With Bob Fisher's passing on January 25, at home in Lymington, the America's Cup lost its greatest advocate and chronicler, and the sport one of its great and enduring characters. He was aged 85yrs and had been, amongst many other media roles, yachting and America's Cup correspondent for the Guardian for 55 years from 1958 to 2013. I sat at the same desk as Bob, or certainly within easy earshot, for two Olympics (2008 and 2012) and the last three three America's Cups, plus another couple of Cups in Auckland and several significant events where Bob was part of the sailing press corps. Only a higher calling would have kept him from being here in Auckland or absent from any America's Cup.