Mosbacher, "Bus" (Emil Jr.)
Yachting
b. April 1, 1922, Mt. Vernon, NY
d. Aug. 13, 1997
The son of a wealthy family, Mosbacher began sailboat racing as a young teenager. After graduating from Dartmouth College and serving in the Navy during World War II, he won eight consecutive world International class championships, from 1947 through 1955.
Nicknamed "Bus" for "Buster," he skippered Vim in the 1958 America's Cup trials. Vim was a much slower boat than Columbia, which became the defender, but Mosbacher's tactical skills made for close races.
As a result, the New York Yacht Club asked Mosbacher to skipper its 1962 America's Cup boat, Weatherly. Australia challenged with Gretel, generally considered the faster of the two, but Mosbacher won four of five races to retain the cup. He also skippered Intrepid to a four-race victory over Australia's Dame Pattie in 1967.
Mosbacher has said of match racing, "the idea is to find your opponent's Achilles' heel--and sink your teeth into it."