t ideal conditions for our boat, but the boat lived up to our expectations – more than! Having run grand prix boats for 30 years, with a world champion crew, a mix of youth and experience, Checkmate was vastly different. It’s a 40 year-old timber boat, not carbon fibre. She’s a lot harder to steer, but more forgiving in motion, not as hard on the body. It was nice to have a hot meal and good sleep. We actually had an oven! It just proves the IRC rule is doing its job". 

Checkmate of Hollywood on her way to overall honours in the 2017 Pittwater to Paradise Race (photo Sailworld/Howard Wright IMAGE Professional Photography)

Spies added "Full credit to Ray Roberts and his enthusiasm for Checkmate and supporting this event. He had a vision and supported getting this boat back to Australia. For the crew, it was different, we worked hard without breaking the boat, learning about it on the way. There’s a lot of depth of talent and we prepared well for Hobart with new sails, which were flying for the first time in the P2P.”

Checkmate, possibly at one of the ports during the 2017 Pittwatr to Paradise race

Regatta information and results here.

Checkmate, in Sydney Harbour 2025 (photo Vicsail)

As of April 2025, Checkmate was for sale and languishing somewhat on a mooring off Gladesville Bridge in Sydney Harbour.

Article updated October 2025

One Ton Cup 1977

The 1977 One Ton Cup was held on Auckland's Hauraki Gulf in early November (40 years ago at the time of preparing this article). It was won by local yachtsman Stu Brentnall, sailing one of five new Bruce Farr-designed centreboarders, The Red Lion.  While it was billed as a world championship, the series was dominated by New Zealand and Australian yachts, with six entries from New Zealand and four from Australia.  The remainder of the 14-boat fleet was made up of charter entries from France, the US, England and Canada.

The Red Lion - winner of the 1977 One Ton Cup (photo Sea Spray)

The series was made up five races, with three standard Olympic courses, a medium-distance race, and a long offshore race. The Red Lion took the series with placings of 2/1/1/4/3. Second and third places were also taken by Farr-designed centreboarders, Graeme Woodroffe's Mr Jumpa (4/2/3/2/2) and Don Lidgard's Smir-Noff-Agen (1/5/6/DNF/1).  The best showing by a "foreign" boat was B195, a Doug Peterson-designed centreboarder, sailed by former world Half Ton champion Tom Stephenson. B195 was the only non-New Zealand design in the contest, and she finished fourth overall (5/8/2/5/4).

Mr Jumpa - second in the 1977 One Ton Cup

The series was controversial on a number of fronts, with the breed of centreboarders being seen by some to be exploiting the centreboard "loophole" within the IOR rule, that had been so effectively exposed by the winner of the 1976 event, the Brit Chance-designed Resolute Salmon. Compared to Resolute Salmon, however, the New Zealand boat were of decidedly much lighter displacement, resulting in concerns by some establishment figures in the IOR governing body, the International Technical Committee, over both structural integrity and the stability of boats. This would lead to changes to the IOR in the following season that would penalise light displacement for the remainder of the IOR era. 

The shape of light displacement in 1977 - Jenny H is hauled for an inspection and following an incident with a spectator boat after winning the fourth race.

Funding the new boats by young New Zealand crews was also reliant to some extent on sponsorship, and thinly veiled references to the sponsors in the names of the boats also attracted protests before the regatta under Rule 26 of the former International Yacht Racing Union.

The Red Lion - her name survived a protest, but the Lion Breweries insignia was removed from her bow before the 1977 New Zealand trials

The hotly contested self-righting capabilities of the centreboarders were never put to the test, even in the 50-knot winds and big seas that were encountered in the last and longest race (325 miles), but the strength of some of the hulls were. Ray Haslar's Farr centreboarder, Jenny H, and an Australian sistership, Hecate, both retired from the race with hull damage after falling off some big waves, while other boats suffered some minor damage. B195 had split her hull in the rough second Olympic race, which her crew attributed to hitting something.

The top Australian yacht B195 slides downwind during one of the offshore races during the 1977 One Ton Cup

In the first race, an Olympic triangle course, the 18-knot northerly at the start swung to the west necessitating a course change for the final windward leg. The Red Lion led around every mark, in part because of her flying a reacher inside her genoa and spinnaker on the reaches, a sail combination none of the other boats used. On the last beat, the wind dropped to about five knots, and Smir-Noff-Agen, Jenny H and Mr Jumpa were spread across the track, all vying for second. Trying to keep a loose cover on all of them, The Red Lion fell into a flat spot and was passed by Smir-Noff-Agen.

The Farr One Tonners The Red Lion, Smir-Noff-Agen and Mr Jumpa vie for position at a wing mark during one of the inshore races (photo John Malitte)

Jim Young's Heatwave (a keeler converted to a centreboarder) showed plenty of speed in stronger breezes

The second Olympic course started in a 25-knot northeasterly, gusting to 30 knots. It was perfect conditions for the Jim Young-designed centreboarder Heatwave (New Zealand). She rounded the first three marks in the lead, but dropped back with slow spinnaker handling and a jammed slide at the top of the main when she tried to get a reef in after the bottom mark. The Red Lion took the lead and held it to the finish.

Smackwater Jack - seen here during the New Zealand trials series, which she won

During the night of the third race, a 165-mile medium-distance offshore race, the wind dropped, and some boats were completely becalmed for five hours or more.  The Paul Whiting-designed centreboarder, Smackwater Jack (the winner of the New Zealand trials) led narrowly around the most distant mark, Groper Rock, but on the reach back to the finish in light airs she was passed by The Red Lion, B195 and Mr Jumpa.

Smackwater Jack - the most radical of the 1977 breed of light displacement centreboarders (note the pronounced concavity in the bow sections)

The fourth race, the last Olympic course, started in a 25-knot easterly, and it looked like another benefit for Heatwave as she rounded the weather mark again in first place. Jenny H sailed past on the first reach, even with a crew member up the mast, and she stayed in front to win.

The Australian Farr centreboarder Hecate (photo Maritime Museum)

Jenny H to windward of Mr Jumpa in strong conditions during the third Olympic race

The real test of crews and boats was the final long offshore. It started in 30-knot winds, gusting to 35, as the fleet headed into it on a long bash to Channel Island. At this exposed point off the top of the Coromandel Peninsula the wind was blowing 40-50 knots, with very big seas generated by a contrary tide. Jenny H was leading the fleet on the way to Channel Island when she fell of a wave so badly that she had to retire immediately. Hecate and Smackwater Jack soon followed suit. Two other boats which stuck it out probably wished they hadn't. Piccolo, a Farr keelboat, and Result, a Lidgard-designed keelboat under Canadian charter, were both dismasted.  

Mr Jumpa in fresh conditions at the start of the final long offshore race

Smir-Noff-Agen elected to fly a spinnaker on the wild downwind leg and broached heavily, but recovered to take the lead at Sail Rock, in close company with B195, The Red Lion and Mr Jumpa. These four had a close race over the remaining 150 miles to the finish. Five miles from the finish the breeze began to fade, and progress was hampered with a strong ebb tide. The lead changed had several times until Smir-Noff-Agen and Mr Jumpa split tacks near the finish. Mr Jumpa fell into a hole, allowing Smir-Noff-Agen to take the gun, and the White Horse Trophy awarded to the winner of the long offshore.

US charter entry Rockie rounds Flat Rock during stormy conditions in the final long offshore race