Gretel: Help Bring Home Australia’s First America’s Cup Challenger
By Nigel Watts
Copyright Paul Darling Photography Maritime Productions
As a 10-year-old racing VJs in Lake Macquarie, I vividly remember watching Australia II claim victory in 1983. It was an indescribable feeling, a huge moment in world sport, sailing history, and Australian history.
That iconic triumph has its roots in Australia’s very first America’s Cup challenger in 1962: Gretel.
I never dreamt that one day I’d not only sail on such an icon, but that my family would proudly own and care for her.
US praise for Australia’s challenge
Gretel’s Cup history is very well documented, and the Newport City Council’s official resolution, tabled in the Australian House of Representatives in September 1962 by Speaker Sir John McLeay, captures it very well:
“In the year 1962, the yacht Gretel, pride of Australia, arrived in Newport, Rhode Island, with a firm determination to wrest the America’s Cup that for 111 years has reposed serenely in the confines of the New York City Yacht Club.
“… from the land ‘Down Under,’ there arrived on our shores a steady influx of sports enthusiasts who, by their jovial and outgoing manner, captured the hearts of all Americans who had the good fortune to make their acquaintance, and
“… through sheer know-how and a diligence that is seldom observed, Jock Sturrock and the gallant crew of the yacht Gretel emerged as possibly the most formidable contender in the history of the quest for the America’s Cup.”
JFK and the First Lady watching the 1962 Cup - source: https://www.americascup.com/history/32_ENTER-THE-AUSTRALIANS
My personal connection to Gretel
My involvement was in north Queensland, when Gretel carried more than 120,000 day-charter tourists to the Whitsunday Islands.
Originally taken there by a syndicate involving Jill and Trevor Cook, and Mervyn and Jean Fuller, she served the Whitsundays for around 16 years, her longest consecutive stay in one location.
As a sometimes deckhand (unpaid, since my dad Geoff Watts and step-mum Sue Lenord owned her), I saw first-hand the immense joy passengers took from a day aboard.
She was licensed to carry 49 passengers, 4 crew (skipper, hostess and 2 deckhands) and a dive instructor. 12 Metres are heavy, powerful boats needing real muscle to sail, so paying passengers were encouraged to get involved, and they loved every second. They worked the grinders, steered and helped to hoist and down the sails.
Gretel won multiple Whitsunday Fun Races, won a race in the Hamilton Island Race Week and took part in various community events; she even faced Southern Cross off Townsville in a Golden Oldies match race in 1990 with Jock Sturrock back at the helm, and won tourism awards.
My (late) father, Geoff Watts, and crew ready to greet and take out passengers
Gretel’s special place
Her design and build made her exceptional. Her, and her crew’s, achievements and spirit made her unforgettable.
But what truly endures is how she touched people.
In recent months I’ve heard from many with ties to Gretel - family of those involved in the design and build, crew and family of the 62 crew, those who sailed on her in ocean races, and crew from her Whitsunday days. Every recollection is personal, but all share the same themes: love, connection, passion.
One of my favourite quotes from these conversations is courtesy of Leslie Valmadre from Western Australia. Leslie trained on Gretel in the lead up to the 1974 Southern Cross campaign:
"To sail on a 12-Metre … is a life changing experience. They become part of you and you become part of them. My time on Gretel from the first sail to the last was a journey of discovery and reward."
A renewed push to bring her home
One winter evening, sifting through my dad’s sailing scrapbooks, I posted about Gretel in an International 12-Metre Facebook group. The response was overwhelming.
I read about past efforts to bring her home from Europe but saw little action. So I created a petition to raise awareness of her plight. I was thrilled with 20 signatures at first. Today, there are more than 600 from around the world, backed by media coverage and support from yacht and sailing clubs. While I’d love to see 6,000, the response has been hugely inspiring, in both quality and quantity.
How you can help
If you’d like to support, sign the petition at:
https://www.change.org/SaveGretel
It’s not a fundraising campaign — just a signature, a minute of your time, and a big step toward bringing Gretel home.
For stories, updates, and community, join the Gretel Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BG1A6Hxft/
Please, help return Gretel to Australia where she belongs.
Get in touch
For those who wish to help more or share their stories, contact me direct— Nigel Watts — at savegretel@gmail.com.
Thank you for helping save a true icon of Australian sailing.