Editorial Andrew Hurst Don’t believe it
For sure there is a lot of talk about waning interest in the sport but let’s keep a perspective. Yes, I do have one personal beef, around club racing, shrinking one-design fleets forcing clubs to revert to handicap racing; bad for clubs but especially bad for young sailors trying to measure themselves and improve. Not sure how to fix that
but a few of us are thinking pretty hard… Personal beef aside, there is a hell of a lot going right about the
sport at the moment, particularly if you look at things in the round. It can seem old to keep using France as a model but that doesn’t
make it less valid. Domestic sailing in France, and training and racing, enjoy strength in depth unparalleled anywhere else in the world. But that has only come about because of the very public achievements 50+ years ago of pioneers like Moitessier and Tabarly; they put the sport in the public eye and gave it aspirational value to their own and future generations. Adventure and aspiration go hand in hand and in France that first dangerous era of solo ocean racing catalysed a new national sport. To draw people in at the bottom of a sport you need the heroes
at the top; France had sailing heroes before anyone else and churn new ones out every year. They feed the pyramid. People are also attracted by drama and the current generation
of technology-driven sailing development is slowly attracting more attention outside the sailing bubble. Not a lot as yet, but the foiling cats of the 2013 America’s Cup did start things rolling (not the real pioneers in the Moth class, ironically). Now we have flying Minis, flying 60s, flying 100ft tris (when they
don’t break). We have spectacular boats appearing at every size. Now and again photos make it into the mainstream media. It’s a start. There is a hint of a new generation of sailing heroes appearing in the semi-public eye. It will happen very slowly (outside France) but it is one element to reversing declining interest elsewhere. And to participate? Access to the ‘new sailing’ seen in the Cup
The picture is already quite different from just five years ago. We now have more of the tools to expand the sport again. Moan a bit less and show off a bit more.
On that note Looking out the office window right now I can see three more sparkling new Melges IC37s emerging from the Fibre Mechanics factory ready to go on the truck. Crisis, what crisis?
Merci Has there ever been a sponsor like Banque Populaire? After 30 years supporting sailing their 12million-euro pièce-de-résistance is destroyed in the Route du Rhum before the team had even fin- ished the first stages of development. The same boat had capsized seven months earlier too, necessitating 4million euros of repairs to get ready for the ill-fated Rhum challenge. Two months after losing their Ultime foiler Banque Populaire
ordered another. The same day they confirmed that they had acquired Paul Meilhat’s Rhum winner in the Imoca class, SMA, for new protégé, Mini Transat star Clarisse Crémer to campaign for the 2020 Vendée Globe. Two boats announced in one day, capital cost 14million euros, annual campaign costs a third of that again. Travel around the coast of France and you will see evidence of
Banque Populaire grass-roots support wherever sailing happens. Finally, remember that after many years supporting Figaro entries
and Vendée Globe – and soon the ex-Volvo race – is being created through the hard work and foresight of under-rated influencers like Dave Clark (UFO pocket-foiler) and Andrew ‘Amac’ McDougall (Waszp). Clark is the best chance US sailing has got to open more young sets of eyes to what is going on – to how much fun ‘just sailing very fast’ can be. No racing required. Feed the pyramid. Another example, take a note of the vastly experienced Terry
Hutchinson’s renewed ‘awe’ at sailing the American Magic mule (pg18). Just wait until the real thing appears in a few months’ time.
The editor grew up on the stories of Sir Ernest Shackleton, who was famously caring of both his men and his dogs. With dogs on our minds here lately, here are two Shackleton dogs with one of his crew – who would only later survive after the still unsurpassed rescue by the James Caird
‘
in 1994 Banque Populaire launched their first Orma 60 trimaran. The skipper was little-known ocean racer Francis Joyon. When the French bank lobbed that pebble into the pond they could never have guessed how far the ripples would go. Merci beaucoup indeed. q
year in 2018 – Armel (two capsizes, Ultime destroyed) Le Cléac’h
INDEED We had a complicated
IMMACULATE I have to hand it to Dr Stanley Paris as his braveness to sail around the world seems only to be matched by his
That’s as logical as saying the pizza delivery fish will be here as soon as she
gets on her rabbit – Henderson
chance of making it – Paris (81, to be fair) quits his 4th attempt in 4 years
GROUNDED Q: Do you want to skipper your own (Volvo) project? Dee Caffari: I have no need to skipper but I want to be involved!
promote sailing? – Former ISAF president Paul Henderson
LOGICAL The prevailing theory, that the IOC want entertaining TV… and that kites will help
inability to do it – Lisa Allston I could sail on but I don’t believe we have a
he have any money? – Bernie Ecclestone studies Force India F1 team owner Vijay Mallya’s imposing motor yacht in Monaco
I don’t know… – Ecclestone
circuit, Kimi? Narrow in some places, wide at the other places. It depends on where you are – Kimi Räikkönen
AGAIN AGAIN Q: How is the
ARTISTS Of course we’re doing it for the money; we’ve always done it
for the money – Mick Jagger
ANY SUGGESTIONS? Hire A Princess – £175 – from the creditors list of now insolvent Force India
Seahorse magazine and our associate raceboatsonly brokerage site are both at:
seahorsemagazine.com The editor is contactable by email at:
andrew@seahorse.co.uk
SEAHORSE 13
WILY FOX What d’you think, does
‘
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 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96
