From the SI Vault

A great article from Sports Illustrated, March 09, 1981 (Volume 54, Issue 11) (click link for full article):

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Animal House Goes To Sea
This year's SORC winners are the guys from the Crude, whose antics are rude
by Coles Phinizy

"There was a time long ago when the object of the Southern Ocean Racing Conference was simple: It was an excuse for salty chums to gather and try to win trophies and drink each other under the table. Today the quest is more complex. The six-race series is now the proving ground on which boats rating between 30 and 39.9 feet try for berths on the U.S. team that will compete in Great Britain's Admiral's Cup series in August. It's also the place where skippers of craft great and small especially love to beat Dennis Conner, the hyperserious super-sailor from San Diego who has won fleet honors in three of the last six SORCs.

At the end of the series last week the men of Louisiana Crude, a rated 32.6-footer out of New Orleans, hadn't won a single race, but in the process of cultivating cirrhosis of the liver they did win the overall fleet title and selection to the Admiral's Cup team—and they beat Conner to boot. But because of serious illnesses in their families, Dick Jennings of Chicago and Tom Dreyfus of New Orleans, co-owners of Louisiana Crude, declined the Admiral's Cup berth and sold their boat, a setback softened for Dreyfus, who reckoned it was better to have crewed on Crude and beaten Conner than never to have sailed at all."

Michigan Crude

2007: Louisiana Crude is apparently in Sweden again as Ra Carat Crude and for sale. This Serendipity 43 was in Huntington, New York as Louisiana Crude in the late 90's.

Actually, the Carat guy bought crude and sailed her in the Admiral's cup etc. then sold her back into the US where she was painted black and renamed Michigan Crude. Her hull was entirely made of Aramid Unidirectional roving. One BITCH of a layup job. We really didnt' have tools available yet to cut the kevlar, essentially had to hire a full time scissors sharpener. We did lay up some sample panels the same thickness as the hull and "popped some caps at em" Definitely bulletproof.

Michigan Crude was a Sera. I think she was the same boat that was first named Louisina Crude.

La. Crude did indeed end up on the lakes as Michigan Crude.

A great post about Tommy Dreyfus which comments on Louisiana Crude and Your Cheatin Heart:
Read the post

Apparently these two boats were involved in some sort of IOR scandal:

"Yes, it was "Louisiana Crude" (Peterson Serendipity 43) that was caught up in the scandal at SORC in the early 80's. Did she win, and get stripped of her title? My memory of those days is a bit foggy. LC led to the birth of "Your Cheating Heart" at SORC the next year. She was another Serendipity 43, I believe. "

"Louisiana Crude won class and fleet in the 81 SORC, her rating protest was never proved and the boat still holds the title with Tom Blackaller as skipper. Williwaw was found cheating as was Acadia. Seymour and Bert were both banned from sailing for a year and neither returned to Grand Prix. Neil "Harvey" was the BN on Acadia. Louisiana Crude became "Chicago Crude" and won plenty. Solid kevlar construction."

" Believe that La. Crude went to Sweden to become one of the Clarets and back to the US as Michigan Crude on the great lakes. "

"Actually "La Crude" did go to Sweden as the first in the "Carat" range. They followed that with a couple of Frers 50's of the same name."

"During that period there was a lot of creative ballasting and measuring being done. It was around that time that the measurers started to get the specific gravity of the water at measurement. At least one boat was trucked to Great Salt Lake for measurement. The measured overhangs on the Serendipidity 43's varied more than any difference in build or interior could have accounted for.

Crude was raced in the Governors Cup in Nassau in 81. The crew was taken off in a tender right after the finish and the boat was sailed away. If you want the particulars, ask Rod Davis. He and Tom Blackaller were in the bar at Yacht Haven that afternoon discussing Dennis' reaction.

There wasn't a lot of love lost in that interrelationship."


This picture of Sweden's "Carat" may not be the same boat, as it is a shot from the 1985 Admiral's Cup