that had been competing since the first race in 1945. 1
The Winston Churchill was a strong wooden boat, and Jim Lawler, a close friend of Bill Psaltis, was on the crew. Jim was one of the finest sailors that Bill had ever met, and the Winston Churchill was the kind of boat that Bill felt good about. If he had been asked to sail on it that year, he would have done it in a flash.
Richard Winning, the owner of the boat, had spent a quarter of a million dollars rebuilding the famous yacht. Since its inaugural race, the Winston Churchill had sailed in fifteen Hobarts and circled the world twice. Built in Hobart in 1942, the yacht symbolized classic sailing at its best.
With its teak deck, brass fittings, and white hull, the boat stood in stark contrast to the Rambler's fiberglass surfboard. With the latest modificationsâincluding a heavy timber mast fitted with a lighter aluminum section and a brand-new set of sailsâthe Winston Churchill seemed to represent the best of the old and the new. Bill Psaltis would have been much more confident had his boys been aboard a boat like that instead of their sleek racing machine.
Winston Churchill was an imposing boat, but its real power came from its distinguished crew. In addition to Jim Lawler, John âSteamerâ Stanley was aboard. Stanley had sailed in fifteen Hobarts and had quite a record. He began his sailing career at age 11, sailed in numerous long-distance races, and had crewed in the America's Cup. He worked for six months on restoring the vintage boat, and Steamer had recruited others to form a first-rate crew. Two of Richard Winning's childhood friends, John Dean and Michael Bannister, had even joined the crew for the race.
Although a huge amount of time and money had been poured into the boat, the restoration effort may have been imperfect. A former Navy sailor, Greg Bascombe, had just finished scrubbing the bottom of several boats when he noticed something unusual along the waterline of the Winston Churchill . Bascombeâaka âMegaâ because of his 300-pound weightâswam closer to examine the boat more carefully. To his practiced eye, it appeared that a small section of caulking, used to seal the wooden planks, was missing.
Bascombe was alarmed at the sight of what seemed to be a flaw in the Churchill 's watertight integrity. Though the gap was small, perhaps a quarter of an inch, it could expand in heavy weather. He got out of the water and walked over to the Churchill 's dock. Approaching several men he thought were members of the crew, he warned, âThere's some caulking missing. You should make sure the owner knows about it.â Bascombe then left, satisfied that he had shared his concerns with the crew. Richard Winning, however, never got the message. Later, no one who sailed on the boat could recall the conversation.
The Sword of Orion , owned by Rob Kothe, was a very different design. It lacked the classic lines of the Winston Churchill , but it was a superb racing boat. Like Richard Winning, Rob Kothe was a successful entrepreneur. Unlike Winning, however, Kothe was a relative newcomer to the world of sailing.
Kothe bought his first boat in 1997 and achieved some measure of success in that year's Hobart. Buoyed by a second place in his division, Kothe was eager to join the ranks of the sailing greats that he had heard about as a small child. Kothe purchased the Sword with the intent purpose of taking home the Tattersall's Cup.
On the surface, there were a number of similarities between Sword of Orion and AFR Midnight Rambler. Sword was longerâ43 feet to the Rambler's , 35âbut both boats were balsa core fiberglass construction with Kevlar sails. They were typical of the modern boat designs that worried Bill Psaltis.
As on the AFR Midnight Rambler , some members of Sword's crew were expert racers with extensive sailing experience. Like Ed Psaltis, Rob Kothe insisted on a disciplined regimen of training and
The Winston Churchill was a strong wooden boat, and Jim Lawler, a close friend of Bill Psaltis, was on the crew. Jim was one of the finest sailors that Bill had ever met, and the Winston Churchill was the kind of boat that Bill felt good about. If he had been asked to sail on it that year, he would have done it in a flash.
Richard Winning, the owner of the boat, had spent a quarter of a million dollars rebuilding the famous yacht. Since its inaugural race, the Winston Churchill had sailed in fifteen Hobarts and circled the world twice. Built in Hobart in 1942, the yacht symbolized classic sailing at its best.
With its teak deck, brass fittings, and white hull, the boat stood in stark contrast to the Rambler's fiberglass surfboard. With the latest modificationsâincluding a heavy timber mast fitted with a lighter aluminum section and a brand-new set of sailsâthe Winston Churchill seemed to represent the best of the old and the new. Bill Psaltis would have been much more confident had his boys been aboard a boat like that instead of their sleek racing machine.
Winston Churchill was an imposing boat, but its real power came from its distinguished crew. In addition to Jim Lawler, John âSteamerâ Stanley was aboard. Stanley had sailed in fifteen Hobarts and had quite a record. He began his sailing career at age 11, sailed in numerous long-distance races, and had crewed in the America's Cup. He worked for six months on restoring the vintage boat, and Steamer had recruited others to form a first-rate crew. Two of Richard Winning's childhood friends, John Dean and Michael Bannister, had even joined the crew for the race.
Although a huge amount of time and money had been poured into the boat, the restoration effort may have been imperfect. A former Navy sailor, Greg Bascombe, had just finished scrubbing the bottom of several boats when he noticed something unusual along the waterline of the Winston Churchill . Bascombeâaka âMegaâ because of his 300-pound weightâswam closer to examine the boat more carefully. To his practiced eye, it appeared that a small section of caulking, used to seal the wooden planks, was missing.
Bascombe was alarmed at the sight of what seemed to be a flaw in the Churchill 's watertight integrity. Though the gap was small, perhaps a quarter of an inch, it could expand in heavy weather. He got out of the water and walked over to the Churchill 's dock. Approaching several men he thought were members of the crew, he warned, âThere's some caulking missing. You should make sure the owner knows about it.â Bascombe then left, satisfied that he had shared his concerns with the crew. Richard Winning, however, never got the message. Later, no one who sailed on the boat could recall the conversation.
The Sword of Orion , owned by Rob Kothe, was a very different design. It lacked the classic lines of the Winston Churchill , but it was a superb racing boat. Like Richard Winning, Rob Kothe was a successful entrepreneur. Unlike Winning, however, Kothe was a relative newcomer to the world of sailing.
Kothe bought his first boat in 1997 and achieved some measure of success in that year's Hobart. Buoyed by a second place in his division, Kothe was eager to join the ranks of the sailing greats that he had heard about as a small child. Kothe purchased the Sword with the intent purpose of taking home the Tattersall's Cup.
On the surface, there were a number of similarities between Sword of Orion and AFR Midnight Rambler. Sword was longerâ43 feet to the Rambler's , 35âbut both boats were balsa core fiberglass construction with Kevlar sails. They were typical of the modern boat designs that worried Bill Psaltis.
As on the AFR Midnight Rambler , some members of Sword's crew were expert racers with extensive sailing experience. Like Ed Psaltis, Rob Kothe insisted on a disciplined regimen of training and
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