Syd Fischer died at the age of 95, we learned on Sunday February 26 from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia. The Australian sailor had participated in 42 Sydney-Hobart races and five America’s Cups. His first Sydney-Hobart was in 1962, and his last in 2015, when he was 88 years old. His sailboats, which bore the name Ragamuffin, had won the race in 1988 and 1990 in real time, and in 1992 in corrected time.
“His achievements and contributions over the decades are extraordinary, and he left a lasting legacy that includes mentoring hundreds of sailors,” the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia said in a statement.
“Syd was widely known as Australia’s greatest offshore sailor and skippered many successful yachts,” the statement read.
His five America’s Cup appearances are a record, tied with Britain’s Sir Thomas Lipton. Fischer, who was a property developer by trade, had also represented Australia eight times in the Admiral’s Cup.
