1948 World Championship - Cascais, Portugal
The following results are from George Elder's book "Forty Years Among The Stars". In common with the early Logs it is interesting to note that in his results Elder does not give the yacht numbers of the boats which participated in the World's, but only just their names. It was not until the 1950 Log that yacht numbers were included in the results. From 1950 through 1976 both yacht numbers and names were given, but starting with 1977 frequently only yacht numbers were given. The last time both yacht numbers and yacht names were given was 1989.
In later years sometimes fleet designations were omitted. In these cases some of the more obvious fleet designations were supplied. Also from time to time only last names were supplied. First names, where known, were added.
Abbreviations etc: Dsa - Disabled. Dsq - Disqualified. Dns - Did Not Start. Wdr - Withdrew.
1948 - OFF CASCAIS
Yacht# Yacht name Skipper Crew Fleet Daily Finish Pts. 1961 Twin Star Lockwood Pirie H. Rugeroni Wilmette Harbor 2 2 1 1 7 107 1540 Polluce A. Straulino Nicolo Rode Taranto 1 4 2 2 5 106 2570 Hilarius Hilary Smart Paul Smart C. Long Island Sound 4 7 6 12 10 81 2700 Flame Stan Ogilvy Gerald Daly W. Long Island Sound 6 Wdr 4 5 4 77 2599 Faneca Duarte Bello Fernando Bello Cascais 5 9 Dsa 6 1 75 2440 Luisa II Tito Nordio Luigi Manicor Trieste 13 1 8 10 13 75 1655 Starita A. Mass E. Stutterheim No. Holland Wdr 10 5 4 9 68 1722 Moorina A. Sturrock Len Fenton Melbourne 8 17 3 Dsa 3 65 2368 Aloha II Yves Lorion Armand Chatord Alger 16 15 7 3 14 65 2552 Margabell Ernesto MendoncaAntonio Silva Vila Franca 7 5 Dsa 9 12 63 1663 Legionario Roberto Ciappa Carlo Rolandi Capri 15 8 9 7 Wdr 57 1976 Gem II Durward Knowles S. Farrington *Nassau 3 12 Dsa Dsa 2 55 2612 Bug Ayres Costa Ernani Simoes Rio de Janeiro 17 11 10 13 16 53 2554 Espadarte Joaquim Fiuza Julio Gorinho Lisbon 11 16 11 8 Dsq 50 2458 Scylla Charles Ulmer Walter Flynn East River 10 6 Dns Dsa 8 48 2763 Vipera III Dario Salata Lino Cattaneo Lario 14 3 13 Wdr Wdr 42 2545 Hydra II A. Cosentino Alberto Morelli Naples Wdr 13 Wdr 11 11 37 2376 Kurush III C. de Cardenas C de Cardenas JrHabana 12 18 Dsa Wdr 6 36 2514 Izard III Jean Peytel Roger Bernheim Paris 9 14 Wdr Dsq 15 34 2286 Fandango P. Chancerel JJean Saintenis St. Germain 18 19 12 Wdr 17 30 2580 Fada III Pierre Montaut Mrs. Montaut Seine & Oise Dsq 20 Dsa 14 18 20 2258 Duende Tomas Allende J. L. Allende Santander 19 22 14 Wdr Dns 17 2155 Chiqui IV Rafael Elosegui Ignacio Ganuza San Sebastian Wdr 21 Wdr Wdr Dns 3 2738 Galerna J. Allende Eduardo Aznar Bilbao Dsa Dns Dns Dns Dns 0 Winning yacht No. 1961. B - Karas Boat Yard, Chicago, Illinois, 1940. Ch. Meeting - C. de Cardenas. Ch. I.R.C. - E. J. Conill.
Regatta Report
Nineteen hundred and forty-eight was quite a Star year. With most of the major events in Europe, Puget Sound held a Silver Star Championship of North America. Charles Ross, of the home fleet, was the winner. He sailed Cete, the first Star ever built in that locality. On their way from England to Portugal some stopped off at San Sebastian, Spain, for its big international series. It was won by the French skipper, Stephan.
A partly built club, at Cascais, was completed. It provided a sort of shore headquarters, with lockers, showers and a bar. The contestants, however, lived in hotels at nearby Estoril.
Wind, plenty of it, was the outstanding feature. A September date had been selected, as the locals claimed there would be gentle breezes, but they were all wet. The wind fairly screeched. After midnight of the first race, it whistled down from the Sonoras. Four Stars parted their mooring lines and drifted to sea - Africa next stop. In the early hours of the morning, the minister of marine sent planes in search. Knowles' Gem II was located fifteen miles out. All four were eventually towed back to port, pretty well battered. The wind showed no sign of abating and the day's race was postponed.
Lockwood Pirie won the series by a single point, but it was not as close as it sounds. Woodie had already beaten Italy's premier three times. Had there been a tie, he would have won anyway. Hence all he had to do was prevent two more Stars from finishing between them. Straulino, naturally, was runner-up. The Smarts were a poor third, some twenty-five points behind the leaders. Sturrock, of Melbourne, was the first and only bona fide Australian entry. Like de Cardenas, he was a heavy weather favorite; both had withdrawals and their point scores were not impressive.
For some unknown reason, the annual meeting ratified a ten-man I.R.C., although the constitution specifies half that many. Aboard the Santa Maria, the committee boat furnished by the navy, blue ribboned Star officers were so thick that they were tripping over each other. That, and the conflicting lunch hour of the crew and inadequate ground tackle, for the line stakeboat, delayed some of the starts. Otherwise chairman Enrique Conill did a good job.
On one of the off days, the Portuguese staged a bull fight. Cebern Lee, proficient at the art of throwing the bull, was a volunteer toreador. I neglected to mention Hat only bull calves were put in the arena. Lee could run. He beat the calf to one of the safety niches. It was already occupied by three other neophyte toreadores and there was no room. No one seems quite sure whether he, or bull junior, was the most amazed and frightened. Jean Peytel also tried it. He would gracefully side-step the animal's rush, bending at the waist. Evidently it was in anticipation of the plaudits. Whereupon the calf would turn and playfully butt him in the stern. I state on good authority that, during the remainder of his stay, Jean ate his meals off the mantelpiece.
And what meals they were! Everyone agreed that Portuguese hospitality outdid Havana's - so did its wind, but it came from the land and the Stars did not have to plough through such gigantic seas. It was tough going, however, and only five of the twenty-four entries (from eleven different nations) completed all the races. I wonder what Adler thought of that.
Yes, Sig was there, combining the past and the present. He will be remembered as one of the team of Adler and O'Brian, who sailed the Canis Minor in the early teens. The pioneers of the gaff rigged days finished a race, come hell or high water. The idea of sailing back into the bay, so as to race another day (which many did) may be all right, but it never won a major championship.