Paul Elvstrom

[bamamick]

I just ordered two books by the master, 'Expert Dinghy and Keelboat Racing', and 'Elvstrom Speaks on Yacht Racing'. Elvstrom and Bill Buchan were about the two closest things that I ever had to heroes as a young sailor. How many of us wanted to be 'the Great Dane' when we were kids? Yeah, I know about what happened in Germany in 1972, but he was, is, and always will be the master. His Tornado campaign with his daughter (in which he finished an amazing 4th!) for the Los Angeles Games may have been his most impressive accomplishment ever.

I had read about a biography of Elvstrom but haven't found it as of yet. Amazon has something that might have been his biography but it was $81 from their used book seller list.

Mickey Lake

[rbgarr]

"Expert Dinghy..." was my 'bible' when I was in my teens.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Awe inspiring man.
Awe inspiring woman. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birgit_Fischer)

[Ged II]

How did you like "Expert Dinghy..." Mickey? I just picked up a copy published by Quadrangle Books (probably around the time I was born) for $4 from a nice little bookstore in downtown Rogers, AR over the weekend. Going by the list of Elvstrom's achievements, I'd guess that the book is probably pretty good?

Yes, I'm aware of how old this thread is, but it came up in a search, and I didn't feel like starting my own thread (that would've been roughly along the same lines).

[bamamick]

Well, I mean, he is Elvstrom, the Maestro. It doesn't really matter what a wanker like me thinks of the book, but honestly, I enjoyed it.

People like Elvstrom are larger than larger than life. I mean, there have been a lot of guys people would consider legends in the world of sailing over the last 100-125 years, but Paul Elvstrom is bigger than that, if you get my meaning. As a small boat racing sailor, for well over 30 years now, he is one of the few guys I would walk across the room to meet, based only on his accomplishments. And if he shook my hand I most certainly would never wash it again unless I had worn out a tiller or two with it first.

Mickey Lake

[The Bigfella]

Incidentally the Tornado worlds have just been won by a mixed crew for the first time ever.

[bamamick]

Ian, I know you remember when Paul Elvstrom and his daughter Trine sailed the Olympics? Elvstrom steered from the wire while his lovely daughter balanced the boat from the side? The man said he did it for the fun of it, and wound up 4th in an Olympic Games? Just awesome.

His metre boats were a little funky with that nose and all, and some of the cruisers he marketed were a little, well, not so great, but he was the Babe Ruth of small boat sailors, and even though great come along every now and then, he was THE great one for the longest amount of time, and will always be so in my memory.

Mickey Lake

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

I got an Elvstrom sailing vest when I was about 12. I thought it was the coolest thing ever... I started out with Flying jr's and ended up sailing most of the Olympic classes ... Flying Dutchman, Fireball, International 14... Elvstrom was the man back then.

[Ged II]

Actually, I hadn't known anything about Mr. Elvstrom until opening the book. I look forward to reading it.

[DGentry]

Gotta agree with Mickey - Elvstrom, much before my time as a dedicated dinghy racer, was still an idol of mine!

[Tom Lathrop]

Elvstrom dominated small boat racing in several classes. I had one of his lifejackets too. Like Dennis Conners did with his preparation program in the AC, he changed the whole sport by causing everybody else to get serious about the physical part in order to compete.

[John Meachen]

My favourite Elvstrom story concerns a photographer who had taken some good shots of the great man at a regatta.He asked which address he should send them to and Elvstrom said "Denmark"-he addressed the envelope to Paul Elvstrom,Denmark and they arrived.Pretty good way to assess how famous a person is.

[johnw]

Those are two really great books on racing. I still beat people based on things I learned from them, things even people who've been racing for years haven't realized.