Article By Connie Bischoff
12 Metre Class North American Championships (Photo by Amory Ross)
NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND (September 17, 2010) – It is no surprise that Newport, RI is the epicenter of the 12 Metre “world” this week. It is also not shocking that Ted Turner and his former America’s Cup Tactician Gary Jobson, USSAILING’s current President, revealed that they still have their sailing skills after 33 years. The team and their able crew showed their expertise during the 3 day 2010 North Americans, earning 5 bullets in regatta and winning their division. The many on-the-water spectators included a whale. This was the perfect kickoff to the 2010 America’s Cup 12 Metre Era Reunion presented by Rolex and hosted by New York Yacht Club which extends through Sunday, September 19 at New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court.
Ted Turner At The Helm of American Eagle ( Photo by George Bekris )
The NAs took place out on Long Island Sound with the social events held at New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court. The PRO for the regatta was America’s Cup veteran Sam Wakefield. Watching the Twelves sail out brought back old memories of the America’s Cup which was raced in 12 Metres in Newport from 1958 to 1983. There were 11 of these classic boats in four divisions competing in the regatta.
In the oldest Vintage Division (also known as Division D consisting of 12 Metres built between 1918 and 1937), Northern Light ~ US 14 triumphed. She is owned by Elizabeth Tiedemann was and sailed by Kip Curren. The second place boat was Onawa ~ US 6. These beautiful wooden boats were built in 1938 and 1928 respectively. They showed that classic boats can still be super competitive.
Northern Light At Start ( Photo by George Bekris )
Onawa (Photo by George Bekris)
The next oldest class, Division C, is the Traditional Class made up of boats built from 1958 to 1970. The winner was American Eagle ~ US 21, owned by Herb Marshall, chartered by Carol Swift with Ted Turner as the skipper. 1958 America’s Cup winner Columbia ~ US 16 and Easterner ~ US 18 followed closely.
American Eagle Start (Photo by George Bekris)
Columbia (Photo by George Bekris)
Easterner (Photo by George Bekris)
Division B, Modern is made up of boats built between 1974 and 1983. The winner, Courageous had previously won the America’s Cup in 1974 and 1977 (with Ted Turner as the skipper in ‘77). In the 2010 NAs, Courageous was followed by Freedom ~ US 30, Victory ’83 ~ K 22 and Intrepid ~ US 22.
Spinnakers on Courageous, Freedom, Victory '83 and Intrepid (Photo by George Bekris)
Grand Prix, the newest Division A, is made up of boats built for the 1983 America’s Cup. USA ~ US 61, with owner Guy Heckman at the helm, dominated the regatta with 7 bullets…one in each race. The other competitor in this class was America II ~ US 46.
USA (Photo by George Bekris)
American II (Photo by George Bekris)
The 2010 12 Metre North Americans concluded with the famous Candy Store Cup where the entire fleet (boats in all four divisions) raced from the Sound past Castle Hill and Ft. Adams into Newport Harbor to finish at Bannister’s Wharf. This is a spectacular race to see and the winning boat enjoys a magnum of champagne as they cruise around the harbor (known as the “harbor burn”) while they celebrate their victory. The victorious boat this year was Courageous.
The 2010 12 Metre NAs enjoyed fierce competition and great camaraderie as these big and beautiful boats sailed across the royal blue waves of Narragansett Bay. It was not just a great photo op; it was a perfect example of the “class slogan”…12 Metres…still elegant, still racing.
For More Photos of The 12 Metre North American Championships and The Candy Store Cup Click Here
Onawa and Columbia Approaching Newport Harbor In The Candy Store Cup (Photo by George Bekris)
Victory '83 Candy Store Cup Winners (Photo by George Bekris)
While history didn’t quite repeat itself today, it came pretty close. The final races of the 2009 12 Metre World Championships were sailed on a sparkling Rhode Island Sound as helicopters buzzed and spectator boats jockeyed for front row seats to the action – evoking memories of 26 years ago to the day when the longest winning streak (132 years) in sporting history ended with the loss of the “Auld Mug” to Australia. On this day, however, instead of just two Twelves there were 17 making their way around the old America’s Cup stomping grounds off Brenton Point and with many of the same spectators there to pay homage as the helicopters droned above.
Notable for traveling the furthest to be part of this largest gathering of Twelves since the Cup left Newport: Challenge 12, which William Borel (Paris, France) had shipped from Europe early in the summer, and Australian Skip Lissiman who was onboard the Cup-winning Australia II in 1983. “It’s fantastic to be back in Newport,” he said. “I wanted to be back in particular for the anniversary and [to celebrate] I will be going down to O’Brien’s Pub where they have the original boxing kangaroo flag. We’re going to exchange it with one that the entire crew signed last year when we celebrated the 25th and take the original flag back to the museum in Australia.”
