Bob Fisher celebrates his 21st birthday, again and again ...
by Various Sinners on 22 Apr 2011
Bob Fisher hosting a rum punch party in the cockpit of his yacht in Cowes Guy Gurney /
www.guygurney.com
Doyen of the sailing media, Bob Fisher was sixty something or other, this week.
One of the downsides of the social media is that you often have to enter your birth date - and all your friends get the tip-off.
Last week, Bob's big day came around, and the occasion was dutifully passed around the SINnerS (members of the Society of International Nautical Scribes) for comment - which were not too long in coming, in response to the subject line 'Fish is 21 today'.
Rob Mundle (Australia): 'Truth be known, our much loved Sinner is 13 … if you add 7 & 6 together.'
Harold Cudmore: 'Forgot my glasses ...Yesterday my daughter asked why I didn't do something useful with my time...
She suggested I go down to the Over Sixties Club and meet people of my own age. I did this and when I got home last night I told her that I had joined a Parachute club.
She said, 'Are you nuts? You're 76 years old and you're going to start jumping out of airplanes?.' I proudly showed her that I even got a membership card.
She said to me, 'You idiot, where are your glasses? This is a membership to a Prostitute Club, not a Parachute Club!'
I'm in trouble again and don't know what to do! I signed up for five jumps a week!
Life as an old aged pensioner is not getting any easier.
Bruno Trouble: Thinking of you reminds me a little story :
I sank my two tonner 'Xeryus' ( sponsored by Givenchy perfume ) on the wreck of Varvassi, off The Needles, years ago. The next day you wrote in the Telegraph that the odor of the perfume would be strong there for ever.
The following year, YOU sank your boat near by and I sent a telex to ask you what it would smell like now there??
You responded right away in a great 'Fisher way' : ' Fish as ever......'
We love your British sense of humor!
...and we love you for ever!
More images follow from The Fish Files (a very extensive collection of memorable moments), contributed by his many friends in SINS.
We are however missing a couple of shots, on which our readers may be able to assist.
The first is reported by Malcolm Mckeag who writes 'I do wish I could find the picture I took of the Great Man fast asleep (after a very good lunch followed by a movie) aboard Kobayashi's (?) enormous yacht off Porto Cervo while the drama of the 1987 Twelve Metre world championship unfolds around him.'
And from Peter Campbell who remembers vividly the day down on the docks at Hobart after a Sydney Hobart Race when Fish was covering the event for the BBC. He was holding the camera, stepped backwards and plunged into the chilly waters of the River Derwent. But as he went down (not quite) he held the very costly camera, plus film, above his head and saved the day! A wet, cold and embarrassed 'Fish' lived up to his pectoral name but saved the day for the BBC!
Then there's the story of how we faced each other across the protest table at the Quarter Ton Cup in Japan, then later drank a bottle of whisky in a Japanese bath with Harry Cudmore. That was a great event!
All images gratefully received, please send to nzeditor@sail-world.com
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOB!
May you have many more of them.
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