The Golden Age of Offshore Yacht Racing

This bundle of two books tells of the life, designs and success of yacht designer and skipper Dick Carter from his own perspective and that of one of his crew, Sandy Weld. Not many 'amateur' yacht designers would dare to enter the first boat they had ever designed into the epic offshore Fastnet Race, let alone with the intention of winning it. But that is what Dick Carter did in 1964, beating all 151 other yachts, some sailed by the most notable sailors of the day. He repeated the feat 4 years later with another of his own designs (which also won the Admiral's Cup that year as top boat and top team), but by then he could certainly not be described as an 'amateur' yacht designer. His radical innovations created fast and comfortable boats which were much in demand in this, the golden age of offshore racing. They were commissioned by the top sailors and succeeded in winning the Admiral's Cup, Southern Cross Series, One Ton Cup, Two Ton Cup and many of the biggest races. Racing with Dick in these years was Sandy Weld who helped launch, tune and race the boats Dick skippered. Sandy's account depicts the intense competition of crews dedicated to winning and the camaraderie and enthusiasm of those who participate in this demanding sport. It is an appreciation of Dick Carter's designs and his skill as a skipper. But after just a decade at the top of his game, Dick Carter quit the world of sailing and moved on to other challenges. He hadn't been heard of for so long that sailors assumed he was dead. His surprise appearance at the funeral of Ted Hood gave rise to the suggestion that he wrote his autobiography. While his career as a yacht designer may have been brief, the impact of his innovations has lasted the test of time. Who today would think of an offshore yacht without internal halyards in the mast or that the rudder always had to be fixed to the keel? These concepts, and many more, were first introduced by Dick Carter.

Dick Carter began racing small boats on Cape Cod and came out of Yale's Corinthian Sailing Club as a champion. He raced International 14s and Fireflys before turning his hand to yacht design despite no formal training. He was highly successful and radically innovative - some of his ideas can be found on virtually every yacht today. After a decade of success, he left his yacht design career as suddenly as he had arrived. Many of his sailing contemporaries thought he was dead.