1961

Excerpt from THE ADMIRAL'S CUP by Bob Fisher

Click on the boat hulls for enlargement

By 1961 there was the beginning of a change of heart among ocean racing owners and some new boats were built with the Admiral's Cup specifically in mind. One of them, Ren Clarke's Quiver III, made the British team to join Griffin II and Myth of Malham. At the time Yachting World was slightly reserved about the efforts Charles A. Nicholson had made in her design: "...the bow girth has obviously been pushed as far aft as possible by straightening what would normally be a fair curve in the bow profile above water. There are plenty of precedents for this particular type of 'rule cheating', and students of yacht design can see exactly the same treatment in Hestia, a Sparkman & Stephens design, although her the pinching of the forward deckline was even more marked."

The magazine continued, as through absolving Nicholson from any inferred guilt, "It is a designer's job to get the best out of any particular rule, just as it is the rule-maker's job to devise a formula which gives a fair result. The Royal Ocean Racing Club's present Rating Rule, introduced in 1957, is the best in the world and any boat which wins regularly is not only carefully designed to take full advantage of the rule but is also sailed with determination and skill." The final part of that last sentence is one that many yacht owners should remember.

Quiver III made an immediate impression by winning both her first two offshore races and then being placed second in the Dinard Race. Her selection for the team was automatic.

The competition this time was more impressive too. The United States were back and Sweden joined the fray with France and Holland. The United States' team had Bill Snaith back with Figaro. He was joined by Henry du Pont with Cyane and Jakob Isbrandtsen with Windrose. These three piled up the points in the Channel Race in a most commanding way. Windrose won the race outright while Figaro and Cyane were fourth and fifth of the Admiral's Cuppers. Britain's trio was placed next best but, with Griffith sixth and Quiver III and Myth ninth and tenth, there was a 30 point gap between Britain and the USA.

It was then that Quiver III really came into her own with a great double in the Britannia Cup and the New York YC Cup, proving herself the top Admiral's Cup boat in both races. The Britannia Cup was another windless one with plenty of kedging. Sweden's Anitra, which had won the previous Fastnet, had a bad day. She had missed the Channel Race and in this one she dragged over the line before the start and took 40 minutes to get back and finally retired. Windrose retired from the New York YC Cup so that going into the Fastnet the United States' lead had been reduced from 30 to 13. It all hung on the Fastnet - a decider of many Admiral's Cups to come.

Quiver III's luck ran out in the Fastnet. She looked set to win the race until, with Windrose, Myth and Griffin II, she ran out of wind from the Bishop to the Lizard and the big Dutch sloop Zwerver claimed first place. Quiver III was second, however, and the British team scored the highest points in the race but only three more than the Americans and the Cup left the home shores for the first time.

It was probably the best thing that could have happened for the event, for ocean racing and for the new breed of sailors that were beginning to appear. It certainly helped the impetus of the technological advancement. It probably encouraged other ocean racing nations to have the notion that they might win the cup and it definitely enhanced the status of the Admiral's Cup.

There was no doubt that the infant was well and truly launched into society.

RESULTS

	CHANNEL RACE				BRITANNIA CUP				NEW YORK Y.C. CUP				FASTNET RACE
	hr.	mn.	sc.	Pts.	hr.	mn.	sc.	Pts.	hr.	mn.	sc.	Pts.	hr.	mn.	sc.	Pts.	Total Points
U.S.A.
CYANE	33	30	02	22	15	40	43	5	15	15	27	12	90	33	56	21	60
FIGARO	33	26	22	24	15	27	48	12	15	23	41	8	86	29	05	33	77
WINDROSE	32	02	07	30	15	23	09	14	-	-	-	-	86	07	34	39	83
				76				31				20				93	220
GREAT BRITAIN
GRIFFIN II	33	37	41	20	15	30	20	10	15	25	32	7	90	29	19	24	61
MYTH OF MALHAM	35	32	23	12	15	29	02	11	15	19	22	10	87	24	31	30	63
QUIVER III	35	01	27	14	15	22	08	15	14	54	08	15	84	32	01	42	86
				46				36				32				96	210
HOLLAND
ZWERVER	34	24	38	18	15	26	40	13	14	56	20	14	81	32	03	45	90
OLIVIER VAN NOORT	35	32	24	10	15	30	39	9	15	19	54	9	92	47	54	18	46
CORABIA	36	18	39	6	15	41	26	4	15	14	19	13	95	48	20	6	29
				34				26				36				69	165
SWEDEN
DIONE	34	51	06	16	15	34	12	7	15	25	38	6	92	47	56	15	44
ANITRA	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	15	16	24	11	86	15	40	36	47
STAIKA III	32	53	39	26	15	35	10	6	-	-	-	-	88	05	18	27	59
				42				13				17				78	150
FRANCE
STRIANA	35	53	44	8	15	47	41	3	-	-	-	-	112	18	05	3	14
MARIE-CHRISTINE III	36	23	18	4	16	06	34	2	15	49	08	5	93	18	02	12	23
ELOISE II	32	45	45	28	15	34	08	8	-	-	-	-	93	22	08	9	45
				40				13				5				24	82