Legends in Newport for Americas Cup 12 Metre Reunion

With flights having been booked, hotels reserved, and tickets purchased, the sailing fraternity is set to gather this week for what will surely be one of the standout events of the summer: the 2010 America’s Cup 12 Metre Era Reunion presented by Rolex. From September 16-19, Harbour Court, the New York Yacht Club’s (NYYC) on-the-water clubhouse in Newport, Rhode Island, will welcome several hundred of sailing’s 12 Metre fraternity, including 29 members of the 1977 Swedish syndicate Sverige, as they walk down memory lane while participating in activities from sailing on the Twelves to viewing the film premiere of Gary Jobson’s “12 Metre Era Retrospective.”

“I am very excited about this event,” said Rich du Moulin (Larchmont, N.Y.). “I grew up watching Vim, Weatherly, Easterner and Columbia duke it out with some of my friend's fathers onboard. Then our generation sailed on later boats like Constellation, Enterprise, Intrepid and the ill-fated Mariner before we ‘graduated’ to our business careers and family life. It was fun and the teams (with rare exception) were true national teams – the Aussie teams brought the best drinking songs which I used for many bachelor parties as our crew got married. I can’t wait to see our American, Canadian, British and south-of-the-equator friends in Newport.”

The lead-in to the Reunion takes place September 15-17 as the 12 Metre North American Championships revisits the excitement of racing these elegant sloops on Narragansett Bay. Ted Turner (Atlanta, Ga.) and Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.), sailing on American Eagle ~ US 21, are two icons of the 12 Metre Era who, among others, will participate.

On Thursday, September 16, a Legends Panel at the Newport International Boat Show will be free and open to the public at 5:00 p.m. (enter through Gate 3 starting at 4:30 p.m., with the forum taking place in the E Lot area.). The panel will include Bill Ficker (Newport Beach, Calif.) who skippered Intrepid ~ US 22 through its successful defense of the 1970 America's Cup over Australia’s Gretel II ~ KA 3. He will be joined by his tactician from that defense, Stephen Van Dyck (Belle Air, Fla.), plus Gordon Ingate (Sydney, AUS) the skipper of Gretel II in 1977, and David Elwell (Newport, R.I.), current Commodore of NYYC, who crewed on Intrepid in 1967 and Valiant in 1970. Gary Jobson will moderate the panel which will likely include Ted Turner.

On Saturday, September 18, the Twelves will have a 1:00 p.m. start off Fort Adams for a “Reunion Sail” into Newport Harbor that will allow observers a glimpse of icons such as Malin Burnham (San Diego, Calif.), Dennis Conner (San Diego), Syd Fischer (Sydney, AUS), Ted Hood (Portsmouth, R.I.), Halsey Herreshoff (Bristol, R.I.), Pele Petterson (Stockholm, SWE) and Bruno Trouble (Paris, FRA) sprinkled across the fleet.

That evening, the 17th America’s Cup Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony presented by Rolex Watch U.S.A., will see Simon Daubney, Mike Drummond, Warwick Fleury, Murray Jones, Dean Phipps (all New Zealand) and Halsey Herreshoff join the 69 legends of the Cup who have previously been selected for membership in the Hall of Fame.

The 12 Metre Era Reunion presented by Rolex will conclude on Sunday, September 19, with a brunch that starts at 10:30 a.m. that will be followed by a Legends Panel divided into Challengers and Defenders and moderated by Gary Jobson and Tom Whidden (Essex, Conn.).

“The Challengers are up first,” said Jan Slee (Newport, R.I.), President of the 12 Metre Class and a co-chair of the event. “When they are excused, the four winning skippers get to brag about beating the guys who just left the stage.”

The Challenger Panel will include Pelle Petterson, skipper of Sverige in 1977 and 1980, Bruno Trouble the skipper of France in 1977 and France III in 1980, Gordon Ingate, Harold Cudmore (Cowes, GBR) who skippered Victory 83 in 1983 and White Crusader in 1987, John Savage (Sydney, AUS), skipper of Challenge 12 in 1983 and South Australia in 1987, Malin Burnham the skipper of Enterprise in 1977, and Syd Fisher, skipper of Advance in 1983 and Steak ‘N Kidney in 1987.

The Defender Panel will include Ted Hood, skipper of Courageous in 1974, Ted Turner, the skipper of Courageous in 1977, Dennis Conner the infamous skipper of Freedom in 1980 and Stars & Stripes in 1987, and Bill Ficker.

Background: First built in 1907 and designed to the International-Rule, 12 Metres raced for the America’s Cup for nearly 30 years (1958 to 1987). To this day, the Twelves are the longest lived class of yachts to compete for the America’s Cup.