Editorial- Farewell to one of sailing's icons

by nzeditor@sail-world.com on 23 Jun 2006 Welcome to the week end edition of Sail-World.com which has been delayed to cover the sail past by Gipsy Moth IV and also to carry the announcement that Sail Auckland has been upgraded to Grade 1 status by ISAF.

The reconstruction of Gipsy Moth IV has been a touchstone project for many older Aucklanders who were in their teens when Sir Francis undertook his voyage around the world. In an age when most round the world races are sailed either single handed or crewed, in extreme performance canting keelers or multihulls, bristling with autopilots and watermakers, Gipsy Moth IV seems to be an anachronism.

Looking at her sailing on the Waitemata today, it is hard to believe that anyone could actually sail her around the world single handed. She is a very tender, narrow boat, and in Sir Francis’ time was sailed using vane gear alone. His was an amazing feat of seamanship and Gipsy Moth IV rightly deserves her place as one of the iconic yachts of the 20th Century.

The granting of Grade 1 status to sail Auckland is a big step forward for the event. For Kiwi sailors it gives a regatta of the top international standing here in New Zealand. For overseas competitors, it puts a bigger incentive on travelling down under for the off-season in Europe.

Although much maligned in previous years, the ISAF Rankings are beginning to carry some weight and are becoming a better guide to consistency of performance over a period of time. It is to be hoped that all the ISAF graded regattas on the Downunder Circuit will be better supported by the USA and European competitors, than has been the case in the past.

Have a warm weekend!

Good sailing!

Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor