TROUBLÉ. TOUCHÉ.
Somebody had to do it. Get the whole America’s Cup morass out of a seemingly interminable rut and get on with some racing. Probably no one better for the job than Bruno Troublé, a fixture for 30 plus years in the America’s Cup™ (ACM) circuit. Passionate about AC™ (ACM) racing, he has been there… done that.
Bruno visited the New York Yacht Club when he was seventeen while competing in a 505 World Championship in Larchmont, New York. Standing in the model room of the Yacht Club, he was so impressed by the atmosphere and history of the America’s Cup that he eventually devoted a significant part of his life to the Cup. From there he would go on to skipper two challenges for the America’s Cup led by Baron Marcel Bich. In 1976, Bruno was drafted from the French Olympic sailing team to crew for Bich’s 1977 bid for the Cup. He was promoted to skipper of FRANCE 1 during the Challenger Series of 1977. He returned in 1980 to skipper FRANCE III. In 1983, he participated in challenge led by Yves Rousset-Rouard.
Inducted into the America’s Cup™ (ACM) Hall of Fame in 2007, he claims a seat in a pantheon of greats such as Dennis Connor that can truly be considered as ‘Mr. America’s Cup™ (ACM…).
He talked to us about the genesis for the event, a simple desire to get some racing going in a great venue. And he talked about some of the obstacles he’s faced in putting this regatta on, not least of which is aggro from a certain camp about the regatta format. Despite the hassles, he maintains a warm and hospitable nature and readily greets each and everyone with his pixie grin. His passion is obvious and what he thinks the AC™ (ACM) should be is evident. Nothing worse in his mind than renting something for a hopelessly long time before buying. Krispy Kreme.
