T H E   R A C E



This year   The Course   History
17 June 1972

Penduick IV was back, with Alain Colas in command, and this time her potential was realised with a 20 day passage easily putting her into 1st place. The French dominated taking first, second and third overall, and all the other prizes except the monohull handicap award, which went to Hornett and Blue Smoke.

Jester completed her 4th race, again with Michael Richey at the helm.

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1976

1972

1968

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1960
Sir Francis Chicester, co-founder of the race, now 70 years old, entered his ketch Gipsy Moth V. Despite failing health he was determined to sail with the fleet. A week after the start he decided to return to Plymouth. His radio was broken and he must have felt torn between his love of the sea and this competition, and the difficulties he was encountering handling his powerful 57ft yacht single-handed. After a search, his son Giles was flown out the HMS Salisbury and transferred to Gipsy Moth V to help his father return. Sir Francis never sailed again and died later that year.

Howell was doing well and approaching the finish line when he collided with a Russian trawler in thick fog. A fleet of these Russian ships was located right across the racecourse near Nantucket lightship. A the height of the Cold War one may wonder if these vessels were deliberately placed to undermine western imperialist fancies by disrupting the race, or perhaps they had more sinister motives?

Crowther, in the 66 year old gaff cutter, Golden Vanity, sailed with his pet cat and took 88 days, the longest crossing in the race's history and the oldest boat to have completed the course.

Skipper Nation Yacht Type LOA Time
D H M
Place
o/a
Alain Colas French PEN DUICK IV Tri 70 20 13 15 1
Jean-Yves Terlain French VENDREDI TREIZE Mono 128 21 05 14 2
Jean-Marie Vidal French CAP 33 Tri 53 24 05 40 3
Brian Cooke British BRITISH STEEL Mono 59 24 19 28 4
Tom Follett U.S.A. THREE CHEERS Tri 46 27 11 04 5
Gerard Pesty French ARCHITEUTHIS Tri 55 28 11 55 6
Martin Minter-Kemp British STRONGBOW Mono 65 28 12 46 7
Alain Gliksman French TOUCAN Mono 34.5 28 12 54 8
Franco Faggioni Italian SAGITTARI0 Mono 50.5 28 23 05 9
James Ferris U.S.A. WHISPER Mono 53.5 29 11 15 10
Marc Linski French ISLES DU FRIOUL Mono 48 30 02 45 11
Krzysztof Baranowski Polish POLONEZ Mono 45 30 16 55 12
Mike McMullen British BINKIE II Mono 32 31 18 10 13
Marie-Claude Fauroux French ALOA VII Mono 35 32 22 51 14
Lt. Col. Jock Brazier British FLYING ANGEL Mono 46 33 09 21 15
Joel Charpentier French WILD ROCKET Mono 63 34 13 38 16
Yves Olivaux French ALOA I Mono 35 34 17 30 17
Guy Piazzini French CAMBRONNE Mono 45.5 35 10 24 18
Pierre Chassin French CONCORDE Mono 43 36 01 19 19
Bruce Webb British GAZELLE Mono 47.5 36 02 07 20
John Holtom British LA BAMBA OF MERSEA Mono 34 36 04 30 21
Lt. Guy Hornet British BLUE SMOKE Mono 26 36 21 26 22
Wolf-Dietrich Kirchner German WHITE DOLPHIN Mono 32 38 07 17 23
Jock McLeod British RON GLAS Mono 47 38 09 50 24
Richard Clifford British SHAMAAL Mono 25.5 38 10 30 25
R. Lancy Burn U.S.A. BLUE GIPSY Mono 28 39 08 30 26
Philip Weld U.S.A. TRUMPETER Tri 44 39 13 25 27
Claus Hehner German MEX Mono 35 40 08 23 28
Ambrogio Fogar Italian SURPRISE Mono 38 41 04 45 29
Capt. P. Chilton R.N. British MARY KATE OF ARUN Mono 38 41 17 17 30
Lt Cdr (SCC) Eric Sumner RNR British FRANCETTE Mono 25 43 09 38 31
Zbigniew Puchalski Polish MIRANDA Mono 39 45 10 05 32
Heiko Krieger German TINIE Mono 26.5 46 15 30 33
Jerry Cartwright U.S.A. SCUFFLER III Mono 32.5 49 02 00 34
Christopher Elliott British LAURIC Mono 34 51 14 33 35
Andrew Spedding British SUMMERSONG Mono 28 51 23 05 36
David Blagden British WILLING GRIFFIN Mono 19 52 11 06 37
Teresa Remiszewska Polish KOMODOR Mono 42 57 03 18 38
Michael Richey British JESTER Mono 26 58 08 18 39
Anne Michailof French PS Mono 30.5 59 06 12 40
Richard Konkolski Czech. NIKE Mono 22.5 60 13 12 OUT
Martin Wills British CASPER Mono 31 63 22 00 OUT
Peter Crowther British GOLDEN VANITY Mono 38 88 OUT
Carlo Mascheroni Italian CHICA BOBA Mono 41 -- RET --
H.G. Mitchell British TULOA Mono 33 -- RET --
Bill Howell Australian TAHITI BILL Cat 43 -- RET --
Bob Miller British MERSEA PEARL Mono 43 -- ABN --
Gerard Dikstra Netherlands SECOND LIFE Mono 71 -- RET --
Osca Debra Belgian OLVA II Mono 46.5 -- RET --
Sir Francis Chichester British GIPSY MOTH V Mono 57 -- RET --
Murray Sayle Australian LADY OF FLEET Cat 41 -- RET --
Bob Salmon British JUSTA LISTANG Mono 25 -- RET --
Eugene Riguidel French ONYZ Mono 43 -- RET --
Sqd. Ldr A. Barton British BRISTOL FASHION Mono 24.5 -- RET --
Eduardo Guzzetti Italian NAMAR IV Mono 32.5 -- RET --