Afloat.ie records with profound regret the death of American sailing writer and historian John Rousmaniere at the age of 82. He was best known on this side of the Atlantic as the author of the best-seller "Fastnet Force 10", his early-1980-published timely, fast-moving, detailed and insightful account of the Fastnet Race storm of August 1979, which he experienced at first hand racing the Swan 48 Toscana as second-in-command.
A sailor and a local and maritime historian of many interests, his lifeview was formed by an active boyhood around boats at Oyster Bay On Long Island Sound. In adulthood, he became the recognised authority on several major aspects of American and international sailing, notably the America's Cup, the New York Yacht Club, and the CCA Bermuda Race.
DUNRAVEN DISPUTE
The first two topics were interwoven in 2016, when he successfully argued that Lord Dunraven of Adare in County Limerick should be inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame. Dunraven's two America's Cup challenges in 1893 and 1895 with the G L Watson-designed advanced-concept cutters Valkyrie II and Valkyrie III moved the level of competition on to a new level. But Dunraven's disputes with the New York Yacht Club in 1895 over the way that he felt the poorly-controlled spectator fleet was interfering with Valkyrie III's performance resulted in an international dispute of such acrimony that it resulted in Dunraven being stripped of his honorary membership of the New York Yacht Club, an unprecedented action.
Here be trouble....the America's Cup-challenging Lord Dunraven had his historic case of 1895 successfuly redeemed by the late John Rousmaniere in 2016
Over the years, however, there was a growing body of opinion that inclined to the view that Dunraven had a reasonable case that had never been properly answered. But it took someone of John Rousmaniere's standing to argue for his place in the America's Cup Hall of Fame, and his achievement of this in 2016 spoke volumes for his standing in the intenational sailing world.
GOLF AT ADARE?
Heaven alone knows what Dunraven would have thought of his beloved Adare Manor now becoming a top end hotel and golf resort, hosting the Ryder Cup 132 years after he was expelled from the New York yacht Club. But thanks to John Rousmaniere, much of the pain of that memory has been assuaged. However, he leaves us with one conundrum. Although he was of French descent and anyone with a basic knowledge of French could see how his elegsnt name should be properly pronounced, in America he was always "Roomanerry", with no acknowledgement at all to Francophone pronunciation.
It was something the family learned to live with as they became 100% American. Our sympathies are with John Rousmaniere's family and many friends in their loss of a truly life-enhancing telent.
WMN
