Randolph L. Smyth (born July 7, 1954) is an American competitive sailor and two-time Olympic silver medalist. He is a multihull specialist, who won two Olympic silver medals racing catamarans, and has won innumerable national and world titles skippering multihulls. In a 2003 profile on him in Sailing World magazine he was described as America's greatest multihull sailor. He was born in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

Career

At the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

, Smyth finished in 2nd place in the

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

along with his partner Jay Glaser. He sailed for '' Stars & Stripes'' when they defended the

1988 America's Cup The 1988 America's Cup was the 27th America's Cup regatta, and was contested between the defender, San Diego Yacht Club represented by ''Stars & Stripes H3'', and the challenger, the Mercury Bay Boating Club represented by New Zealand Challenge ...

. At the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

, Smyth finished in 2nd place in the tornado along with his partner Keith Notary. He is a six time Winner of the Worrell 1000. a 1000-mile race up the east coast of the US from Ft. Lauderdale to North Carolina,run in 12 or more stages. The race, contested on beach cats from 16 to 20 feet over the years, requires contestants to sail off the beach, through the surf, and back on the beach at the conclusion of each days sailing. Smyth won the event in 1985, 1989, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. The race has been run 14 times since its inception in 1976, with a different make and model and formula classes used in different years. In 2022 Smyth again competed in the Worrell 1000, under the Team Rudee's banner and won several early legs of the competition. Smyth has competed multiple times for the Hobie Alter Cup, a competition designed to determine the U.S. national multihull champion, and organized by US Sailing, the sports federation that oversees amateur and Olympic sailing in the United States. The contest has been held annually since 1987. The race is typically contested on "one design", with a rotating list of makes and models being used each year, including numerous models of Hobie Cat, Nacra and Prindle beach cats. Smyth has won the Trophy 5 times, in 1990, 1993, 1995, 1998, and in 2018 at age 64 on the Weta trimaran, the first time a trimaran was the boat used in the tournament. Smyth also served as a sailing consultant and skipper for the Hollywood movies "Water World" starring Kevin Costner and "The Thomas Crowne Affair" starring Pierce Bronson. Both movies featured maxi-multihull sailboats of over 60 feet length, which are extremely high-performance boats that require an experienced helmsman to safely sail. He is currently involved in interesting new multihull projects utilizing hydrofoils. The most recent is 53 feet long and build in Rhode Island. Smyth was inducted into the

National Sailing Hall of Fame The National Sailing Hall of Fame is a nonprofit educational organization that promotes sailing and racing by recognizing individuals who have contributed to the sport, highlighting sailing's contribution to the American culture; and demonstrating i ...

in 2017.

References

* 1954 births American male sailors (sport) Living people Olympic silver medalists for the United States in sailing Sailors at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Tornado Sailors at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Tornado Sportspeople from Pasadena, California US Sailor of the Year Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics 1988 America's Cup sailors Tornado class world champions World champions in sailing for the United States {{US-yachtracing-Olympic-medalist-stub