Harold Cudmore

Who is Harold Cudmore?

Harold Cudmore is an Irish sailor.

Born and raised in Cork, Harold Cudmore became an internationally famous yacht racing skipper and match racer.

Cudmore had success in classes from the International 505, where he placed 2nd in the World and 4th in Europe, through classes like the Half-ton and One-Ton classes where he won the Worlds, through to the America's Cup and the Admiral's Cup.

He represented Ireland in the 1972 Olympics in Kiel.

He was the first non-American to win the Congressional Cup in the USA, one of the longest-established and most prestigious match racing events.

In addition to sailing for Irish teams, Cudmore also captained the British and German Admiral's Cup teams at various times and skippered the top ranked boat in 1985.

In the America's Cup Cudmore was heavily involved in several British campaigns during the 1980s, and was the head coach of the 1992 winning campaign America³ and coaching the all-women's Defense campaign in 1995.

He was named Sailor of the Year in Britain in 1986.

More recently Cudmore has been a skipper on the mega-yacht circuit and has also done some after-dinner speaking.

A "Harold Cudmore" is also a popular drink, the ingredients of which are a double Jameson Whiskey on the rocks. This come from when he ripped a hole in the hull of his boat, Jameson I, on Gurnard Ledge, a notorious outcrop shaped like a horseshoe 400 yards off shore just along the coast from Cowes