The call of the mighty
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor 1 Jun 2025 23:00 BST
505 World Championship 1966 - (L-R) Paul Elvstrom, John Cuneo, Larry Marks, Jim Hardy © Marks family
See the words Admiral's Cup and you immediately think approachable, real, hardcore action, braving the elements, and glory for the victorious. As an Australian, you have King Louie (the late Lou Abrahams), and the late Sir Jim Hardy as the poster boys. You could actually see these guys and their boats at your local yacht club. Tangibility reigned supreme, if nothing else. And yes, there was a cast of thousands aside from them, as well.
Now every country had their heroes too, and despite a 22-year absence from the scene, it has done nothing to diminish the appeal. Nay, may have even enhanced it in that time. Back here Downunder, and did someone say ANZACs? Yes, it was akin to going to war, albeit friendly ashore, but this was stirring stuff, and only needed the martial music to get it pumped up. So, please cue The Massed Pipes and Drums, as the Mil Band just won't do, and sorry to the late Greg Ham, for as good as it most certainly is, a single flute just does not have enough gravitas for this.
Off the bat, have to say that the NoR offers a few issues. Firstly, I was a fan of a three-boat team, but I get that times have moved on and the need for fun tickets has gone sky high. So, we'll move on. Two-boat teams is better than no teams racing at all!
Next. Tokenism. In this day and age, we should not even have the need for a stipulated female participation requirement. Now, OK, we need to ensure it happens, but if you put one down, it reeks of tokenism, even if that was not the intent. It just simply does not pass the pub test. So, I am calling bulldust on that. Same thing with the one POB under 25 years of age, too.
Now, given the abundant supply of brilliant female yachties, if we had to have a stipulation at all, why not make it 25 or 30% as a minimum? So, a big shout out to all my female yachtie pals, and to those I do not know, as well. It is not a case of enough said, and let's move on. It is more a case of let's not mess about, and get it right from the get-go.
Well, that feels lighter. Right oh, and the Admiral's Cup has also been referred to as the unofficial offshore racing world championships. Australia won it in its last iteration, back in 2003 with Bob Oatley's Wild Oats with Mark Richards on the wheel and the wise Iain Murray calling the ball, as well as Colin O'Neil's Aftershock, with the great Colin Beashel on the helm, and they represented the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club. See what I mean. The event is a cavalcade of names. Huge names, in fact.
As a mark of how hard it is to win, Australia had not done it since 1979, BTW. For July 17 to 1 August 1, 2025, Australia is back with the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's team comprising of Gordon Ketelby's TP52, Zen, and Sean Langman's new-to-him GP42, Back 2 Black (ex-Khumbu), and there you go with the big names again...
They are off to pit themselves against great boats and crews from Germany, the USA, New Zealand, Sweden, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Monaco, France, Estonia and Italy. It won't be easy, and neither should it be, but Zen was just a tad late in leaving, and Back 2 Black is having a lot of love applied in the yard, so they are up against it, but then again, that's as Aussie as icicle beers, scoldingly hot meat pies, and the utterly ubiquitous, Vegemite toast.
Have to be a great time then to wheel in the proud sailmaker, Shane Guanaria, from Doyle Sails Sydney. If nothing else, his loft has provided the full wardrobe for both boats (the membranes were laminated in NZL, so there's your ANZAC feel), and he sails on Ketelby's masterfully prepared, vigorously updated, and supremely refined, Zen. I mean, who better to talk with about the prestige of the Admiral's Cup, given he was not even in his 20s when the last one was run, and when he was just a tacker he used to pull out all his dad's old sailing mags (back to at least '78 as it turns out) to read the tales and see the pics.
"The whole thing really got legs when we were doing the Caribbean 600 in February 2024. Yes, we had chatted about it earlier, like when the first announcement came out and we had just done some mods to the boat, and then it was further enhanced after some of Gordon's mates came over from England and sailed with us. It was definitely on a roll by the time we did well in the TP52 Gold Cup on Pittwater, and with Justin Ferris from Doyle New Zealand on board for that, I think that might have been the clincher. Especially when he said, 'Caro is 100% committed, and if you don't have a go, you're nuts!', was how Guanaria summed it up."
