[singlepic=1348,170,250,,left]America’s Cup – New York – Verrà celebrato il prossimo 30 aprile l’inserimento nell’Hall of Fame dell’America’s Cup di Thomas Ratsey, Jhon Longley e John Biddle. La cerimonia, sponsorizzata dalla Rolex, sarà ospitata presso le sale del New York Yacht Club. A fare gli onori di casa saranno Halsey C.Herreshoff e Sir James Hardy, rispettivamente presidente e presidente onorario della fondazione Sir James Hardy, coadiuvati nello svolgimento dell’incarico da Bruno Troublé e da Gary Jobson.
John Biddle (1936-2008)
Documentarista tra i più apprezzati nel mondo della vela, John Biddle ha navigato con Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Ted Hood e altri grandi skipper statunitensi. Grazie alla sua attività, il pubblico ha potuto rivivere le emozioni di tutte le edizioni della Coppa America comprese tra il 1958 e il 1987.
Thomas Ratsey (1851-1935)
Senza dubbio, Thomas Ratsey è stato uno dei velai che ha maggiormento influito nella storia della Coppa America. Entrato nell’azienda di famiglia a soli 15 anni, Ratsey ha preso parte a sette campagne e ha disegnato, tagliato e fornito vele a dieci sfidanti e quattro defender nel corso della sua vita.
John Longley (20 luglio 2945)
John Longley ha alle spalle cinque campagne di Coppa America ed è stato uno dei protagonisti della vittoria di Australia II nel 1983. Dopo aver concluso la sua carriera sui 12 Metri S.I. ha contribuito attivamente allo sviluppo delle regole dell’America’s Cup Class (ACC) e ha tracciato le linee guida di alcuni dei Protocolli delle seguenti edizioni.
Durante la campagna del 1983, Longley aiutò John Bertrand a selezionare l’equipaggio di Australia II e svolse un lavoro di fondamentale importanza coordinando il lavoro del sailing team in fase di manovra, con spiegazioni dettagliate su come effettuare ogni genere di manovra. Inoltre, Longley fu aiutante di campo del project manager di Australia II, Ben Lexcen, tra il gennaio del 1981 e l’estate del 1983, quando lasciò il delicato incarico al Direttore Esecutivo Warren Jones, subentratogli per permettergli di concentrarsi sulla preparazione del sailing team. Come aiutante di Lexcen, Longley firmò il progetto del piano di coperta e fu responsabile della costruzione di Australia II e della sua mitica chiglia alata.
Ritiratosi dall’attività agonistica dopo la Coppa del 1986, Longley ha continuato a servire attivamente il mondo dell’America’s Cup ed è attualmente impegnato nell’organizzazione degll’ISAF Sailing World Championship in programma a Fremantle nel 2011.
America’s Cup Hall of Fame
Charles Francis Adams, James L. Ashbury, Charles Barr, J. Burr Bartram, Robert N. Bavier Jr., John Bertrand, John Biddle, Baron Marcel Bich, Sir Peter Blake, Alan Bond, Dick Brown, Edward Burgess, W. Starling Burgess, Malin Burnham, Bradley W. Butterworth, James E. Buttersworth, William F. Carstens, Dennis Conner, Russell Coutts, Briggs S. Cunningham, Laurie Davidson, Edward I. du Moulin, Sir Michael Fay, William P. Ficker, William Fife III, Henry Coleman Haff, Sir James Hardy, Nathanael G. Herreshoff, F.E. “Ted” Hood, Chandler Hovey, Sherman Hoyt, C. Oliver Iselin, George Fritz Jewett Jr., Gary Jobson, Arthur Knapp Jr., William I. Koch, Ben Lexcen, Sir Thomas J. Lipton, John Longley, Harry Buddy Melges, E.D. Morgan. Henry Sturgis Morgan, Emil Bus Mosbacher Jr., Frank J. Murdoch, Charles E. Nicholson, Sir Frank Packer, General Charles J. Paine, Alan Payne. Thomas Ratsey, Victor A. Romagna, Morris Rosenfeld, Stanley Rosenfeld, Tom Schnackenberg, George L. Schuyler, Commodore Henry Sears, T.O.M. Sopwith, George Steers, John Cox Stevens, Olin J. Stephens II, Roderick Stephens Jr., Jack Sutphen, Bruno Troublé, R.E. Ted Turner, Stephen A. Van Dyck, Harold S.Vanderbilt, Gertrude Vanderbilt, George L. Watson, Thomas A. Whidden, The Earl of Wilton.
