Paul Cayar
Rob Weiland
Less is more?
Checking the entry list of this year’s first RORC offshore, the Cervantes Trophy, a relatively short race across the Channel from Cowes finishing in Le Havre, staring me in the eye is that of the 72 entries 24 are two-handed (2H), one-third of the fleet! Inshore races will, I guess, show different
percentages but for offshore racing this might just be the beginning of a trend that has the potential to stabilise around 50-50, if not two-thirds vs one-third, the reverse situation of this year’s Cervantes Trophy. Elsewhere, for example in the Med, 2H participation is certainly not at this level yet, and I am not sure it will be any time soon, but 2H sailing is also gaining popularity there. It is interesting to analyse this trend, not from the perspective
of steering towards more or less 2H participation but just to under- stand ‘the why’. The concern, if any, might be the declining number of fully crewed boats, as I can hardly imagine their numbers remain- ing stable during a period of strong growth in the 2H department. Growing popularity itself triggers further interest, just as expe-
riencing decline can easily reduce the motivation of those staying active in a shrinking environment. This concerns me. My whole sailing career and everything I know
about sailing have basically been generously handed over to me by boat owners and their crews, taking me onboard in the expectation I would fit their team… or they could make me fit. 2H sailing poten- tially not only reduces the number of crew spots but, I feel, also requires a higher entry level than fully crewed sailing. Then somehow you have to get to that level first. Don’t misunderstand me, I get the beauty of 2H sailing. I have never been much of a specialist myself and am happy to do and
34 SEAHORSE
try every job on a boat and learn from my mistakes. I have no favourite job, from bow to helming, from grinding to navigation, I have done it all with pleasure. I certainly have favourite weather conditions, favourite foul weather gear even, but already when it comes to boats anything propelled by sails is an interesting challenge to get going at its optimum. Sailing, like any sport, cannot be seen as separate from society
and what goes on in the ‘real world’, whether economically, socially, politically and so on. The recent statements by World Sailing about banning Russian and Belarussian sailors, and more recently also boats, should be seen in that context. For decades we have seen post-WW2 optimism, certainly in the
western world, based on full employment and the relief of poverty made possible by high rates of tax, investment in public services and safety nets of all sorts; more recently there has been the emergence of a different model aimed less at keeping all onboard at a reasonable standard of living and more at deregulation and lower taxes. Large steps towards where we find ourselves today were made
in the 1980s when Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were in power, introducing tax cuts, crushing the trade unions and promoting privatisation and outsourcing of public services mainly on the basis of cost competition. Arguably to address the problems of those days, but soon economic growth slowed for most but not for those at the top of the pyramid and economic inequality grew. Today, again, we have an increasing number of people struggling to make ends meet, even on the basis of two full-time jobs per household. Now we wonder why so many are frustrated with their politicians, giving up voting or voting for more extreme parties. In this landscape wealth and individualism go hand in hand, yet this does not imply selfishness, as so many claim. Often the wealthy,
NICO MARTINEZ
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