Condor of Bermuda
Encyclopedia
Condor of Bermuda was a maxi yacht
campaigning under the leadership and funding of London
based international businessman Bob Bell
. Originally called "Condor" but re-named "Heath's Condor" for the 1977-78 Whitbread Round the World Race
(see Volvo Ocean Race
) after Bell's association with Heath's Insurance Co (London). There is no link with former British Prime Minister Edward Heath
of Morning Cloud
yachting fame. Condor was then later renamed "Condor of Bermuda", as government policy in the UK during the 1970s effectively exiled the financing of such a campaign, by making the funding and domiciling of such an endeavour from the home countries a practical impossibility.
Condor of Bermuda is a polished mahogany
race boat; and is often confused with its successor, "CONDOR
" (sometimes referred to as Condor II) which was of kevlar and composite construction, and slightly larger, due to IOR
rule changes. The two boats were colloquially known as "The Grand Piano" and "Plastic Condor" or the "brown Bus" by those who had sailed on both.
, Condor II, Condor 2, Heath's Condor, Condor of Currabubulla, Condor of Emsworth, Baby Condor.
campaigning from 1977 to approximately 1983.
It was the first yacht to race with a carbon fibre mast in 1977 in the Whitbread Around the world Race.
Condor was the primary competition for Whitbread outsider Pen Duick VI
- a French sponsored, uranium
ballasted unrecognised entrant to the 1977/78 Whitbread Around the World Race.
Current record holder for:
Won line honours (first boat to finish) in the tragic 1979 Fastnet race
in record time.
Won the Sydney to Hobart (1981) which was the closest ever finish, winning by just seven seconds against Apollo III during a gruelling match race up the Derwent
.
Shipwrecked on a reef in Tahiti
in 1980. Salvaged, Rebuilt, and Re-Campaigned. See: Marlin Brando's Island, Tetiaroa
.
Won Heather Cup - Auckland Anniversary Regatta
(1979 & ??).
Condor"2" Won Newport
to Bermuda
race 1986. winning with a considerable lead of 6 hours over the next maxi, A master move by then navigator Jon barret, in negotiating a favorable eddy in the gulfstream allowed for such a massive win unequaled since.
Condor "2" also won line honors in Sydney to Hobart 1986 after Australian maxi sovereign had to retire due to rigging failure.
Condor"2"Won Miami to Montego Bay
Race (1985 & ??)
Converted into a luxury cruise yacht
Maxi yacht
A maxi yacht usually refers to a racing sailboat of at least in length. It is also a Swedish brand of smaller sailing yachts.-Origin:The term maxi originated with the International Offshore Rule rating system, which in the 1970s and 1980s measured offshore racing yachts and applied a...
campaigning under the leadership and funding of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based international businessman Bob Bell
Bob Bell
Bob or Bobby Bell may refer to:*Bob Bell , former team principal and technical director of the Renault Formula One team and current Mercedes GP technical director....
. Originally called "Condor" but re-named "Heath's Condor" for the 1977-78 Whitbread Round the World Race
1977-78 Whitbread Round the World Race
On August 27th, 1977, 15 boats started out from Southampton for the Whitbread Round the World Race under gale force winds and driving rain.-Final Standings:...
(see Volvo Ocean Race
Volvo Ocean Race
The Volvo Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three years. It is named after its current owner, Volvo...
) after Bell's association with Heath's Insurance Co (London). There is no link with former British Prime Minister Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
of Morning Cloud
Morning Cloud
Morning Cloud was the name given by the British politician Edward Heath to a series of five yachts which he owned between 1969 and 1983.-No. 1:...
yachting fame. Condor was then later renamed "Condor of Bermuda", as government policy in the UK during the 1970s effectively exiled the financing of such a campaign, by making the funding and domiciling of such an endeavour from the home countries a practical impossibility.
Condor of Bermuda is a polished mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
race boat; and is often confused with its successor, "CONDOR
Condor
Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.They are:* The Andean Condor which inhabits the Andean mountains....
" (sometimes referred to as Condor II) which was of kevlar and composite construction, and slightly larger, due to IOR
IOR
The abbreviation IOR may refer to:* Institute of Recruiters, a non-profit Institute for recruiters and HR professionals* Index of refraction* Istituto per le Opere di Religione , the "Vatican Bank"...
rule changes. The two boats were colloquially known as "The Grand Piano" and "Plastic Condor" or the "brown Bus" by those who had sailed on both.
Condor campaigns
Condor of Bermuda, CondorCondor
Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.They are:* The Andean Condor which inhabits the Andean mountains....
, Condor II, Condor 2, Heath's Condor, Condor of Currabubulla, Condor of Emsworth, Baby Condor.
Associated with
- Bob BellBob BellBob or Bobby Bell may refer to:*Bob Bell , former team principal and technical director of the Renault Formula One team and current Mercedes GP technical director....
(Campaigner), - Sir Peter BlakePeter Blake (yachtsman)Sir Peter James Blake, KBE was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy – setting the fastest time around the world of 74 days 22 hours 17 minutes 22 seconds on catamaran Enza, and led his country to successive victories in the America’s Cup...
