Australian yacht designer slain in Philippines
An 81-year-old Australian designer known for narrow, light-displacement racing yachts was found murdered in his mountain home in the Philippines on Monday.
Joseph Adams, who designed Helsal, the winning yacht in the 1973 Sydney-Hobart Race, was found at his home in Alpa Village, a region popular with expatriates.
It appeared that Adams tried to fight off his attacker before his throat was slashed with a machete, Philippines police director Benjamin Magalong said Wednesday.
Adams spent most of his life in Sydney and became well known not only for designing Helsal, record-setting line-honors winner of the 1973 Sydney-Hobart, but also the eponymous Adams 10 Meter Class yacht.
"As a designer he was an excellent natural — one of the best, and I was extremely fortunate that I could learn from him," said fellow yacht designer Graham Radford, who was on board Helsal in the 1973 Sydney-Hobart.
