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Three Cheers (Follett)

Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 5:01 pm
by john sefton
Tom Follett and his triamaran Three Cheers was the winner of the Ida Lewis Yacht Club Trophy for the first American to finish in the 1972 race, coming in fifth place at 23.04 BST on July 14, the elapsed time being 27 days, 11 hours, 4 minutes.
In the Multihull Handicap ‑ corrected times, No. 9, Three Cheers, is 19 days, 17 hours, 4 minutes.
The Three Cheers was built in Dick Newick's yard in the Virgin Islands, Newick being the designer. The craft is contructed of coldmoulded plywood, and Follett says that the boat is "hopefully so light that it will skim along the top of the water." On trials, the Three Cheers frequently recorded speeds of over 25 knots.


These SENEGAL stamps seem to be put together by someone who didn't know what they were doing. (SHEER....THREE CHEERS?)

The Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, or STAR, is an east-to-west yacht race across the North Atlantic. When inaugurated in 1960, it was the first single-handed ocean yacht race; it is run from Plymouth to the USA, and is held every four years.

The race is organised by the Royal Western Yacht Club (RWYC) and was originally sponsored by the UK-based Observer newspaper, and known as the Observer Single-handed Trans-Atlantic Race, or OSTAR; due to changes in sponsorship, it has been known as the CSTAR, Europe 1 STAR, and the Europe 1 New Man STAR. After the race in 2000 the RWYC took the decision to split the race into two events, one using smaller boats and intended for amateurs and young sailors, the other for professionals. The "amateur" event was raced as The OSTAR (meaning "the Original STAR") from 2005. The "professional" version was raced as The Transat from 2004.

OSTAR 1972

"Where will it all end," moaned the critics. How about a 128’, three-masted schooner! The unbelievable Vendredi 13 (Friday the 13th) gave the media plenty to talk about in June 1972. Terlain had no trouble handling his huge boat, but the tin tri was back, in the hands of Alain Colas, and this time made no mistakes with a 20 day crossing that silenced the doubters. The multihull movement was learning--altogether, there were four trimarans in the first six places including Newick’s wing-decked, ketch-rigged Three Cheers.

Sea Breezes Sept 1973

Re: Three Cheers (Follett)

Posted: Sun May 01, 2011 8:48 pm
by aukepalmhof
The THREE CHEERS took also part in the OSTRA 1976 race under skipper Mike McMullen.
When his wife Lizzie was helping him to polish the bottom of the yacht 48 hours before the start of the race she was electrocuted and killed.
Mike felt it would be her wish that he anyhow would start in the race.
The only time he was sighted in that race was off Galley Head, South Ireland on 6 June 1976, then the yacht and her skipper were never seen again. It was believed he took a northern route over the North Atlantic and hit some ice.
Parts of his yacht has been washed ashore or dredged up, but where the yacht and the skipper were lost is still a mystery.

Source: Various web-sites.

The Senegal stamps give her name as SHEERS which is wrong.