America's Cup - The Freo Files- Blackaller's Bet
by Archive Video on 22 Feb 2011
Tom Blackaller: one of the great characters of sailing SW
Most have fond memories of the 1987 America's Cup in Fremantle. It had everything - big breeze, drama, action on the water and ashore, and a lot of larger than life characters who really bought that series to life.
One of those characters was Tom Blackaller who sailed the canard ruddered USA out of San Francisco. In this series of clips from TVNZ's coverage of the 1987 Louis Vuitton Cup, we take you through a bet taken on the outcome of the eliminations for the semi-finals.
A feature of the Challenger Series in particular were the media conferences, which took on a life of their own providing a great offset for the tough sailing in the Fremantle Doctor.
In this series of clips we start the bet by Blackaller that the then New Zealand Challenge would throw a race and let the New York Yacht Club through to the semi-finals at his expense, and then catch the reaction over the next couple of nights.
Features Tom Blackaller (USA), a young Chris Dickson (NZL) with a young Brad Butterworth at his side in one session, John Kolius (New York YC), plus Harold Cudmore (GBR), plus the management of the New York Yacht Club.
This is the first of a series of clips from the Fremantle America's Cup - we hope it appeals to the Facebook generation and Flintstone generation alike.
Please see past the amateurish editing, on our part. But great work and production by TVNZ and host Peter Montgomery.
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