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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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 -- |
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