Anya Taylor-Joy is the star of the The Queen’s Gambit, Netflix’s most-watched scripted limited series ever.
Before Taylor-Joy was born, her father Dennis and uncle Juan had both enjoyed successful careers in offshore racing.
Anya Taylor-Joy with her father Dennis Taylor
In fact the former vice president of Argentina and offshore racer Daniel Scioli described Taylor-Joy’s father ‘as one of the pioneers of powerboat racing in our country’.
Two offshore world championships
Dennis Taylor won the 1987 UIM 3D World Championship with Oscar Rodriguez in Catalonia, Italy in a wooden catamaran sponsored by Marlboro.
Oscar Rodriguez and Dennis Taylor racing the catamaran Marlboro in Bournemouth – 1988
Photo: Powerboat Archive
A year later in Messina, Italy, he took the UIM 6 Litre World title with co-driver, Juan Eduardo Ferreyra in a brand new Cougar Marine catamaran built under licence by José Cordó.
The pairing won the first two heats, although it wasn’t plain saling in the third.
They stuffed their cat into a huge wave, Taylor suffered bruising to his right eye and Ferreyra had his helmet ripped off due to the force of the impact. It then took them 25 minutes to find the helmet, and incredibly finished the race and added 127 points to the 800 they had already secured.
Three South American championships
In that period, Taylor also won the South American championship in 1982, ’86 and ’88.
UK Honours
Dennis Taylor was awarded an MBE in the 1982 New Year Honours (for services to the British community in Buenos Aires) and an OBE in 1998 (for services to British trade with Argentina).
Her uncle won a world championship
Taylor-Joy’s’ uncle, Juan Taylor won an offshore world championship in 1978.
Our readers remember racing against Dennis Taylor
Some of our readers answered our headline, Can anyone remember Anya’s father racing? South Africa’s Grant Harrison told us:
I remember Dennis Taylor well as I met him in 1988 in Bournemouth when we came over from South Africa to race in the Class 3D worlds.
He was the Argentinian UIM representative, we had a great dice with him until they flipped the boat.
Italy’s Massimo Lippi said:
Dennis was a gentleman and fast pilot, we had a great battle in the class 3 world championship in 1988 and 1989.
The last time we met was in Mar del Plata for the Class 2 and 6 litres world championship in 1992.
A great man!
