Ben Lexcen – (Designer /
Radio Sailor).
Most people remember Ben
Lexcen as the man who designed the boat that won the
America’s Cup in Rhode Island in 1983. That was 25 years
ago.
2008 was the 25th
Anniversary of that event. To say it was an earth shattering
event would have been an understatement, for much has been
written about the boat, the keel and the man himself. People
to this day remember where they were when Australia 11 won
this exciting match race series with (Red Dog) Liberty from
the USA. It was that type of event.
I was going to work in
the train at the time. All my mates were doing different
things when I asked them where they were when Australia won
the famous cup. Can you remember where you were on that
great day?
The Australian Prime
Minister said on that famous morning “That if any boss
sacked anyone for missing work to day (after being up all
night) was a Bum”. For the whole country was proud of that
winning event.
What is not known by
most people was the fact that Ben Lexcen was a long time
radio sailor even before his boat won the America’s cup. I
first met him some years around 1978 at Narrabeen lakes one
Saturday afternoon with his two friends Carl Ryves and Roy
Ditmarsh all sailing 10 raters of Ben’s design. Benny was in
a tizz this day. You see, his boat was not answering the
helm and as Ben asked “how can this be, for I only just put
new radio gear into it this morning” (this is the censored
version by the way)? Well, when we got the boat back to the
shore we found that the receiver was “swimming “ in H20 and
the boat was half filled with water. But it did not go like
this in the future radio sailing days he went to.
Model yachts had been
one of his “passions” from his early childhood in Newcastle
where he grew up. He kept making model yachts all though his
designing years and into the eras of his America’s cup
endeavours. He said it was a quick way to try out ideas he
was thinking about for his 12 metres designs. Lexcen was the
only fulltime 12 metre designer in the world around 1983.
I remember a boat in
particular that he designed for R/C; a ten rater called
“Sapphire” which he designed and built in 1979 circa. This
particular boat had some startling innovation in itself in
the same type of bow that Australia 11 had and an unusual
rudder in the shape of a boomerang or a curve in it. Now, I
can tell you it did look pretty unusual for those days but
it really did work, extremely well in turning the boat in
all weather conditions. All the model designs that I saw of
Benny Lexcen’s had “bits and pieces” of his famous 12 metre
designs in these boats.
There was another boat
of his design, an A class design called “EZRA”, very light
displacement about 25 lbs, designed 1983 with almost the
same original keel as Australia 11 but it had some small
changes that made it slightly different in appearance.
He designed another boat
in 1984, a 10 rater it was called “Candida” and it was based
on the same computer program for Australia 11 and on the
boat’s length water lines and displacement. Carl Ryves asked
Ben to do “Candida” and gave the starting point for the
design based on these precepts. There were quite a few boats
made off this popular “IF” design as it was known.
I consider myself very
lucky to have known and sailed with him and I can tell you
all it was a magic experience to go radio sailing with him
and his mates. Long may he be remembered; to commemorate his
life and the services he rendered our country in winning
yachting World’s greatest prize.
The memory is not
forgotten totally in Radio Yachting, for Northern Mariners
in Sydney have a yearly regatta in Ben’s name in September
each year called the “Ben Lexcen Trophy” with the 10 raters,
Ben’s favourite class. Ben lived pretty close to Hinkler
Park, at Seaforth in Sydney when he was alive and would have
been proud to have a regatta named after him.
Ben had designed many
boats including the 12 metres Southern Cross , Australia,
Australia 11 and Challenge 12 with the fat conventional
keel.
Stephen Crewes.
National Historian 2008.
