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