American Magic has Lyme boy Jim Turner in the crew.
Club members may not know that Lyme boy Jim Turner is part of the crew of American Magic, the foiling yacht sailing for the US in the America’s Cup.
Jerry has done a great job of motivating our youth members to follow the racing, and prompting analysis and discussion, but here we note that Lyme has an unusual link, Jim being the brother of our Rear Commodore, Chris.
You have probably seen the dramatic capsize during racing , when a gust of 23 kts suddenly hit Patriot and lifted her out of the water before plunging her back into the sea, left crew trapped beneath the sail and anxious moments before the 11 man headcount was completed prior to rescue operations successfully salvaging the vessel.
A friend in New Zealand let Chris and Jim’s family know that he was safe, while sailors all over the world shared the drama in sympathy. All the competing teams, plus the hosts, joined in to assist the recovery.
While team GB are now through to the final of the Pravda Cup, a qualifying round for the actual cup race, the American team now have one day left to rebuild their entry in time for their next race on Friday.
Jim was selected for the American squad and moved to the US for the 4 years preparatory training, visiting his parents and brother in Lyme during August 2019 during a break. He took a Lyme Sailing Club burgee back with him to hang at the team base.
The rigorous fitness demands saw him increase muscle and weight!
Jim and his brother Chris were both born and brought up in Lyme and learned to sail at
the club, with the youth section. Always keenly competitive, they have both achieved international success and carry the name of their home town all over the sailing world.
We wish American Magic well and although we are well behind Sir Ben Ainsley and his team, we also cheer our Lyme boy, Jim, as we follow the progress of the racing.
The link shows you the capsize and recovery, Jim can be seen top right, TURNER 4 on his back.
