Photo: Victor Fraile / PSI / Volvo Ocean Race
Some 17 boats carrying 167 sailors left the Solent on September 8, 1973 and headed south for Cape Town. Their yachts were the standard ocean cruisers of the time and the crews were, generally speaking, adventurers paying for the privilege or servicemen on an exciting training mission. The skippers were experienced and got paid but the spirit was Corinthian and this was very much a step into the unknown for almost everyone.
They raced with the tools of the time, navigating by dead reckoning and sextant( Roddy Ainslie, a skipper from that first race, admitted his boat was lost much of the time). Their paths followed those of the old square riggers of the 19th century and boats were comfortable. There were separate cabins for the lucky, shared ones for those who weren’ t, and stories emanating from Sayula II, the winner of that first lap, told of six bottles of wine being consumed per day. Fridges packed with fresh meat were standard and it was not uncommon in the first few editions for a full-time cook to live onboard.
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