A few years ago, Mike Roy had the opportunity to crew on Northern Light in the Edgartown (Martha’s Vineyard) Classic Twelve Meter Regatta, an experience which left him determined to return one way or another. The result was the “Hole in One Syndicate”, named after the Knarr Fleet’s most unwanted trophy awarded annually to that boat which inflicts the most damage on someone else. In late 1998 we put our 14-member team together comprised exclusively of Knarr owners and/or crew and secured a charter of the 1958 America’s Cup winner “Columbia” for the 1999 regatta.

By coincidence, Gary Jobson was at Corinthian Yacht Club that winter doing a promotional event for the 2000 America True cup campaign. Jobson had won the Edgartown Classic Twelve Meter Regatta in 1998 with Columbia and we cornered him to ask for any advice. “The boat is fast in up to 12 knots of wind” said Jobson, “you will win easily.” All very well for him to say that and not the sort of tip we were looking for. But win we did, in the experience of a lifetime.

In January of this year, still basking in our then four month old victory, we polled our crew about the idea of returning and received an immediate, unanimous and enthusiastic response. So tempting fate, we set up the program for a “defense” of our cup and although Edgartown Yacht Club sent us a warm welcome, we suspected they were more interested in proving that the “cowboys” from the West Coast had just got lucky.

On Thursday August 10, we turned up in Edgartown ready to do battle. Representing Corinthians were: Mike Roy - grinder and team manager; Al Blair - mainsheet trimmer; Jim Tull - grinder; Steve Wear - trimmer; Rosalind Colver - running backs; and John Colver - “navigator”, traveler, stoppers and syndicate haberdasher (an impressive description for “seventeenth man”!) For San Francisco Yacht Club were: Larry Drew - driver; and George Rygg - foredeck captain. St. Francis was represented by: Mike Ratiani - tactician and skipper; John Heath - grinder; Steve Shaffer - bow; Turk Walsh - mast; Mike Peterson - trimmer; and Skip Pierce - mainsheet tailer. And all the way from England sailing under the Royal Thames Yacht Club burgee was Jo Ayres - grinder.

Joining us on Thursday evening and for the weekend, from the Corinthian, was Bob Turnbull who was on the east coast on business and who donated four cases of his wine to our cause, which promptly resulted in Grove Street Winery being designated as our official sponsor. He looked a bit pale when we told him this honor required his company to pick up the entire tab for any future challenges (or defenses as the case may hopefully be).

Friday brought a brief break in the wet windy weather and we headed out into Nantucket Sound for a day of practice. The first thing we discovered was a serious tear in the No.2 jib, which we thought would be our primary headsail and a few cell phone calls later we found the only sailmaker capable of dealing with it was in Vineyard Haven. To save time we decided to sail directly there, practicing spinnaker gybes all the way. The sail was promised to us by first thing in the morning and we then had a couple of hours practicing tacks and headsail changes all the way back and. Friday evening saw us all on the beach for a clambake and lobster cook out.

Race day on Saturday dawned gray and windy with an unpromising forecast. Our division consisted of seven “classic” twelve meters - our boat Columbia (America’s Cup winner in 1958); Weatherly (the Cup winner in 1962); Gleam (1958 trial horse); Easterner (1958 and 1962 defender trials); Nefertiti (1962 and ‘64 defender trials); American Eagle (1964 defender trials and then successfully campaigned by Ted Turner in the 1970’s as an ocean racer); and Northern Light (trial horse in the ‘58, ‘62 and ‘64 defense campaigns). The “Moderns” division consisted of Intrepid (winner in 1967 and 1970), Fury, Valiant, Courageous (America’s Cup winner in 1974 and 1977); and Fiddler.

Seas were forecast at 6-8 feet and winds 25-30 knots - and before long, we had both. A radio roll call by the race committee found everyone in agreement not to use spinnakers. With a big reef pulled in the main and the No.3 jib, Mike Ratiani put us on the line for a perfect start in the first race, controlling the rest of the fleet, only to have the jib sheet mysteriously undo its bowline leaving the sail flogging wildly - and to the back of the fleet we went. But despite the rising seas and increasing wind, we dispelled the reputation that Columbia was a fair weather boat, and gradually worked our way back into contention on the double windward/leeward/windward course. Trailing American Eagle and Easterner, we tacked early for a long leg up to the finish, not attempting to call a lay line and when the other two boats tacked it became apparent they had slightly overstood.

We tacked onto port for a lay line to the finish to find us comfortably ahead of Easterner and maybe half a boat length ahead of American Eagle, who was ranging on us to shut us out at the pin. As we converged in the now very steep seas, we could see the line was not only skewed 90 degrees but was probably no longer than three boat lengths. Unable to tack inside Eagle and unable to cross ahead, we did a major last second duck then tacked - but Eagle had hunted us too deep and with the current, was unable to lay the pin and was forced to tack. She came through the wind then immediately shot the line and we had to settle for second by a boat length. This was exciting stuff.

Conditions were getting worse and for the second race we changed down to the No.4. It was a marginal call and although the boat stayed on her feet a lot better we could have used extra power in the heavy seas. We made a bad start, but with some brilliant strategy from Ratiani and rock steady driving by Larry Drew - who was literally buried to his neck to leeward most of the time - we again worked our way back into touch and had the boat rumbling. At the leeward rounding, the race committee signaled a shortened second weather mark with a downwind finish. On the beat, we wore down American Eagle who had pulled the headboard out of the groove and were able to close on Weatherly and Easterner who were late seeing the shortened weather mark.

Rounding in fourth place for the last downwind leg to the finish and it became a drag race and gybing game. Nefertiti and Weathery were out of reach and our only real chance to improve was to pick off Easterner. who had a good lead on us. We split gybes and when we converged, were almost dead level, gybed - and before they realized what we were up to, changed up to the No.2 jib, winged out the spinnaker pole in a flawless manoeuver, and surged ahead over the finish line. That moved us into first place for the Saturday Series by one point. Conditions were too rough to return to the yacht club and we had to pick up a mooring and wait for shore boat service. That night we “owned” the yacht club party as Mike Ratiani put it, and turned in late, tired but happy.

An 8.30 a.m. on the Sunday a special skippers meeting was called and with the wind whistliong in the rigging and blinding rain, it was a “no-brainer” and the rest of the regatta was abandoned. It only remained for us to throw Larry in the water (we didn’t and gave him a break as he had been underwater most of the previous day); pick up all the silver; and get out of Dodge. At the 9.00 a.m. trophy presentation we did not disappoint the audience and gave them a couple of songs specially written by Rosalind. Maybe we just imagined it, but it seemed their invitation to return yet again next year, was a bit hollow.

On the Bay, we all race our Knarrs hard against each other, but the teamwork on Columbia was flawless and the atmosphere electric. Fleet racing a twelve meter is not only the most exciting sailing experience I have had, but there was also a sense of being a living part of history. Back to back wins was simply gilding the lily. Now we have to think hard what we will do for an encore.