David Forbes >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News

David Forbes

Australian sailing legend David Forbes OAM (1934-2022) handed away in Sydney on May perhaps 22, 2022.

“We have lost one of the most passionate and innovative yachtsmen at any time born in Australia,” said Australian Sailing President Daniel Belcher. “David was a good friend to quite a few, and his reduction will be felt appropriate across the nation. He obtained so considerably on the drinking water in his aggressive profession, off the water as a designer and later on in the small business earth.”

Forbes will be remembered by a lot of for his Olympic gold medal acquire the Star Class at Munich 1972 alongside crew John Anderson OAM. It was just Australia’s 2nd Olympic sailing gold medal, just after the Barranjoey’s victory at Tokyo 8 yrs earlier.

But there was so considerably a lot more to his vocation, 1 which spanned in excess of 20 yrs and included a 5.5m Globe Championship in 1970, a Sydney to Hobart race in 1974, and 10 Australian championships in the Star (7 instances), 5.5m, Soling, and Etchells lessons.

He represented Australia at 3 Olympic Games – 1968 Mexico Metropolis, 1972 Munich, and 1976 Montreal, and was a member of two America’s Cup challenges. He was a component of the ‘Gretel II’ crew in the 1970 America’s Cup and was reduction helmsman in the 1977 America’s Cup.

John Bertrand AO was a of Forbes, owning met in 1969 as a element of Sir Frank Packer’s Gretel II America’s Cup challenge.

“He was the most naturally gifted sailor I at any time met,” explained life-extended pal John Bertrand AO at the passing of his fantastic mate. “David’s job the two in activity and small business is one of celebration. He was an Olympic gold medalist in 1972 when there was no coaching and very minimal aid, he took on the world’s finest and acquired the career done.”

“His business enterprise occupation was outstanding, developing the delicate drink company Shelley Ecks, which formulated lots of modern-day in-property systems and was ultimately offered to Coca Cola. Right up till the stop his intellect was as sharp as a whip, he was completely tuned into environmental technologies, which include photo voltaic energy and even nanotechnologies.

In yachting company, David was the bridge to bringing the North Sails brand to Australia, in the beginning less than the administration of Rob Antil and then was instrumental in joining Grant Simmer and Michael Coxon collectively to get in excess of North Sails Australia when Rob retired.

Forbes was recognized as Australian Sailing’s Yachtsman of the Yr in 1972-73, he was inducted into the Sport Australia Corridor of Fame in 1988, in 2000 he gained the Australian Athletics Medal, he was awarded a Medal of the Purchase of Australia (OAM) on Australia Working day 2015 for his assistance to Yachting and in 2018 he was inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame.