Ted Turner passed away May 6, 2026 at the age of 87. We have lost one of our greats. Ted Turner was one of five Lightning Class sailors to win the Americas Cup. He began his sailboat racing career in Savannah Georgia sailing with Fleet 127, Savannah Yacht Club. Under the tutelage of John McIntosh and SYC Sailing Instructor Jimmy Brown he would develop his skills on the two rivers there where many of us have sailed the Southern Circuit.
His dad had given him a Penguin which he soon outgrew, and his dad would buy him a wooden Lippincott #6294 in which he won a race at St Pete in 1958 where he finished a respectable 7th overall, on top of a Second overall to his mentor Johnny Mac's First at Savannah. First time in the Big Time!
The condition his Dad made for the gift of the Lightning was to straighten up at Brown where he was a sophomore. He returned to Brown and became the leader of the Sailing Team. He would race the Lightning in nearby regattas, One was the Connecticut Governor's Cup Regatta where he won the Second Place Trophy.
Receiving the CT Trophy (photo courtesy Dave Dickerson)
True to form he messed up and dropped out Brown. To dodge the draft, he joined the US Coast Guard and was somehow stationed in Charleston. He would tow the Lightning back home to Charleston and would in time leave the Class selling the boat to Bernard Olasov at Carolina YC then it was sold to the Bill Albergotti family who still owns the boat today. The boat is at home at the Western Carolina Sailing Club, Fleet 391.
Coast Guard
Greased Lightning, restored by Corky Gray in 2008
Ted would go to big boats buying the unsuccessful 12 Meter American Eagle. Eagle, sailed by Bill Cox (Lightning #5841, Fleet 134) lost the 1964 Americas Cup Defender Trials to Bob Bavier (Lightning #8222, Fleet 134). He would race the big red boat worldwide winning all the major races. Selling Eagle, he raced the One Ton circuit in his S&S designed One Tonner Lightnin'. He would say of his ocean racing career " We're just a dumb bunch of Georgians who didn't know nothing about this ocean racing business but look what we did!"
Lightnin'
He would finish his sail racing career pursuing and eventually winning the Americas Cup. In 1974 he steered the hapless Mariner losing out to the eventual Cup winner Ted Hood (Lightning #6656). In 1977 Ted was back with Courageous winning the Selection Trials beating Hood and Lowell North (Lightning #7233). Winning the Cup he retired from racing letting Dennis Conner (Lightning # 7420) to finish out the 12 Meter years. Starting in 1958 With Briggs Cunningham (Lightning #1583) five Lightning Class members would win the America's Cup in the Twelve Meter era.
Amazing man, amazing Class...
Corky Gray
Lightning Class Historian