Editorial Andrew Hurst Good question
The respected and popular former ISAF president Paul Henderson, who ‘happened’ also to be an actual Olympic sailor, as well as the master of pragmatism, began a recent open letter about the furore over 2024 Olympic class selection with two words: What happened? Paul goes on to point out a number of home
truths about what has been going on (and claimed) over the past 12 months as the arguments and obfuscations rumbled away. A capital-intensive sport like sailing – especially Olympic sailing
– is always vulnerable to credible allegations of commercial influence and personal self-interest. But some impressively bad management by the governing body has allowed such allegations to gain strength and edge into a wider arena. At the sporting level one of Henderson’s ‘clarifications’ addresses
an obsession with mixed-gender events, as if they alone are the key to Olympic status. With his usual bluntness Paul points out simply that, despite endless protestations, actually just 18 of 300 Olympic events are presently mixed-gender… something you’d never guess listening to the arguments. That is a sporting contention. My problem is with growing claims
that the voting process used to select the 2024 classes may yet be shown to have not taken place correctly. (Actually, to me this aspect could turn out to be about following
the letter of the law but sidelining the spirit; others who know better tell me I am wrong, the transparent democratic process was not followed as it should have been.) Whatever, so much smoke must come from somewhere. It did seem that the elimination of the Finn for Paris 2024 was
less a well-argued decision than an accident exacerbated by complacency. I remember when the Flying Dutchman was dropped from the Games, a genuine case of ‘what the hell just happened?’ Some at that final vote left muttering under their breath, ‘but I thought…’ or, ‘but he said he would…’ Too late, sunshine, a great boat gone, though for the elegant FD (the first dinghy to plane properly upwind) it was already a question of ‘when’ not ‘if’. The Finn too has had a good run but dropping it in chaotic fashion
was wrong; the question of what’s left for an 80kg sailor with Olympic aspirations is unanswered. The heavyweight singlehander was ejected so the god of mixed-gender might be humoured. I write amid some letters about all this from major figures in the
sport plus a handful of legal drafts that could yet end up heading World Sailing’s way. That’s bad stuff. I am less interested in right and wrong than about how a governing
body could allow a crucifyingly embarrassing situation to develop. So let’s wrap this up: those to blame (list available) should
apologise for the mess created on their watch and move on. You may mean well, personally I don’t care, you’ve embarrassed a sport that pays your salary (and cars, and expenses, and relocations, and new offices, and travel and and and…).
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So the saddest of sad farewells to our beautiful blue roan cocker spaniel sea-dog Storm, over-indulged by us all and by the many visitors to the Seahorse office who grew to know and love her as well. To all our friends, Paddy is now doing fine and he will soon be joined by a new special friend. Breed name Apollo… (above, suggestions please). Best wishes for 2019 from all of us, Andrew
Love it! – Webber
Legend Finland in summer there’s fishing In winter the fishing is bad – F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen’s little Book of Haiku sold out in minutes last month; a third reprint is underway
BIT HARSH (BOYO) British sailor Alex Thomson conquers
La Route du Rhum – a day later
La Route du Rhum – ‘UK’ press Welsh yachtsman Alex Thomson crashes out of
PASSING IT ON I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence
or insanity to anyone – Hunter S Thompson But they’ve always
worked for me –Thompson
recent years – François Gabart, Pointe-à-Pitre
THINGS YOU’D LIKE TO SAY It is true that this is the first time I didn’t win in
prick he is – Mark Webber on the F1 comeback after eight years of the gravely injured Robert Kubica
BACKHANDED Poland’s man is coming back, huh… what a warrior and tenacious
about it – Guillaume Verdier, Team New Zealand
cannot say more – Ben Ainslie, Ineos Team UK I cannot say much
We are on time but I
more here – Martin Fischer, Luna Rossa
NO SH*T We are very keen to see what the others are doing – Fischer
AWKWARD? They’ve been doing load tests and they’ve (AC75 foils arms) been
breaking – Pete Montgomery
There is an issue – Montgomery
GROUNDING Jeff Bezos is proof that having $150 billion is no cure for baldness
A DIFFERENT NEW YEAR (PLEASE?) Any fool can start a blog, and most of
them have – Sam Leith, The Spectator
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 11
PUBLIC INTEREST (YEAH, RIGHT) I am not allowed to talk
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