For the final act of the world championships, two races were sailed in all four divisions – Grand Prix, Modern, Traditional and Vintage – before The Candy Store Cup was re-run after being abandoned on day two of racing. Bill Koch (Palm Beach, Fla./Osterville, Mass.), on Kiwi Magic-KZ7, won the Grand Prix division after adding finishes of 1-3 for a net total of seven points. Lexi Gahagan (Wilmington, Del.), driving Wright on White-KZ3, finished 3-2 to place second overall in the division standings, one point back.
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- Victory ’83 All Around and Candy Store Cup Winners (Photo by George Bekris)
More Photos Of The Action Can Be Seen HERE
The Traditional Division saw the only real upset of the championship as Charlie Millikin and Carol Swift (both Newport), on American Eagle-US21, fought back from a three-point deficit with a 1-2 today to tie Weatherly’s Clay Deutsch (Newport) who finished 2-3. With eight points apiece, the tie-break went in favor of American Eagle earning Swift a surprise swim off the dock at Bannister’s Wharf courtesy of the crew. In the Vintage division, Einar Sissener (Oslo, NOR), on Gleam-US11, was one point out of first when the day began and placed first in both races to win by three points over Kip Curren (Middletown, R.I.), on Northern Light-US14.
“In the Modern fleet, on any given day any boat can win, they’re all that close,” said Dennis Williams (Hobe Sound, Fla./Mashpee, Mass.) after winning that division on Victory ‘83-K22. He explained that it was Courageous who was their biggest competition after they had “two good races today and in conditions that were really pretty crazy. They had a first and second and I think we were two points apart with one throw out, so very close. The wind was shifting left and right and the velocity was up and down …it was a very crazy day, it was not predictable. Everybody worked hard trying to keep the boat on track with the shifting winds.”
In addition to winning his first world championship title, it was “nice to put a little icing on the cake,” said Williams about winning The Candy Store Cup which gave a single start for all divisions and sent them on a course back from Rhode Island Sound, past Castle Hill Light, and into Newport Harbor for a finish off Bannister’s Wharf where champagne was awaiting all the teams. “It was great,” said Williams of the 2009 12 Metre World Championship. “Everyone on the boat enjoyed it, we had a great time, great crew. It was just fabulous. The competition was great.”
2009 12 Metre Worlds Final Standings
Place, Boat Name-Sail Number, Skipper (Hometown), Finish positions, Total Points
Division I – Grand Prix
1. Kiwi Magic-KZ7, Bill Koch (Palm Beach, Fla./Osterville, Mass.) 2-2-1-1-1-(3), 7
2. Wright on White-KZ3, Lexi Gahagan (Wilmington, Del.) 1-1-2-2-(3)-2, 8
3. USA-US61, Richard Matthews (W. Mersea, GBR), 3-3-3-(3)-2-1, 12
4. America II-US46, Michael Fortenbaugh (New York, N.Y.), 4-4-DNF-4-4-4, 20
Division 2 – Modern
1. Victory 83-K22, Dennis Williams (Hobe Sound, Fla./Mashpee, Mass.), 1-1-2-1-3-(3), 8
2. Courageous, US26, Stephen Glascock (New York, N.Y.), 3-2-(DSQ)-2-2-1, 10
3. Freedom-US30, Ernest Jacquet (Boston, Mass.), 4- 5-1-4-1-(5), 15
2. Intrepid-US22, Jack Curtin (Toronto, CAN), 2-3-4-5-(5)-2, 16
5. Challenge 12-KA10, William Borel (Paris, FRA), (DSQ)-4-3-3-4-4, 16
Division 3 – Traditional
1. American Eagle-US21, Charlie Millikin/Carol Swift (both Newport, R.I.), (4)-2-2-1-1-2, 8
2. Weatherly-US17, Clay Deutsch (Newport, R.I.), 2-1-1-2-2-(3), 8
3. Columbia-US16, Alain Hanover (Weston, Mass./Palm Beach, Fla.), 1-3-3-3-3-(DNS), 12.5
4. Nefertiti-US19, Sears Wullschleger (Nantucket, Mass.), 3-4-4-4-4-(DNF), 19
5. Easterner-US18, Paul Callahan (Ft. Meyers, Fla./Newport, R.I.), 5-5-(DNS)-5-5-1, 21
Division 4 – Vintage
1. Gleam-US11, Einar Sissener (Oslo, NOR), (3)-1-2-1-1-1, 6
2. Northern Light-US14, Kip Curren (Middletown, R.I.), 1-2-1-2-3-(3), 9
3. Onawa-US6, Morten Kielland (Geneva, SUI), 2-DNF-(DNS)-3-2-2, 13
Freedom Approaches The Finish Of The Candy Store Cup (Photo by George Bekris)
More Photos Of The Action Can Be Seen HERE
