Rodney Pattisson
Encyclopedia
Rodney Stuart Pattisson, MBE
(born 5 August 1943 in Campbeltown
, Argyll
, Scotland
) is a double olympic gold medalist in sailing won at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics
and 1972 Munich Olympics
all in the Flying Dutchman
class. He also won a silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics
in the same class to become Great Britain
’s most successful Olympic yachtsman until Ben Ainslie
overtook him with 3 gold medals at 3 different Olympic Games at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
. Pattisson was a member of Itchenor Sailing Club
.
, which was founded in 1917 as the Pangbourne Nautical College. The College prepared boys to be officers in Royal Navy
, a tradition he followed on leaving the college.
He later teamed up with the London solicitor, Iain MacDonald-Smith
and won the 1968 Olympic trials. They travelled to Mexico two months before the start of the Olympics in order to acclimatise thenselves to the local conditions In 1968 Pattisson and MacDonald-Smith won the gold medal in the Flying Dutchman class in the Olympic Games on their boat Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, which was shortened to Superdocious. In winning the gold, Pattisson became the first Scot to win an Olympic medal in sailing. Both Pattisson and MacDonald-Smith went on to win the FD (Flying Dutchman) World Championship in 1969 and 1970. After his Olympic victory in 1968, Pattisson resigned his commission in the Royal Navy
so as to give himself more time for training. As Lieutenant Rodney Stuart Pattisson, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1969 New Year Honours
for his services to yachting
. He won another World Championship in 1971, but this time it was with Julian Brooke-Houghton
. A second Olympic gold medal followed in 1972 with Christopher Davies
and in 1976 Pattisson took the silver medal again with Julian Brooke-Houghton. Pattisson was honoured by being the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Rodney Pattisson then retired from the Olympics and later co-skippered the Victory 83, the Peter de Savary
entry in the America's Cup in 1983
.
He was later elected to both the Sailing Hall of Fame and the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
in 2002.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 5 August 1943 in Campbeltown
Campbeltown
Campbeltown is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Originally known as Kinlochkilkerran , it was renamed in the 17th century as Campbell's Town after Archibald Campbell was granted the site in 1667...
, Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) is a double olympic gold medalist in sailing won at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
and 1972 Munich Olympics
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
all in the Flying Dutchman
Flying Dutchman (dinghy)
thumbthumbThe Flying Dutchman is a 20-foot one-design high-performance two-person monohull racing dinghy. Developed in the early 1950s, its large sail area per unit weight allow it to plane easily when sailing upwind. The boat utilizes a trapeze harness for the crew and hiking straps for the...
class. He also won a silver medal at the 1976 Montreal Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in the same class to become Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
’s most successful Olympic yachtsman until Ben Ainslie
Ben Ainslie
Charles Benedict Ainslie, CBE is an English sailor and three-times Olympic gold medalist. He started sailing at the age of 8 and first competed at the age of 10...
overtook him with 3 gold medals at 3 different Olympic Games at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. Pattisson was a member of Itchenor Sailing Club
Itchenor Sailing Club
Itchenor Sailing Club is a sailing club located in Chichester Harbour which was founded in 1927.-Racing:The Sailing Club races every Saturday and Sunday from April to November with midweek racing for keel boats, as well as specific weeks for Class Regattas....
.
Sailing career
Pattisson went to school at Pangbourne CollegePangbourne College
Pangbourne College is a coeducational independent school located in the civil parish of Pangbourne, just South West of the village, in the English County of Berkshire....
, which was founded in 1917 as the Pangbourne Nautical College. The College prepared boys to be officers in Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, a tradition he followed on leaving the college.
He later teamed up with the London solicitor, Iain MacDonald-Smith
Iain MacDonald-Smith
Iain MacDonald-Smith is a British sailor and Olympic Champion. He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and won a gold medal in the Flying Dutchman class, together with Rodney Pattisson.-References:...
and won the 1968 Olympic trials. They travelled to Mexico two months before the start of the Olympics in order to acclimatise thenselves to the local conditions In 1968 Pattisson and MacDonald-Smith won the gold medal in the Flying Dutchman class in the Olympic Games on their boat Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, which was shortened to Superdocious. In winning the gold, Pattisson became the first Scot to win an Olympic medal in sailing. Both Pattisson and MacDonald-Smith went on to win the FD (Flying Dutchman) World Championship in 1969 and 1970. After his Olympic victory in 1968, Pattisson resigned his commission in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
so as to give himself more time for training. As Lieutenant Rodney Stuart Pattisson, he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1969 New Year Honours
New Year Honours
The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, being a civic occasion on the New Year annually in which new members of most Commonwealth Realms honours are named. The awards are presented by the reigning monarch or head of state, currently Queen Elizabeth II...
for his services to yachting
Yachting
Yachting refers to recreational sailing or boating, the specific act of sailing or using other water vessels for sporting purposes.-Competitive sailing:...
. He won another World Championship in 1971, but this time it was with Julian Brooke-Houghton
Julian Brooke-Houghton
Julian Brooke-Houghton is a British sailor. He won a silver medal in the Flying Dutchman Class with Rodney Pattisson at the 1976 Summer Olympics.-References:* at sports-reference.com...
. A second Olympic gold medal followed in 1972 with Christopher Davies
Christopher Davies (sailor)
Christopher Davies is a British sailor. He won a gold medal in the Flying Dutchman Class with Rodney Pattisson at the 1972 Summer Olympics.-References:* at sports-reference.com...
and in 1976 Pattisson took the silver medal again with Julian Brooke-Houghton. Pattisson was honoured by being the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony of the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
Rodney Pattisson then retired from the Olympics and later co-skippered the Victory 83, the Peter de Savary
Peter de Savary
Peter John de Savary is an English entrepreneur and a former Chairman of Millwall F.C. In the 1999 Sunday Times Rich List, he was placed in 971st place with an estimated fortune of £21 million, but was not listed in the top thousand places in subsequent editions.-Biography:De Savary built his...
entry in the America's Cup in 1983
1983 America's Cup
The 1983 America's Cup was the occasion of the first winning challenge to the New York Yacht Club who had successfully defended the cup over a period of 132 years...
.
He was later elected to both the Sailing Hall of Fame and the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports hall of fame in Scotland, initiated on St Andrew's Day 2001. It is a joint project organised by sportscotland, the national governmental body for Scottish sport, and the National Museums of Scotland. It is also funded by BBC Scotland and...
in 2002.