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Home / News / Event report: John Best - Coincidences in Sailing
Home / News / Event report: John Best - Coincidences in Sailing

Event report: John Best - Coincidences in Sailing

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Published 11:59 on 8 Mar 2022

John Best is previous Rear Commodore Sailing at the RAFYC, but some of our members may remember him from the HRSC Centenary Sail Past in 2019, when he and his rib THOR shepherded boats in the assembly area by Hamble River No 1 pile. John was instrumental in arranging the logistics of the Sail Past.

On 24th February John gave a fascinating talk about his yacht racing career, whereby he progressed from being a "reasonably competent" dinghy sailor, to racing in the Americas Cup. This was alongside his fulltime job as a pilot for the RAF. The audience was astonished when he recounted the time he was based in Ascension Island in the South Atlantic, at the time of the Falklands War. He was tasked with mid-flight refuelling of the aircraft attacking the runway on Falkland. One day on landing, he was handed his orders to return to UK on the next flight to Brise Norton. The plane was diverted to Maldon, Essex, where a taxi awaited to take him to London. There he was given a first class air ticket to the USA, where he would join the crew of Peter de Savary's America's Cup yacht Victory!

A number of people listening wished that they too had joined the RAF.

Last updated 10:40 on 10 July 2023

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