5 April 2013

Admiral's Cup 1983

This post features some photographs and video from the 1983 Admiral's Cup series - the regatta was won by a strong German team of two minimum raters (30.0ft IOR), Outsider and Sabina, and the bigger Pinta (sistership to Container). The light airs in both the Channel Race and the Fastnet favoured smaller yachts, and Germany was ideally placed in this respect, with all three yachts finishing very highly in the individual results to give them a commanding 167 point margin over the second placed Italian team in the final standings.
Shenandoah (US) rounds a weather mark during a pre-Cup race in Cowes, with Panda (K1983) and Container (G-89) ahead and to windward (photo Phil Uhl)
Lady Be, one of the chartered yachts in the New Zealand team, rounding a weather mark with US yacht Locura in pursuit
The Oyster 43 Stephen Jones-designed Black Topic was the highest placed of the British team (14th) and is seen here in the thick of windward mark action - 1983 saw the British finish well down the placings at eighth overall (photo Phil Uhl)
The video below is from an interview (in German) with crew from the Jacques de Ridder designed Sabina (winner of the Channel Race and second individual yacht overall), Thomas Michaelsen and Tim Kroger. The sailing footage starts at 3:15 and ends at 5:45, with some good top mark rounding shots of the three German yachts.  


Espada chases Bondi Tram (centre), Caiman (left) and Too Impetuous (right) in the second inshore race (photo Phil Uhl)
Britain's Dragon (18th overall) crosses behind Diva, the top overall yacht of the series (photo Phil Uhl)

Sabina (second yacht overall) and Di-hard (15th) in action at a gybe mark during the 1983 Admiral's Cup
Container 79 (Austria) and Swuzzlebubble IV (New Zealand) round a windward mark during the 1983 Admiral's Cup (photo Phil Uhl)
A second and shorter video can also be viewed here. This features interviews with the same crew from Sabina, and the the sailing footage starts from 1:13 (note, for some reason these links may not work on Apple systems like iPad).
Container 79 and Italy's Almagores charging down the Solent during the first race of the series
Lady Be leads Scarlett O'Hara downwind (photo Alan Sefton | NZ Yachting)
Shockwave (New Zealand) gets off to a great start in the second race, with team-mate Lady Be up to weather, the two boats going on to score third and fourth in this race (photo from Jonathan Eastland's archives)
The Tony Castro designed Justine IV, skippered by Harold Cudmore to third place overall thanks to some very strong performances in the offshore races, but part of an otherwise unsuccessful (11th placed) Irish team
An elevated view from the Fort turning mark, with Japan's Togo VII in the foreground and Britain's Indulgence to leeward (photo Guy Gurney)
Hitchhiker seen here rounding a weather mark behind Canada's Amazing Grace and Charisma V, with Italy's Almagores just visible approaching on port - also visible, although not an Admiral's Cup contender, is the original Jade (K-747) (photo Phil Uhl)
A close-up view of Locura by Guy Gurney 
Australian yacht Di-Hard (sistership to Hitchhiker), sailing for Papua New Guinea (photo RORC | Facebook)
Top individual yacht of the series, Diva (France) trying to extricate herself after tangling with a buoy during the Channel Race (photo Guy Gurney)
Lady Be with spinnaker and staysail set tries to outrun the smaller Italian yacht Almagores (photo Phil Uhl)

Start of the Channel Race (photo Phil Uhl)

Australian yacht Bondi Tram, a custom German Frers 41ft design, and top yacht of the fourth placed Australian team (finishing in 13th place overall)
The German yacht Espada sailed for the Austrian team, and seen here in the second race (just behind Bondi Tram)
The Ed Dubois designed 42 footer Indulgence (32.7ft IOR) - top yacht of the British trials but finished as the lowest placed of the British team. After leading the fleet in the early stages of the Fastnet race she took a long tack into oblivion and never recovered

Black Topic is seen here before the Admiral's Cup and before her name change (the RORC thought her original name of Black Top was too close to owner Dixon Atkinson's tarmacadam business)


Updated February 2024

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