Advertisement

Tom Blackaller

Lowell North’s first rockstar Tiger
Patrick O’daniels

From fast cars to fast boats, one-design helmsman and offshore champion Blackaller (1937-1989) had his greatest success in the 6-Meter and Star classes including two national, three world, and four Western Hemisphere titles. Blackaller’s America’s Cup candidates were _Defender _ (1983), and _USA _ (1987), the latter a very fast, experimental design with fore-and-aft rudders and a ballast pod known as “the geek.”

A sailmaker who ran North’s San Francisco loft, Blackaller was one of Lowell North’s most visible and audible “Tigers.”

Advertisement
Advertisement