Word: gretel
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...stream of fresh pitchers was passed precariously back over the heads of the yelling, singing crowd. Atop the bar, the most incongruous chorus line in Newport memory clumped groggily to the strains of Waltzing Matilda, with Sir Frank Packer, the doughty "Big Daddy" whose money built Australia's Gretel, in the lead. Weatherly crewmen, hugging their Aussie counterparts, poured drinks down their necks with fraternal abandon. Just as a huge mirror crashed from the wall, the police barged in to urge the celebrating yachtsmen out into the streets and on to less public premises...
...securely in the U.S. Going into the week with a 3-to-1 edge, the U.S.'s brilliant Bus Mosbacher swiftly closed out the best 4-of-7 series. In the kind of breezy (10 to 17 knots) but not blowy day that Weatherly likes best, he beat Gretel's Jock Sturrock to the start, soon had a healthy lead and increased it with every mark of the 24-mile, windward-leeward course. The game Aussie skipper hounded Mosbacher like a hound after a fox (cracked one spectator: "Sturrock ought to know how to spell Weatherly...
...Gretel finally sailed across the line, her crew hoisted a wry salute to Mosbacher and Weatherly. Up ran their checkered flag, meaning "I am not prepared to race tomorrow." The Aussies had already done, a good bit of sailing. In their first attempt at building a 12-meter yacht, they designed a boat that in some ways was faster than the U.S.'s best. With out much experience, either in the class or in U.S. waters, Sturrock sailed her well enough to win one race, lose another by the barest of 26-sec. margins. As Sturrock said: "The best...
Skimming around the first buoy, Mosbacher's lead had been reduced to two boat lengths, a bare 12 sec. By the second eight-mile mark, it was still only 14 sec. Then Gretel and Sturrock stole the day. His spinnaker ballooning firm and white, Sturrock caught a great, wind-driven wave under his stern and rode it like a surfboarder on a Pacific comber. As the Australians surged past, Mosbacher's Yanks heard a roaring war whoop booming out across the water. Weatherly tried to recover, but she snapped her spinnaker pole -and then it was too late...
...Goes to Jail." Gretel's joyous crew was singing Waltzing Matilda as they were towed back to port past the horn-tooting spectator fleet, and the song rang through Newport all night. Even the cops cheered. "Nobody with an Australian accent goes to jail tonight," announced a local policeman. Said a crew member, amid the debris of Gretel's headquarters pub: "This reminds me of an outback pub at shearing time." Back home, radio stations played a special Gretel Song. The Sydney Sun announced the victory: WILY STURROCK OUTFOXES AMERICANS. And for this one race, at least...