As they say, if you can remember the Auscrew parties of the Admiral’s Cup Cowes Weeks in the seventies, then you probably weren’t there! The Cowes Week parties grew year by year from the first in 1971 on the Auscrew flagship to massive events at Spencers Rigging loft always accompanied by generous quantities of Fosters Lager.
The International Offshore Rule had just been adopted which led to an explosion of interest in offshore racing and in the unofficial world championship, the Admiral’s Cup. These were the days of flush-decked, masthead rigged boats which were a delight to sail downwind in a breeze, crewed by yachtsmen with long hair wearing Topsiders and aviator sunglasses.
The UK had not won the cup since 1965, losing it to Australia in 1967 and the US in 1969, so interest was at a peak with more than a dozen boats competing in the UK Admiral’s Cup Team selection trials, of which eight were newly built for the trials. It turned out that five of the competitors had at least one Australian crewman aboard which says much for the regard they were held in by their British fellows.
CYCA Members Peter Doran and Mike Hesse who were sharing a flat in London were both sailing in boats competing in the trials (Peter on Noryema and Mike on Mersey Oyster) and after a few mugs of beer decided that this dependence on Australian yachting skills should be recognized by the creation of an exclusive membership club for the five Aussies and naming it “Auscrew”.
The club tie would have a map of Australia upside down enclosing the words ‘AUS-CREW 1971’, and membership would also be extended to the other English crewmen aboard each boat with their tie defaced by a diagonal red bar. Owners would also be allowed to join with their ties bearing the mark ‘OWNER’ beneath the logo.
Combined with the increased interest in the Cup with 18 three-boat teams competing in the mid-seventies, Auscrew membership grew rapidly as did the popularity of the Cowes Week party crammed into the loft where all were entertained with bawdy tales from the likes of David “Fang” Kilponen, together with the great and good of yacht design and racing such as Ted “Tenacious” Turner, German Frers, Jim “Kialoa” Kilroy, Dick Carter, Jim Hardy, Syd Fischer, Ed Dubois and many others.
It was the hottest ticket in town with every yachtie clambering to get a most-sort-after ticket, literally hundreds jammed into Spencers loft, usually awash with beer!
Off-season winter weekend Auscrew gatherings became the stuff of legend with awards for squash, clay pigeon shooting, tiddlywinks and many other worthy activities, but with the decline in interest in international team racing the Admiral’s Cup ceased as a competition in 2003 with the last win by Australia.
To celebrate 50 years of Auscrew, a reunion of Auscrew members and their partners will be held Saturday 4 September at “The Prospect”, Sir Max Aitken’s old home in Cowes with more than fifty expected to attend. It is interesting to note that Kurdurmurkurae (sic) Mr Peter Doran (Global) and Dr Roger Motson (defaced UK) are now also members of the hallowed Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes and that in order to maintain some of the original larrikin character of the eclectic club, it is proposed to induct CYCA Life Member Peter Shipway as an honorary member of Auscrew at the reunion.
If we can remember the party, we will let you know how it turns out!
