On the same day the United States lost the America’s Cup to New Zealand, Doug Peterson, the man designed Cup-winning boats for both countries died after a long bout with cancer.
Peterson was one of the top yacht designers in the world in the 1970s and part of the 1980s, then revived his career in the 1990s. He was voted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame earlier this year.
In 1992 he joined with Bill Koch’s group and helped design America3, which defended the Cup in San Diego. Three years later, he wasn’t hired for the defense so he joined Team New Zealand as one of its lead designers and helped the Kiwis’ Black Magic win the Cup, again in San Diego, over Conner’s Stars and Stripes.