TV business, while also being involved with Bill Koch’s America3
programme as it
was ramping up for a dominant win in the 1992 America’s Cup. He was then invited again in 2006.
Today Gary is immersed in the more recent political ‘giving back to the sport’ phase of his life, having been elected presi- dent of US Sailing and now also a member of the Executive Committee at ISAF. But for this Blue Chip Jobson came back to his roots of sailing scows in his native New Jersey, another Mecca for scow sailing, bringing with him his TV team to capture the event for a show that was later aired on ESPN, the premier sports cable network in the US. His MC work at the evening socials also kept the large audience of sailors and guests entertained, being not only well-rehearsed but also reaching back into decades of experience with most of the Mystery Guests in the room, along with Honorary Legends like Buddy Melges who came along to be part of the show. Buddy’s own homespun, non-assuming style of speaking about the sport is so typical of the area, yet so rich in irony and truth that even the Mystery Guests, legends in their own right, were notable for their rapt attention. It was great to see reverence given where reverence was due, not just from the audience but from Jobson’s camera team as well.
Similarly, Peter and Olaf Harken were on hand throughout, and were extremely gracious in hosting an evening party at their new factory nearby. With intro - ductions made by CEO Bill Goggins, all participants were given a strong dose of the legendary Harken hospitality. Peter also told a funny story about how management consultants from New York came once to advise them on how to make
the leap from their old facility to new technologies during the tough times of the ‘crisis’, promoting the usual corporate formula of cost-cutting to maximise profits and changing the culture of the company. Harken strongly disagreed, preferring that they take the risk themselves, invest in the new facilities, and keep their workers who had been loyal to them for so many years. He told the consultants to get lost… And the crowd loved it, because it represents the spirit here: hard work and enterprise breed success, not clever shuf- fling for investors who have no longterm interest in the company nor its products. Peter also gave us personal tours of the new factory, which even on a weekend evening was in limited production. It was amazing to see him explain so enthusiasti- cally the operation of every part of every machine, obviously knowing how every system worked on the floor, and having a wonderful familiarity and ease with the handful of workers on hand. He’s clearly not ‘the boss upstairs,’ but the senior owner who built this business and wants to keep his hands dirty in knowing and running its parts. Impressive.
Peer pressure is a powerful thing, and the tradition of the last place winner’s ignominious Bar Walk was on many minds towards the end of racing when the results were coming into focus. Except for the guy who had to make the walk. Dex tells the story: ‘Jimmy Campbell was the most tireless volunteer on our committee to get all the Mystery Guests to come back to Pewaukee, and he was so serious and diligent about it. He was not, however, so diligent about informing his skipper about the consequences of being in last place on Saturday night.
‘Terry had really no idea that he was to
parade on the bar sans pants as of 10 minutes ago. But I told him what the deal was and he was game on…’
Younger development sailing talent Bora Gulari, who was first at the Blue Chip in 2010 after winning the Moth Worlds and his Rolex, has long been a rising star and good friend of Pewaukee YC. Nursing a blown-out knee, Bora had also to deal with a wedding in Minnesota on Friday night and a last-minute replacement crew. He almost didn’t come due to his current Nacra 17 Olympic campaign. Luckily, not only did he come, but he won, defeating runner-up Peter Holmberg by five points in five races scored.
A month later his friends at PYC raised US$28,000 for Bora’s Olympic campaign at an auction fundraiser at Harken, which was then matched by Windmark to make an impressive US$56,000 in donations. In return, Gulari has honoured the PYC by registering for the Olympic trials under both his home club Bayview and Pewaukee. After years of planning and countless meetings, Dex reckons the success of the Blue Chip lies in great preparation and, most importantly, the huge number of volunteers. ‘We lack a large clubhouse and the kitchen is laughable,’ he says. ‘But people at the PYC love this challenge and the payoff is having all the Mystery Guests rave about the hospitality. It’s no small feat, but such a great pleasure to be a part of it for all of us.’
So watch out, you champions out there: you may get lured to Pewaukee to race in a place you’ve never been on boats you’ve never seen with people you’ve never met – risking humiliation at the hands of the locals both on the water and in the bar – and then coming out of it hungry to come back for more.
SEAHORSE 37
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