"We did not have a team member at that point, but eventually Sean bought his GP42 in England, and now here we are. So from December of last year we have been a team, and both owners are keen to show our support back over there, given how many internationals show up for the Hobart each year."
So, a two-year gestation period goes to show just how much the mystique and prestige the Admiral's Cup holds. Not just for the vague meandering memories of crusty grey-haired salts, but young guns, as well. Cool.
"The return of the Admiral's Cup has piqued everyone's interest once more. I think it's the premier yacht racing event in the world, and it does not end up in the court room. That it holds such a place when all the pics show how cold, wet and miserable the Solent looked in photos. Grey skies, grey water, and so on... And I can still see the pictures in those magazines now. Frozen fingers trying to open brass hanks, but I don't think you had to be alive when Australia won the Admiral's Cup in the '70s to appreciate it all."
"Our crew is a mixture of pro and amateur, and there is a lot of history amongst us. For instance, Tom Barker and I did our first Hobart together back in 2004. There is no room for passengers, and our Brit on board is the son of one of Gordon's best friends, and a damn fine sailor too."
"Even without a boat, everyone's working hard on their gym programs and things like that. It really has sparked an interest with the crew, and those that might not have seen the inside of the gym or the bottom of a pair of running sneakers for the last 10, or 12 years of their life, are really into it. We are all working towards a common goal. It's sparked everyone's imagination. Everyone's so up for it."
There's definitely the spirit, the original esprit de corps of the Admiral's Cup imbued into everybody having a crack this time. It is country versus country, and the complete duck's guts, not just another piece of silverware. Dare we say it, the old way on new heads.
As for the Boxing Kangaroo, Guanaria said, "I've got mine. I've had mine for a long time. It comes out for world championships, but you're right, we may have to get a couple of 'real' ones made for the forestays. We're certainly going to represent the Aussie Battler spirit over there. It's all hands on deck with everything. Sean's been getting dirty with epoxy and glue over there for the last two weeks, and he's heading back again in two weeks' time to finish off the mods on his boat, and Gordon and our crew are a very hands-on team, as well."
As for timings, well the ship left with Zen on May 5, and it is due in England on June 25. Shane, and some trusted hands, will be there to get the keel back on. These include, the 24-year-old UK born Boat Captain, Jack Acton, who Shane describes as "...doing an amazing job, with the boat prep with maturity and professionalism well beyond his years."
Another, is Bowman and team Shipwright, Lindsay Stead, who will oversee the keel and rudder fittings also. Bruce Clark will arrive to do the stick, as he has done so many times before! The boat will be weighed and measured before July 4, so tick tock... Hence the known quantities in terms of personnel flying over.
If the first ship had worked out, Zen had planned to be there for early June, and the British IRC Nationals, but alas that is out the window, so both crews will be relying on training done at home, even when 'impromptu', and knowledge of all the boats they have sailed on over time to get on with it once the gun goes. Zen also got jobs done here that had been slated for over there, so it wasn't all idle time.
A skeleton crew will commission the whole thing (systems and new rags) from July 6, and then the A-Team arrive July 11 for a full week of training. "It is nerve-racking, somewhat daunting, and exciting, all in one. We're careful and respectful with it and make sure that the owner's going to get good value for money out of it. I do lose a bit of sleep pondering if this goes wrong, we'll do this and so forth, and we won't get a heap of support over there, because all the trades are getting 400 boats ready for the Fastnet."
"Sailors have needed this for a long time, and that is cool to be a part of. If there wasn't a bit of stress then it is probably something not worth doing, or you're not doing it well enough. It is a bit like taking an F1 car out rallying. A lot of the parts on these boats have custom parts and are not immediately replaceable. The TP and GP are next level boats and very much the thoroughbred, not Clydesdale."
"Gordon has been really good at nurturing youth and female, giving them countless opportunities on the big boats. As a result, anyone who sails with us has real determination, commitment, and talent, and they also bring a lot to the team, overall. It will be special for Gordon on many fronts, and I know we all appreciate the chance to go and do this. We're all going to make sure that is reflected in our efforts on the water. It's not a mistake that counts, it's the recovery," said Guanaria in closing.
Please enjoy your yachting, stay safe, and thanks for tuning into Sail-World.com
John Curnow
Sail-World.com AUS Editor