News Around the World Fossicking in his survival kit, he uncovered a small supply of hard-


tack biscuits and so completed the gruelling marathon in the manner of the old-timers in square riggers. Starved also of horsepower under his jury rig, he approached the finish at about the same pace – a far cry from the 30kt blasts of a week before. In the way of these things, his unfortunate ending in the race


probably propelled him further into the galaxy of stardom than a buttoned-down crossing of the finish line ever would have. His effort in taking an old boat on a shoestring budget and turning it into an impressive performance for 97 per cent of the race was always going to garner respect and attention. Overcoming all the obstacles and finishing as he did with a stumpy mast and some makeshift cut-down sails elevated him to hero status. Turning to the future, Colman is determined to have another go


at the Vendée Globe in 2020. ‘It is not enough to be the first Kiwi to complete this race. I want to be the first to win it. Nobody outside France has ever won this race. Of the 166 people who have crossed the startline since 1989, only 88 have crossed the finish line. Of those, only three (including me) were not Europeans.’ The task is to secure decent funding for a next effort. In 2016


he secured a title sponsor just two days before the start. With a small, underfunded campaign he staked everything he had on following his dream but he was exhausted before the start gun sent the fleet to sea. ‘I only had three days off during the year leading up to the start. Every other day I was hands-on preparing the boat with a small group of supporters.’ His goal is to obtain one of the current generation of Imoca foilers.


‘Foiling is the way of the future. Hugo Boss would be a great boat to have next time. It progressed further than any of the others.’ Colman, who now sits on the Imoca board of directors, says the


rule will ensure that the evolution between this generation and the next will be quite constrained. A modified 2016 foiler could still be competitive in 2020. As part of his new-found status in the sport, Colman has also


been contracted to the next Volvo Ocean Race, which recently announced its plans to launch a new 60ft foil-assisted ‘turbo Imoca’ designed by Vendée Globe – and America’s Cup – guru Guillaume Verdier. Colman approves of the concept but foresees a calendar clash.


If the race cycles remain as is, it would mean finishing a Volvo campaign in June and starting a Vendée in November of the same year – a tiny window for all the work required. Whatever form it takes it is hard to conceive of a circumstance


that will prevent Colman from fulfilling his determination to be on the Vendée startline in 2020, and with better resources than his debut effort. Nobody can say he has not done the hard yards and served his apprenticeship. Born into a sailing family, he embarked on his first offshore


passage at three weeks old. When he was still a youngster his father died after falling from the mast of the family yacht. He grew up in New Zealand, idolising Peter Blake and Grant Dalton for their Whitbread successes. At the age of 15, he moved with his family to the US (his father


was American), and completed school and university in the mid-west, about as far from the ocean as it is possible to get on the American continent. In 2007, after 10 years away from any form of sailing, he set a


goal to compete in the 2016 Vendée Globe. In 2009 he completed a Mini Transat, graduated to a Class40 Route du Rhum campaign and then dominated the Class40 division in the Global Ocean Race, winning four of five legs, setting a 24-hour class record that still stands, and saving the life of his co-skipper who was swept over- board approaching New Zealand. That was followed by a two-handed Barcelona round-the-world race with Hungarian Nandor Fa, before throwing everything into his Vendée dream. Business savvy and with an inspiring tale to tell, he has a


compelling package to offer a serious sponsor. He has surely earned a more elevated place on the Vendée grid next time round? Ivor Wilkins


18 SEAHORSE


SWITZERLAND Sport is big business, none is bigger than the Olympics and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in its constant quest for relevance in a crowded sports market, has made it very plain to the 28 participating international sports federations on its Summer Games programme that if they don’t deliver what the IOC wants there are many sports keen to take their place. Two-thirds, 66 per cent of World Sailing income back in 2014,


was courtesy of the IOC. That figure is expected to drop to below 50 per cent by 2020, courtesy of some substantial corporate sponsorship and commercial programmes that World Sailing is trying to develop. Nevertheless, World Sailing listens carefully to the IOC and there have been many conversations between IOC executives and World Sailing during and since Rio 2016. The IOC announced in June it would be introducing five new sports


for 2020 and to accommodate them 285 athletes have been cut from five sports. Athletics will lose 105, weightlifting 56, sailing and shooting will each lose 30 and swimming will have 22 fewer. World Sailing chief executive Andy Hunt told Seahorse, ‘Obviously


we are disappointed in the cut from 380 to 350. But, on the other side, we are happy the IOC has confirmed that the Tokyo regatta will have 175 females and 175 male athletes, our 10 events and the new foiling Nacra 17. In the coming weeks we will work carefully to rejig quotas for each discipline with the reduction of 30 places. ‘The IOC’s 2020 principles are all equally important whether it’s


innovation, youth appeal, gender equality, participation and broad- cast/media appeal. Gender equality and participation need to go hand in hand. For qualifying events and the Olympics, we are looking to increase the number of women participating in the RS:X Wind- surfer and Laser Radial fleets and the number of countries involved.’ World Sailing president Kim Andersen: ‘We understand the need


for continuous evolution of the Olympic programme and will continue to work closely with the IOC to make the Tokyo 2020 Olympic regatta a great success. World Sailing’s goals and priorities for Olympic sailing remain. We will continue to ensure we grow participation while supporting developing nations to narrow the performance gap. ‘We will also continue to work with the IOC on our proposed Kite-


boarding and Offshore showcase events. ‘In light of the IOC decision we will obviously need to make some


amendments to the 2020 Olympic regatta but beyond that the board will be focusing its energy mostly on media exposure.’ Hunt picks up the baton: ‘On the media front we are investing


in better coverage of our own events around the World Cup Series. This is a digital-first strategy, working in partnership with the Olympic Channel and other digital outlets; the results out of Melbourne, Miami, Hyères and Santander have been excellent. Figures show a significant increase in live views. ‘Sail Tracks have been appointed by World Sailing to deliver live


streaming of the Medal Race days at World Cup events plus a 52- minute highlights show. Our technology partner is SAP whose Sailing Analytics product is now being used for all World Cup events. ‘Some 257 million people watched more than five minutes of


sailing at Rio. Compared to previous Games our viewership has grown. But there is much more we know can do.’ Andersen is enthusiastic. ‘There are three elements. Enhanced


SAP analytics, better production and better commentary. Beyond better graphics, SAP analytics will over time provide data on individual sailors, for example, XYZ is stronger downwind, expect gains from her then; that in turn will facilitate more informed commentary. ‘It also seems that with every broadcast the producer currently


has the camera sitting somewhere new. Imagine if media covered football as we cover sailing with ever-changing camera positions – then no one would understand football today.’ On the board of World Sailing, now in his second term is Gary


Jobson, past president of US Sailing, America’s Cup winning tac- tician, longtime award-winning sailing TV producer and commentator. ‘With expanded sponsorship, as you’ve heard we now have the money to do live TV and a highlights package at all the Sailing World Cups. The new coverage is also going to be very much more


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