FLASHBACK


Up Close and Personal: Umpires take to the water


I


t’s hard to believe but the 1987 America’s Cup – the one event that probably did more to propel sailing


into mainstream consciousness than any other - was sailed under fleet racing rules. There was no pre- start box, and so there was no entry. No entry, no dial-up. The boats just shadowed each other until the ten minute gun went, and then got stuck into it. If there were any collisions or rules incidents then they were settled in a conventional protest hearing, and those often ran late into the night.


The problem was exacerbated by a new kind of helmsman that embraced the rules as an offensive weapon - Peter Gilmour was the pack leader, and he kept the protest committees very busy. The results of races might only be decided hours after the boats had finished, making life tough


for journalists, not-to-mention the nascent US sports television station that had chosen to cover the event as part of its growth strategy – ESPN.


The sailing community in general and one or two individuals in particular quickly became convinced that something should be done. It was Tom Ehman that brought a proposal to ISAF’s November 1987 Conference, a proposal to introduce on-the- water umpires. In a poacher-turned- gamekeeper move, Gilmour’s 1987 America’s Cup rules advisor, Bryan Willis, was brought into a working party with Ehman and the-then chairman of the Racing Rules Committee, Goran Petersson (current ISAF President).


Things moved very quickly, Ehman and others had already ‘unofficially’ tested the concept of umpires at the


Maxi Worlds in Newport, Rhode Island in June of 1987. And it was just four months after the ISAF Conference that on-the-water umpires were used at a first major match race event, the Congressional Cup in March 1988. Tom Ehman was Chief Umpire and Bryan Willis and Goran Petersson were on the team – Willis becoming central to the process as the pace increased.


So who got the first ever umpire penalty at that 1988 Congressional Cup? Who else but Peter Gilmour – Kirk Brown reckoning that it was handed out by Bryan Willis and Chuck Fuller. Subsequently, Willis remembered that at the prize giving, Gilmour (who had won) called him up on stage and presented him with his Protest flag. It was Gilmour’s way of saying thank you to Willis for teaching him all the moves!


Congressional Cup ‘88 Jury and the winner, Australia’s Peter Gilmour. MATCH RACING 360° | NOVEMBER 2011 page | 19


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24