Photo: Bob Ross

According to the latest Australian news reports, acclaimed yacht designer Joseph Adams – who gained notoriety for designing winning boats in the Sydney-Hobart race – was found with his throat cut at his home in the Philippines.

Australian Adams (81) was murdered by a machete-wielding attacker at his home in Tuding, the Philippines. According to police he had attempted to fight off his attackers.

His body was found by his gardener yesterday (Monday). An empty wallet was found near his body, leading police to believe the motive was robbery.

Adams, who started his career designing Adams 10 and 12 sailboats, also designed maxi-yachts like Buttercup, which sailed round-the-world three times and into Antarctica.

One of his biggest design successes was the 1973 record-breaking Sydney-Hobart line honours winner, Helsal. Graham Radford, yacht designer from Sydney, was on the boat when it won the race. “As a designer he was an excellent natural…one of the best, and I was extremely fortunate I could learn from him,” Radford told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Adams continued to design yachts after moving to the Philippines from Port Macquarie in the mid-1980s. He retired to Tuding after selling his business.

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