STILL SMOKIN’

There were 22 yachts of varying ages at the 12-Metre World Championship in Newport, Rhode Island, a venue steeped in the history of the Twelves during their post-war period with the America’s Cup. Newport is still redolent of those Cup years (from 1958 to 1987) and the week of this championship, hosted by the Ida Lewis Yacht Club, seemed like an extension of that blue riband period of yachting.

Newport was packed, but for those with contacts, life was anything but grim and the knowledge that over five days, there would be two races a day for each of the five different divisions (chosen to keep the boats close) was more than enough to keep everyone happy.

There were four boats in the Grand Prix division – all winged keeled and extremely close. Three – all designed by Bruce Farr, Laurie Davidson and Ron Holland – began their lives as America’s Cup hopefuls. One still bears its name, New Zealand, and is owned by Gunther and Maggie Buerman and kept locally. Legacy was chartered by Jesper Bank and Thomas Andersen from Denmark and like her three sisters, she was built of fibreglass. Bank was her tactician and has two Cup campaigns behind him and two gold and one bronze medal at the Olympics for Denmark. Up against the three, was Kookaburra II, designed