Bob Bavier
Bob Bavier
Sailing out of Larchmont YC on the Western end of Long Island
Sound, Bob Bavier (1918-2001) developed as one of the top sailors on
the East Coast, dominating IOD, and offshore classes in the 1950s and
60s. In 1964, he took Constellation , a faltering 12-Meter campaign that was being thrashed by American Eagle in the America's Cup defender selection trials, and turned the program around enough to be selected.
Bavier and Constellation went on to win the Cup by soundly defeating British Challenger Sovereign.
Far from being merely a racing sailor, Bavier was also a consummate
blue water seaman and navigator. In 1968, he navigated one of Ted
Hood's Robins to a victory in Bermuda Race.
Not content with supporting the sport by excelling at it, Bavier worked at Yachting
magazine, selling ads, writing a monthly column as well as articles, and
eventually running the entire magazine. The influence he wielded at Yachting
was only surpassed by his leadership of the sport as president of the
North American Yacht Racing Union (now US SAILING) and extensive
involvement with the IYRU (now ISAF).