(Watch Captain/Skipper), - Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (Skipper),
- Grant DaltonGrant Dalton-Background:Grant Dalton is a professional sailor who started sailing at the age 8 in the P Class and soon started racing as a member of Maraeti Beach Boating Club...
, - John Sharp (Designer), Bruce FarrBruce FarrBruce K. Farr OBE is a designer of racing and cruising yachts.Farr began building boats at 13 in Warkworth near Auckland,New Zealand.His first boats were plywood hard chine Moth class designs.He later designed and built variants of Cherubs and especially Flying 18s.His early designs were built in...
(Consultant designer for refit) - McMullian & Wing Refit Ship Yard, AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, BowmanBowman-Places:Antarctica* Bowman Island* Bowman PeninsulaAustralia* Bowman Park, South Australia* Division of Bowman, an electoral district in the Australian House of RepresentativesCanada* Bowman, Quebec* Bowman BayUnited States* Bowman, Chicot County, Arkansas...
Construction Ship Yard EmsworthEmsworthEmsworth is a large village the south coast of England, situated on the Hampshire side of the border between Hampshire and West Sussex. The village lies at the north end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, a large but shallow inlet of the English Channel....
.
Condor of Bermuda
Condor of Bermuda was a Maxi yachtMaxi yacht
A maxi yacht usually refers to a racing sailboat of at least in length. It is also a Swedish brand of smaller sailing yachts.-Origin:The term maxi originated with the International Offshore Rule rating system, which in the 1970s and 1980s measured offshore racing yachts and applied a...
campaigning from 1977 to approximately 1983.
Condor of Bermuda notable facts
It was shipwrecked in Tahiti (see below).It was the first yacht to race with a carbon fibre mast in 1977 in the Whitbread Around the world Race.
- After developing a substantial lead, Heath's Condor was ultimately uncompetitive in the first leg (UK to Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
), due to a catastrophic rig failure. - Won the second leg (Cape TownCape TownCape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
to AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
(NZ)) - Second in the third leg (cracked mast)(AucklandAucklandThe Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
to Rio de Janero) - First in the fourth (final leg) (Rio de Janero to PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
). - Placed last on elapsed time due to first leg; subsequent races were amended to give yachts a fighting chance after a single leg mishap.
Condor was the primary competition for Whitbread outsider Pen Duick VI
Pen Duick
The Pen Duick yachts are ocean racing yachts from the 1960s and 1970s. They were built for French yachtsman Éric Tabarly, and he had a hand in each design....
- a French sponsored, uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
ballasted unrecognised entrant to the 1977/78 Whitbread Around the World Race.
Current record holder for:
- Last British vessel to win a leg of the "Around the World Yacht Race" see Volvo Ocean RaceVolvo Ocean RaceThe Volvo Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three years. It is named after its current owner, Volvo...
- Narrowest margin for victory - 1981 Sydney to Hobart (see below).
Won line honours (first boat to finish) in the tragic 1979 Fastnet race
1979 Fastnet race
The 1979 Fastnet race was the twenty-eighth Fastnet race, a yachting race competition held since 1925, generally every two years. In 1979, it was the climax of the five-race Admiral's Cup competition, as it had been since 1957....
in record time.
Won the Sydney to Hobart (1981) which was the closest ever finish, winning by just seven seconds against Apollo III during a gruelling match race up the Derwent
Derwent
Derwent derives from the Brythonic term Derventio, meaning "valley thick with oaks". It may refer to:-Places:Australia* Derwent River * Derwent Valley Council* Electoral division of Derwent, TasmaniaUnited Kingdom...
.
Shipwrecked on a reef in Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
in 1980. Salvaged, Rebuilt, and Re-Campaigned. See: Marlin Brando's Island, Tetiaroa
Tetiaroa
Tetiaroa is a private atoll in the Windward group of the Society Islands of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the Pacific Ocean. Once the vacation spot for Tahitian royalty, the atoll is widely known for having been purchased by Marlon Brando...
.
Won Heather Cup - Auckland Anniversary Regatta
Auckland Anniversary Regatta
The first Auckland Anniversary Regatta took place in 1840 and has grown to become one of the largest single day regattas and is the oldest sporting event in New Zealand. The number of boats entered in 2008 was 400 which when compared to the Sydney Australia Day Regatta entry of 120 gives an...
(1979 & ??).
Condor"2" Won Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
race 1986. winning with a considerable lead of 6 hours over the next maxi, A master move by then navigator Jon barret, in negotiating a favorable eddy in the gulfstream allowed for such a massive win unequaled since.
Condor "2" also won line honors in Sydney to Hobart 1986 after Australian maxi sovereign had to retire due to rigging failure.
Condor"2"Won Miami to Montego Bay
Montego Bay
Montego Bay is the capital of St. James Parish and the second largest city in Jamaica by area and the fourth by population .It is a tourist destination with duty free shopping, cruise line terminal and the beaches...
Race (1985 & ??)
Converted into a luxury cruise yacht