Untold Challenges of the Admiral’s Cup

by Dave Reed, Sailing World
For those who have forgotten the Admiral’s Cup, a quick history lesson: The Royal Ocean Racing Club created the regatta back in 1957 and it was the stuff of legends until the event was canned in 2005 after participation waned.

In its heyday, it was a legendary big-boat showdown with three-boat national teams battling through grueling inshore races before tackling the epic Fastnet Race. As a young reader of Sailing World in the 1980s, I remember well the stories and images of this faraway circus of custom raceboats and sponsored teams. There was nothing like it.

When American sailor Ron O’Hanley, who has checked off virtually every major offshore race with his 20-year-old canting-keel Cookson 50, first heard about the Admiral’s Cup revival, his decision to participate seemed straightforward.

“At the time, it seemed like a no-brainer, which was, in retrospect, quite naive,” O’Hanley says. “In the end, it was appropriately a heavy lift.” – Full report