Frank Bethwaite
Encyclopedia
Frank Bethwaite, born in Wanganui
, New Zealand
in 1920, is an award-winning boat designer, author and former Olympic meteorologist.
at the outbreak of the Second World War, becoming a flight instructor and test pilot before flying bombing missions over the Pacific during 1944 and 1945. After the war he became a commercial airline pilot for Tasman Airways (later Air New Zealand
).
Bethwaite had four children with his wife Nel: Christine, Mark (an Olympic and World Championship competitor), Nicky and Julian (also a boat designer). After settling in Sydney, Bethwaite designed a small boat suitable for his youngest children to use to learn how to sail. This became known as the Northbridge Junior (now known as the 9er). Bethwaite is most well known for designing the Tasar.
In 2006 he won an Innovation Hero lifetime achievement award from the Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering at the University of Sydney for the design and commercialisation of innovative high-performance sailing craft.
in Montreal
, Canada
, Bethwaite collected copious wind data that led him to write his first book, High Performance Sailing. In 2008 he followed this up with a further volume, Higher Performance Sailing, also published by Adlard Coles Nautical
.
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1920, is an award-winning boat designer, author and former Olympic meteorologist.
Biography
Bethwaite built his first boat (a 16ft sailing canoe) as a teenager. He joined the Royal New Zealand Air ForceRoyal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
at the outbreak of the Second World War, becoming a flight instructor and test pilot before flying bombing missions over the Pacific during 1944 and 1945. After the war he became a commercial airline pilot for Tasman Airways (later Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
).
Bethwaite had four children with his wife Nel: Christine, Mark (an Olympic and World Championship competitor), Nicky and Julian (also a boat designer). After settling in Sydney, Bethwaite designed a small boat suitable for his youngest children to use to learn how to sail. This became known as the Northbridge Junior (now known as the 9er). Bethwaite is most well known for designing the Tasar.
In 2006 he won an Innovation Hero lifetime achievement award from the Warren Centre for Advanced Engineering at the University of Sydney for the design and commercialisation of innovative high-performance sailing craft.
As author
During his time as the meteorologist for the Australian sailing team at the 1976 Summer Olympics1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Bethwaite collected copious wind data that led him to write his first book, High Performance Sailing. In 2008 he followed this up with a further volume, Higher Performance Sailing, also published by Adlard Coles Nautical
Adlard Coles Nautical
Adlard Coles Nautical is the largest nautical publisher in the world, with over 300 books in print and publishing 40 new titles every year.The company publishes books on topics of interest to sailors and motorboaters and also ‘landlubbers’ with an interest in the sea...
.