Triple Sydney Hobart winner, Trygve Halvorsen dies at 94
by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com/nz on 10 Nov 2014
Freya, in which Trygve and Magnus Halvorsen won three successive Sydney Hobart races SW
One of Australia's top sailors, designers and boat builders, Trygve Halvorsen died on Saturday aged 94
Trygve Halvorsen was one of a five generation boat building and family dynasty, created when his grandfather Halvor Andersen, a farmer launched his first wooden craft near Arendal in the south of Norway.
In Australia the family boat building business has been in operation for four generations, after father Lars moved from Norway to South Africa and then onto Sydney.
From 1925 to 1980 the Halvorsen family built over 1500 craft, but the two younger Halvorsen brothers, Magnus and Trygve left the firm in the 1960's to start their own boat building business.
Magnus and Trygve Halvorsen were were synonymous with the Sydney Hobart Race participated in the Sydney to Hobart race most years from 1946 to 1982 and became Line Honours winner or overall winners on at least seven occasion.
In doing so they achieved the Australian Sailing Dream - to design, build and win the Sydney Hobart Race.
In Freya they won overall honours in three successive years 1963, 1964 and 1965. Trygve came close to setting the same record in the first three years of the Sydney Hobart Race, winning the inaugural event in 1945, and again in 1946 and finishing second in 1947 after being becalmed for 12 hours at the entrance to the Derwent River. The second Sydney Hobart was notable for enduring 65kt winds for three days
The brothers also won four Trans-Tasman races between 1948 and 1961, and went on to help initiate Australia's first Admirals Cup Challenge, competing in Freya.
in the early 1960's the Halvorsen's boat building skills were called upon to construct the first Australia America's Cup Challenger, Gretel, and play a key role in her campaign.
in the video below Trygve Halvorsen recounts the highlights of an amazing life.
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