Paul Whiting was a highly influential New Zealand yacht designer during the 1970s and early 1980s.
[1] He followed Bruce Farr in challenging accepted notions of offshore racing yacht design.
[2] Whiting was lost at sea in 1980 on his return from the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in Smackwater Jack.
A search failed to find any trace of the yacht or its crew.
A 2008 newspaper report stated that part of the cockpit was found at Ripiro Beach on the west coast of the North Island.