History...
Baron Bich
« "One day my wife will write my biography" he would invariably say.
After taking so much pressure I felt it was my duty to stir the memories of his past. First out of my conscience and also out of a desire to incite hope in others. It is always possible to start from nothing and end up with something. »
Laurence BICH's book
History
First race between challengers: 1970
For the first time in the history of the America's Cup, a non-native
English speaker would make a claim for the coveted trophy.
During that summer in the qualifying stages, "France" was beaten
by the new Australian Challenger "Gretel II". However, according
to Jim Hardy, skipper of the Australian vessel, the score reflected neither
the intensity of the duels nor how tightly matched the two boats actually
were. During the first race, the "France" even appeared to be
faster than "Gretel II" and spent the majority of the race up
ahead. However, a fortuitous gust of wind took the Australians on to victory
in the final stages.
Aided by Eric Tabarly, Baron Bich decided to take the helm for the last
leg. Unfortunately, the fog, which is not uncommon in New England, was
omnipresent and as GPS navigation tools had yet to make their mark, the
French team had zero visibility making it practically impossible to navigate
the given course.
The Australians, however, were able to make it through thanks to an unauthorized
positioning tool, which the French did not have at their disposal. And
as the Australian skipper Jim Hardy remarked in true sportsmanship, a
little bit of luck and equipment saw "Gretel II" over the finish
line.
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