Ted Turner’s love for sailing began when he was a child, when he and Jimmy Brown would go sailing on Ed Turner’s boat. By the 1960s, Turner was as dedicated to sailing as he was to his growing media empire. He competed in the Southern Ocean Racing Conference and famously skippered the Tenacious to victory in the 1979 Fastnet race, in which 17 other participants died due to terrible storms. He attempted the America’s Cup in 1974, and returned to win the race in 1977 aboard the Courageous.

Turner was the first sailor to be named Yachtsman of the Year four times and was inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame in 1993 and National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2011. Although he stopped sailing competitively not long after the 1979 America’s Cup to focus on his family and his growing business, he carried the lessons he had learned about teamwork and perseverance with him.

Clip Information:
Collection: WSB Newsfilm Collection
Clip Number: WSBN39217
Title: Preparation of Ted Turner's Sailing Racer for America's Cup; Newport, Rhode Island