Update
be a bit more in the cone of silence so as to not disclose too much to the competition at this stage in the cycle.
It will be interesting to see where we sit with both yachts. All the improvements won’t mean squat if we don’t sail well. We have a monumental effort in front of us and really the last few weeks have afforded us the opportunity to lay the baseline for success. The results are even at this point and it will be in each team’s hands to learn, understand and improve as 2017 rolls out. Standing by in rainy Palm Beach and looking forward to getting back to MD!
THAT COACH BOAT EPIDEMIC Sir
I won my Olympic medals in 1968, 1972 and 1976 without any aid from coaches, either leading up to or during the Games them- selves. My gradual improvement curve was the direct result of active competition within the class itself and the same could be said for most of my competitors. I suppose the rot started at the Games in Acapulco with the British team having the only support boat present, a small RIB used for towing my Flying Dutchman Superdociousto and from the starting area – and leaving the other competing boats resigned to using the official towing launches supplied by the organisers… I myself see no reason why coach boats can’t now be banned completely, as their main role is that of servicing one particular boat. But what about sails? Clearly there is absolutely no need to have several mainsails for varying conditions – one would be fine and it would be the same for all. If a second headsail is considered essential, then it could easily be stowed onboard, together with food and water. However, I imagine that many already successful and high-earning ex-Olympians from the past, many of them now coaching, would immediately shout ‘foul’.
Nowadays Olympic sailing has become so professional, espe- cially in the UK, that many Olympic sailors, especially the medallists, are permanently on the payroll, either through individual sponsorship contracts and/or funded through Sport UK; and, not surprisingly, they keep going through successive Olympiads for as long as they possibly can. Indeed, this is encouraged by the UK government
10 SEAHORSE
The current Maxi72 fleet will be fervently hoping that the new Botín-designed Cannonball does not go as fast as she looks. The influence of Botín’s refined aero modelling tools is evident in the topsides and gunwale treatment, while the heavily domed foredeck also improves stiffness with little or no weight penalty. Note too the reverse stem, complex sheer and hollowed-out aft keel sections. A retracting prop is now standard on these boats
and Great Britain’s national sailing association, a policy designed primarily – if not solely – to maximise the overall medal count. Sadly, when these sailors finally do retire, their only qualification for employment quite probably leaves them no option but to join the ever-growing lists of sailing coaches…
I suggest that getting rid of coaches altogether, not just Olympic coaches, would reduce costs considerably across the entire sport of sailing, and for the better; making it less elitist, and fairer for all sailors, both rich or poor, hoping and trying to compete at Olympic level. Their learning curve, as in my day, can once again be based upon their accumulated experience in club and class championship competition… in turn, of course, encouraging those coming up behind them. And perhaps that’s the most important point of all. Rodney Pattisson MBE
q
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 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88