AMERICA’S CUP, JOHN BIDDLE, JOHN LONGLEY AND THOMAS RATSEY INDUCTED TO HALL OF FAME
[America’s Cup Hall of Fame Press Release] The America’s Cup Hall of Fame, located in Bristol Rhode Island, is pleased to announce the induction of John Longley and the late Thomas Ratsey at a black-tie dinner on April 30, 2009. The 16th Induction Ceremony, presented by Rolex Watch U.S.A. and hosted at the New York Yacht Club in New York City, will also honor the late John Biddle for his 2008 induction into the Hall of Fame.
Distinguished Honorary Chairmen of the event are Sir James Hardy of Australia, Bruno Troublé of France and Gary Jobson of the United States; America’s Cup Hall of Fame President Halsey C. Herreshoff will preside over the ceremony.
John Biddle (1936 – 2008)
Spanning more than 40 years as the foremost yachting cinematographer-lecturer, John Biddle sailed with Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, Ted Hood and dozens of other skippers on the U.S. east coast, Great Lakes, and west coast. He raced to Bermuda 11 times, was aboard the winning yacht to Halifax in 1957, cruised among the icebergs off the coasts of Labrador and Greenland, sailed the SORC several times, and crewed aboard square-riggers in the North Sea.
Biddle pursued a life of sailing, travel and adventure, while at the same time making a living as a film-lecturer. Lean and fast moving, he was proficient at all things nautical including one-design racing and offshore cruising and racing. He was thus able to combine his love for the sea and knowledge of sailing with a talent for film-making, resulting in 40 shows in 40 years, often highlighting the America’s Cup.
John Biddle’s 40-year film archives are capped by comprehensive coverage of each America’s Cup event from 1958 to 1987 in 10 season-long episodes from early trials to the final races, during the 12-Metre boat years. Excerpts from these films will be featured in the Induction Program in New York City on April 30.
John Longley AM (born July 20, 1945)
John Longley is a veteran of five Australian campaigns for the America’s Cup, including four straight Cup Matches, winning the Cup in 1983. After his career as a 12-Metre Class sailor and team manager, he contributed to the America’s Cup by participating in the development of the America’s Cup Class.
John Longley’s involvement in the 1983 Australia II campaign marked the high point of his career as a yachtsman. Longley helped Skipper John Bertrand select the crew for Australia II; he choreographed the team’s actions for tacking, jibing and other maneuvers via detailed step-by-step instructions; and served in the crew as a grinder.
In addition to his contributions on the water, Longley served as Australia II’s Project Manager, managing the campaign’s day-to-day operations from January 1981 until Executive Director Warren Jones took over in the summer of 1983, to allow Longley to focus on racing the boat. While manager, Longley was responsible, among other things, for coordinating the building of Australia II and the construction of her keel. He leveraged his experience in the grinder pit and foredeck to co-design the boat’s deck layout with yacht designer Ben Lexcen.
At age 41, Longley retired from Cup sailing after completing one final stint as manager and grinder for Australia IV in the 1986 Cup defense trials in Australia. But his contributions to the Cup did not end there. Following the contentious 1988 Match, Longley co-authored the San Diego Protocol, which established the challengers’ rights and their method of challenging the defender in an orderly manner. This document was significant for three reasons: first, it made possible a smooth transition from the 1988 match to the 1992 match; second, it ushered in the International America’s Cup Class (IACC) which replaced the 12-Metre class; and, finally, it was a prototype for future protocols. Longley, while serving as the watchdog of the Protocol, was the chair and convenor of the conference of designers who developed the IACC rule.
In 1984, Longley was made a member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to yachting. He is currently serving as the Event Director for the ISAF Sailing World Championships to be held in Fremantle in 2011.
Thomas W. Ratsey (1851-1935)
Thomas Ratsey’s career spans the classic era of the America’s Cup. His entry into the family business at 15 heralded one of the most important contributions to America’s Cup sailmaking made by a single individual. He was directly involved in seven challenges and the firm he controlled supplied sails for 10 challengers and four defenders during his lifetime.
