Ted Turner
Ted Turner
Media mogul Turner (b. 1938) was an intense ocean racer and a
one-design champion in the 5.5-Meter and Flying Dutchman. He helped
bring international attention to the America's Cup with his upset
success as defender in 1977 with the first aluminum 12-Meter, Courageous.
His antics during and immediately after the Cup, coupled with his
obvious mastery of sailboat racing made him both popular and
controversial.
In 1979 Turner skippered the 61-foot Tenacious
(a 1971 S&S design) to victory in the Fastnet race, which was marred
by disaster when a fierce storm ravaged the fleet. In that same year,
he won the Miami-Montego Bay race. Turner was awarded the Yachtsman of
the Year award on four different occasions.
An interview with Playboy
magazine shortly after that eventful year sums up Turner to a T. "Watch
me. I'm like a bulldog that won't let go. Why do you think my own
racing yacht is named Tenacious, dummy?
Interviewer: We give up. Why?
"Because
I never quit. I've got a bunch of flags on my boat, but there ain't no
white flags. I don't surrender. That's the story of my life."
