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ePaper created 2014-06-11, 13:05:34 | version 1.30.01
66 Stewart Association annual prizegiving dinner was held on a Sunday night at the neighbouring club, where of course alcoholic beverages were served. It turned out to be a great evening, and since it was just before the Citizen, some of the skippers from overseas, including Harold Cudmore and Dennis Durgan were able to join in the festivities. It is interesting to point out that on the very next Sunday, after the final day of match racing, the Squadron’s bar was open for business, serving alcoholic beverages to thirsty yachties, members and spectators celebrating victory or drowning their sorrows after a hard day at the Citizen. The Squadron-appointed committee of three carried on with the organisation and planning of the 1980 Citizen, experiencing tremendous difficulty and interference from different Squadron sources. The interference became so great in fact, that despite being guaranteed 4 hours and 35 minutes of live television coverage for both the 1980 and 1981 events, Warwick Browne of Citizen Watch was ready to pull his sponsorship of the 1981 event unless the Squadron guaranteed him the following: 1. A fully representative Match Race Committee, chaired by a Squadron Flag Officer with power to make final decisions subject to only minimum interference and alteration by the Squadron Commodore alone. 2. The Squadron would do every thing it could to assist the sponsor get value for money, even in small matters like approving the display of discreet advertising signs provided by Citizen Watch to the Squadron. The attitude that a sponsor was a “necessary evil,” something to be tolerated as opposed to being joyously welcomed, was objectionable to Browne, as it would likely be to any sponsor. He had not anticipated that this small committee would be bulldozed at every bend in the road by those with different agendas. He discovered, perhaps a bit late in the game, that a committee containing no Squadron Flag Officers was essentially devoid of authority. A Special Emergency Meeting was held by the Squadron on 1 April 1980, just three weeks before the second Match Race Series, and at it most of Browne’s matters of concern were promptly cleared up, and once again, the show went ahead. 1980 Harold Cudmore,Dick Deaver and Dennis Durgan all arrived a week before the Citizen match. The Stewarts were racing that weekend with the Northcote/BirkenheadYacht Club and the overseas skippers were invited to join in. They were given Polaris, Privateer and Pavo respectively, the three boats usually occupying the last three spots on the leader board. A credit to their prowess as sailors, the trio each finished about ten places above the norm for those boats. In the warm up to the second annual Citizen Watch Match Racing Series, and annually thereafter, a“fun race” was held on the Wednesday night before the main contest, with 24 boats participating. The best and most evenly matched boats had already been chosen by the Committee for the actual Citizen series and the skippers then drew for the boats they would sail in the regatta. They had a day before the series to tune their boat and make gear alterations. In all the years of the Citizen, the start/finish line was set a little more than one-third of the way up the windward leg of the course, which was just under a mile from top mark to bottom mark. After starting, the boats would sail to the top mark, round and sail to the bottom mark. On the second windward leg, they were required to cross through the start/finish line or“gate” on their way back to the windward mark. On the downwind legs they didn’t have to pass through the gate, and often avoided the area, because there could be as many as five races running concurrently on the course. After the second downwind leg, the boats would sail a short windward leg to the finish line. This format gave competitors more“passing lanes” or opportunities to overtake their opponents. After the Citizen, the typical match racing course was changed so that the start and finish was at the leeward end of the course, similar to that presently used in America’s Cup racing. This format is favoured by the sponsors as it features two boats crossing the finish line usually in tight formation, flying huge, logo-emblazoned spinnakers. The competitors in the 1980 Citizen were, in place order: Dick Deaver, USA Sailed on Paprika. Deaver was twice winner of the Congressional Cup. First place with 8 points. Harold Cudmore, IRL Sailed on Premier. Also finished second place the previous year. Second place with 7 points.