In the Golden Age of Offshore Racing
Thanks to the Yacht Club Italiano (YCI) for the recent photo of BENBOW tied up at their dock and looking very glamorous! BENBOW is the custom 65′ footer Dick designed in 1975 for the Italian industrialist Dr. Enrico Recchi. In the 1984 Giraglia, BENBOW set a course record which held for 14 years.
Thanks to Philippe-Jacques Roux for this recent photo of CORIOLAN looking terrific in the Morbihan, France! A custom 54′ footer built for Christian de Galéa in 1969, CORIOLAN was Dick’s first design with fiberglass sandwich construction.
On January 19th, Dick gave a condensed version of his book talk on Zoom for the Off Soundings Club. A very big thank you to Commodore Paul Jennings and production wizard Edgar Smith for hosting such a fun event!
Click on Videos to hear Dick talk about RABBIT, RED ROOSTER and VENDREDI 13!
Dick had a great time giving his book presentation at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco on November 20, 2019. They were kind to video the talk, which is posted below. Wonderful hospitality from the officers and members. Peter Pillsbury, son of former RED ROOSTER owner Davis Pillsbury, made a big effort to bring his model of the boat to the event. Jeff Carlile was also there, and is pictured below with Dick. Jeff recently tracked down the whereabouts of RED ROOSTER herself (yes, a rooster is male but RED ROOSTER sounds better than RED CHICKEN, n’est-ce pas?!). Several years ago, Jeff introduced Dick to Francesco and Mietta Gandolfi. They have subsequently bought and restored RABBIT to impeccable standards. Below are Jeff and Dick with
Need some gift inspiration this Christmas? In their recent December issue, SAIL magazine has recommended Dick Carter: Yacht Designer as a gift for sailors.
“Back in 1965, Dick Carter, who’d grown up sailing off Cape Cod, entered the first boat he’d ever designed, the 34ft Rabbit, in the Fastnet Race and against all odds won the thing, thereby kicking off one of the most celebrated design careers ever. Now we have his autobiographical Dick Carter: Yacht Designer, an eminently readable account of what it was like at the sharp end of the spear in terms of innovation at the start of yachting’s modern era. Because he was a sailor who competed aboard those same boats he designed, we also get a firsthand glimpse at what grand prix sailing was like back when fibreglass was still cutting-edge and GPS not yet even a glimmer in the design world’s eye. A crucial addition to any nautical library.”
Thank you SAIL Magazine!
In 2019, Dick has two talks already planned in the UK, with more to follow:
Hope to see you there!
Another successful presentation, this time at the New York Yacht Club (Newport) on the 20th of October. In attendance were yachting writer John Rousmaniere, who wrote the introduction to Dick’s book; Dick’s long time friend Sandy Weld; plus Harry Anderson, the éminence grise of American yachting. As Dick remarks: “Never heard so many questions asked after a lecture at the NYYC.” Congratulations Dick and a very big thank you to the NYYC for hosting such an enjoyable event!
Dick’s presentation at the Royal Ocean Racing Club in London was a success, featuring a fantastic turnout and a wonderful reception!
Note the photo of Dick at the entrance to the ‘Fastnet Room’. It was here that he spent many hours helping to create the International Offshore Racing Rule (IOR) during the late 1960s.
Dick presents the book to long time friend Sandy Weld. Sandy has been one of the most important figures in Dick’s sailing career and features countless times in the book. He is also the author of The Leading Edge, which details his experiences in ocean racing with Dick.