At first, Ratsey’s firm was in the shadow of the Lapthorn loft, but such was his promise that the latter initiated an 1882 merger to form the long-lived firm of Ratsey & Lapthorn. Tom Ratsey was then personally responsible for the sails of every challenger until Shamrock IV after his first involvement crewing on Livonia at age 20. His continuous involvement with the Cup began with the Thistle challenge of 1887 when his close friend G. L. Watson involved him in his designs at an early stage; his presence in New York during that challenge laid the foundations of many lifelong friendships and Ratsey & Lapthorn’s US expansion.
Ratsey’s attendance at the 1895, 1899 and 1901 Cup races became more than the now expected attendance of the challenger’s sailmaker. On all these occasions he took home significant orders from American yachtsmen who recognized his unique talent. By 1901 many these were lobbying him to establish a loft in the US which he did within Robert Jacob’s City Island boatyard in 1902. What resistance there was to the English invasion was effectively overcome with his firm’s production of a near perfect mainsail for Cornelius Vanderbilt’s New York 70, Rainbow.
About the America’s Cup Hall of Fame
The America’s Cup Hall of Fame was created to honor the challengers, defenders, and legendary personages of the world’s most distinguished sporting competition. The present prototype Hall of Fame is located in an historic building on the grounds of the former Herreshoff Manufacturing Company in Bristol, Rhode Island, where yachts were constructed for eight consecutive America’s Cup defenses between 1893 and 1934. The Herreshoff Marine Museum, situated on this historic site, operates the America’s Cup Hall of Fame.
Commencing with the first induction ceremony in 1993, 69 legends of the Cup have been selected for membership in the Hall of Fame. Candidates eligible for consideration include skippers, afterguard, crew, designers, builders, organizers, syndicate leaders, managers, supporters, chroniclers, race managers, and other individuals of merit. Each nominee is judged on the basis of outstanding ability, international recognition, character, performance, and contributions to the America’s Cup. The 22 members of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee bring a wealth of knowledge to the selection process. This illustrious international group is composed of persons intimate with the America’s Cup tradition; they are especially committed to the integrity of the Hall of Fame. The America’s Cup Hall of Fame is honored to conduct its yearly induction ceremonies in locations worldwide.
The America’s Cup Hall of Fame is dedicated to preserving and demonstrating the influence of America’s Cup competition, for the purpose of education and the inspiration of excellence in the world of yachting.
America’s Cup Hall of Fame
Charles Francis Adams, James L. Ashbury, Charles Barr, J. Burr Bartram, Robert N. Bavier Jr., John Bertrand, John Biddle, Baron Marcel Bich, Sir Peter Blake, Alan Bond, Dick Brown, Edward Burgess, W. Starling Burgess, Malin Burnham, Bradley W. Butterworth, James E. Buttersworth, William F. Carstens, Dennis Conner, Russell Coutts, Briggs S. Cunningham, Laurie Davidson, Edward I. du Moulin, Sir Michael Fay, William P. Ficker, William Fife III, Henry Coleman Haff, Sir James Hardy, Nathanael G. Herreshoff, F.E. “Ted” Hood, Chandler Hovey, Sherman Hoyt, C. Oliver Iselin, George Fritz Jewett Jr., Gary Jobson, Arthur Knapp Jr., William I. Koch, Ben Lexcen, Sir Thomas J. Lipton, John Longley, Harry Buddy Melges, E.D. Morgan. Henry Sturgis Morgan, Emil Bus Mosbacher Jr., Frank J. Murdoch, Charles E. Nicholson, Sir Frank Packer, General Charles J. Paine, Alan Payne. Thomas Ratsey, Victor A. Romagna, Morris Rosenfeld, Stanley Rosenfeld, Tom Schnackenberg, George L. Schuyler, Commodore Henry Sears, T.O.M. Sopwith, George Steers, John Cox Stevens, Olin J. Stephens II, Roderick Stephens Jr., Jack Sutphen, Bruno Troublé, R.E. Ted Turner, Stephen A. Van Dyck, Harold S.Vanderbilt, Gertrude Vanderbilt, George L. Watson, Thomas A. Whidden, The Earl of Wilton.
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