Editorial Andrew Hurst Evolution not invention
Warning… a lot of the talk about recreating the magic of international big boat racing is probably headed in the wrong direction.
There is a lot going on today with many pockets of activity. We have a strong TP52 circuit, blossoming one design fleets, a nascent Fast 40 class, healthy handicap competition under IRC and ORC and a revival in offshore racing. The rise of shorthanded racing continues apace. Plenty of boats sailing lots of races. And yet… and yet we cannot find a way to draw sailors from different countries together to race against each other. Why bring this up now? Well, as Andrew McIrvine alludes on page 43, many of us are old enough and ugly enough to just about remember how good the international events were that we lost. The Kenwood Cup, the Sardinia Cup, the Southern Cross Cup and most of all (bias alert) the Admiral’s Cup.
Bias notwithstanding, while we can still remember what made these events so good it is absolutely right to focus on the Admiral’s Cup because it inspired all the rest. For international events to become desirable again, first we must recreate the Admiral’s Cup. There are now plenty of boats, as I said, and more people are showing dangerous signs of wanting to race them seriously again. How to do it?
There is a groundswell to use the Admiral’s Cup as a travelling series. There is talk of TP52s, the Maxi 72s, the IRC40s, even perhaps the Fast 40s. Much current chatter revolves around grand prix boats and contemporary (warm) grand prix venues. But launching a new event around elite classes is wrong. Grand prix is a destination, it’s not how you start out. That is why there has been no Admiral’s Cup for 12 years. We always aim too high. We tried the ultimate grand prix Admiral’s Cup 25 years ago, forcing owners to compete in level rating classes. The event died. I hold my hand up, I thought this was a smart move but I was thinking as a sailor not an owner. For owners it was all or nothing, gone was the chance of just having a ‘decent enough’ regatta without spending megabucks. In a short time we went from 54 boats to 24… to zero. The best events are not invented they grow. The Admiral’s Cup grew out of a friendly competition between a mix of boats racing a mix of courses. Years ago lots of yachtsmen were already coming from overseas to race in the Solent, especially in the Fastnet, to compete on the world’s most interesting sailing waters. They raced a mix of boats with varying degrees of seriousness. Then one day a few got together informal teams and started
racing for a team prize: the Admiral’s Cup. Gradually they got more serious, some even built new boats.
Twenty years after it began in 1957 this friendly event was attracting teams from almost 20 countries. Same testing courses, same formula. More serious now, but still an event raced by a wide range of boats, some better than others, all fitting within a broad rating band.
Initially they brought their cruisers, which became racer-cruisers, which became racers. Many owners moved up through the ‘ranks’. Meanwhile the unique mix of courses ensured that everyone was challenged fully while enjoying a memorable sailing experience. Then, like Icarus, we aimed too high and killed off a great regatta. We forgot who these regattas are for… the people who pay the bills.
Today lots of sailors still travel to race in and around the Solent. The irony is that these sailors still compete in the races that made up the Admiral’s Cup. The Channel Race, Solent inshores, the Fastnet Race.
The solution is simple and it is cheap. The next Admiral’s Cup does not require a big sponsor as everything is in place. Put the trophy up for the best team of three nominated yachts of the same nationality within a wide rating band, competing in the Channel Race, the Fastnet and two or three nominated Cowes Week races. Weight the inshore/offshore scoring in the traditional way. Use IRC for now as it is the rule for all the offshore classics apart from the Newport to Bermuda Race.
Last but not least, do not launch an event without the Fastnet. We tried that once and offshore sailors voted with their feet. Cruisers, racers and everything in between. We must not aim too high again. Let’s throw open the gates and see what develops. It may start a bit unglamorous but give it time.
‘ Always.
the latter – Thompson
In 2010 Lalou Roucayrol’s 50-foot tri flipped on the return delivery to France following the Route du Rhum. The port float washed up on the US east coast in 2012 and the rest of the boat (above) was found NE of Madeira last month. The unstoppable French skipper will now recover his boat and rebuild her for the 2016 season...
Above all we must trust the customers, they are always right. q
Trying not to fly the main hull or stuff the bow
– Brian Thompson, Phaedo3 North Atlantic
And generally the former will precipitate
Pretty impressive that the Yacht Racing Forum, all about pro sailing, recognizes that grass roots sailing is being steadily ruined by the over-coaching of kids – Pam Stills
Is anyone listening? – Stills
If the AC broadcast model is right then all
the rest are wrong – Richard Gladwell, Sail-World
To forgive the terrorists is up to God, to send
them to him is up to me – Vladimir Putin
,
Give my love to all at White’s [club] – this is no place for a gentleman
AND THEY HAVE THE VOTE
– Alfgar Hesketh-Pritchard’s final message in 1944 while trapped in the mountains of Yugoslavia
The most significant story of the week… that 12% of young adults think honey is squeezed from bees
by farmers – Anon
There’s an old French saying: the only thing the English have ever cooked properly was Joan of Arc
– Stephen Clarke, Paris A GIANT
Imagine what I could
have done healthy – A rare reference to his kidney problems by Jonah Lomu
Seahorse magazine and our associate raceboatsonlybrokerage site are both at:
seahorsemagazine.com The editor is contactable by email at:
andrew@seahorse.co.uk
SEAHORSE 9
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