For Jim Kilroy has actually experienced a wide range of different but equally successful existences: family man, veteran, developer, businessman, athlete, civic leader, political insider, adventurer, yachtsman. For most men, what Kilroy has achieved in any one of those many pursuits might be considered a singular highlight in a life well lived. For Jim, they are but the sum parts of a mighty whole.

My own first encounter with Jim Kilroy wasn’t exactly with the man himself but with a group of select fellows who would—and did—follow him to some of the farthest and most remote places on the planet, the watery parts of the world and the distant islands and shorelines that dotted them. I’m speaking, of course, of the crews of a series of the most respected and triumphant ocean racers in the history of competitive yacht racing, all of which were called KIALOA.

The KIALOA sailors that I encountered at Antigua Sailing Week in 1982 were, quite frankly, some of the coolest characters one could ever hope to meet. Tanned, salty, grinning, assured—and all bedecked in the red KIALOA t-shirts that they wore proudly, like a badge of honor—they laughed heartily and spoke in all sorts of regional twangs from South Auckland, South Sydney, Southern California and so on. That is, they were a happy presence at yacht club bars and regatta parties every time they were ashore. At sea, though they still enjoyed a good joke amongst themselves, they were no jokers. They were skilled, no-nonsense mariners who sailed not for money but because they loved to sail. And they were winners. Man, were they winners.

KIALOA II and KIALOA III were also fairly close in their high percentage of victories; however, KIALOA III sailed in more international competitions and could be more closely analyzed for racing results.

KIALOA III is recognized throughout the world for winning many major races and is said by international sailors to be the winningest yacht in yachting history. As you read this book, consider the challenges and the results: The first to finish victories, the record setting victories, and the handicap corrected time victories against smaller and larger yachts. We who raced KIALOA III— our all-amateur crew, and me, their captain and primary helmsman—were thrilled with her results and recognized throughout the world.

In early 1968, the mayor of Los Angeles, Sam Yorty, asked if I would chair a committee to bid for the 1976 Games of the Summer Olympics on the city’s behalf. My response was that it would be a wonderful tribute for our nation to host the Olympics during our bicentennial anniversary, and yes, I would be honored to do so.

Though the circumstances were quite different now, it wouldn’t be my first experience with the Olympics in Los Angeles.

Some simple math revealed that 1976 would also be the 44th anniversary of the city’s “no cost” Olympics of 1932, which had been a great spectacle for my brother Walter and me, at the time 13 and 10, respectively. Though we didn’t have tickets, we did watch the Games inside the great, expanded new Coliseum. We were street kids selling newspapers, which advertised the Olympic program on the front page; we worked our way in to sell those programs to the paying customers. Once again, it was fortunate that we were pretty big kids for our ages.

The fact that those ’32 Games were staged at “no cost” to Los Angeles was a big deal. That was our game plan for 1976, as well. The Olympics would need to pay for themselves.