King Harald V of Norway, who has died aged 89, was a three-time Olympic sailor and World Sailing President of Honour, but his long sailing career also produced a memorable Irish connection involving Harold Cudmore, the Admiral’s Cup and a famous Jameson advertisement.

The death of King Harald V of Norway has recalled a remarkable chapter in Irish sailing history involving Cork sailing legend Harold Cudmore, the 1993 Admiral’s Cup and one of the most inspired pieces of sailing sponsorship advertising of the era.

King Harald, whose death was announced on Friday (28 August), was a lifelong competitive sailor, three-time Olympian and World Sailing President of Honour.

Among the many yachts he raced during his long career were a succession carrying the Fram name — and one of those boats temporarily acquired a distinctly Irish identity.

King Harald’s Yacht Joins Irish Admiral’s Cup Team

For Ireland’s challenge at the 1993 Admiral’s Cup at Cowes, King Harald’s Fram XI, a Farr-designed One Tonner, was chartered by the Irish team and raced as Jameson I, with Cudmore as skipper.

The campaign produced an incident that would enter Irish Admiral’s Cup folklore.

During the opening race, Cudmore took Jameson I too close to the Cowes shore and struck Gurnard Ledge.

The collision severely damaged the yacht, with the keel driven through the hull before coming away, ending Jameson I’s participation in the series.

Cudmore later provided his own succinct assessment of the episode.

Asked by The Independent in 1999 to name his most embarrassing sailing moment, he replied: “Losing King Harald of Norway’s yacht almost outside my front door off Cowes.”

‘Jameson On The Rocks’

If losing one of the Irish Admiral’s Cup team boats was bad news on the water, the response from the team sponsor turned the mishap into an extraordinary piece of publicity.

A photograph of the stricken Jameson I was used in an advertisement under the memorable headline:

“Jameson on the rocks.”

Underneath came the equally pointed line: “When you’d like things to go more smoothly, why not try a Jameson?”

The advertisement concluded: “Jameson. Official sponsor of the Irish Team Challenge.”

Royal Rocks – The famous “Jameson on the rocks” advertisement following the grounding of Jameson I during Ireland’s 1993 Admiral’s Cup campaign. The yacht was King Harald V’s Fram XI, chartered to the Irish team and skippered by Harold Cudmore.

The story remembered at the time was that Cudmore subsequently had the unenviable task of reporting the loss to the yacht’s royal owner: “Your Majesty, I’ve sunk the yacht.”

Whether those were his precise words may have been embellished in the retelling, but Cudmore later confirmed the substance of the story. Asked by The Independent for his most embarrassing sailing moment, he replied: “Losing King Harald of Norway’s yacht almost outside my front door off Cowes.”

The boat did, however, live to sail again.

King Harald’s Three Olympic Campaigns

The Irish episode was one colourful chapter in an exceptional sailing life.

King Harald represented Norway at three consecutive Olympic Games — Tokyo 1964, Mexico City 1968 and Munich 1972 — competing in the 5.5 Metre and Soling classes.

He carried the Norwegian flag at the opening ceremony of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

His competitive successes included a silver medal at the 1982 World Championships, victory at the 1987 One-Ton World Championship aboard Fram X and a bronze medal at the 1988 World Championship.

He later won gold at the 2005 European Championship in the Sira Class.

Remarkably, King Harald continued competing internationally well into his eighties. In 2022, aged 85, he raced at the 8 Metre World Championship in Geneva, finishing 10th.

‘He Was One Of Our Own’

King Harald became World Sailing’s President of Honour in 1994, succeeding his father, King Olav V.

World Sailing President Quanhai Li said King Harald had “a great presence on the water”, where he competed alongside generations of sailors.

“His service is a powerful reminder of the unique camaraderie that defines our sport and everyone at World Sailing is grateful to him for his support throughout his tenure as Honorary President,” Li said.

“His Majesty’s legacy will forever remain anchored to the sport and in the hearts of sailors across the globe. He will be deeply missed.”

Norwegian Sailing Federation President Guro Steine said Norway had lost “a deeply beloved King” while its sailing community had lost one of its foremost ambassadors.

“For those of us in the sailing community, he was not only our King; he was one of our own,” Steine said.

“He shared the same joy in wind, sea and memorable sailing experiences.”

King Harald was the first President of the Norwegian Sailing Federation when it was founded in 1970.

World Sailing extended its condolences to Queen Sonja, the Norwegian Royal Family and the people of Norway.