Two of the most ‘desperate’ sailors of modern times: Dennis Conner (above), the haberdashery salesman who rewrote the rules of the America’s Cup through his uncompromising style of campaigning and Sir Ben Ainslie (left) who is seen here winning the 2012 Finn Gold Cup as one of the lightest competitors in a brutally windy regatta. Sir Peter Blake also described Sir Russell Coutts as ‘the most determined man I ever met’. So many Sirs…
to ‘desperate enough’ to out-work and out-hustle your competition in following their dream.
Take about any offer that comes your way. Any excuse to get a foot in the door. You can’t be picky that a boat or programme is beneath you, or you’re looking for a big-time offer. You start at the bottom and there is little beneath you. This is where your dream starts, not where it finishes.
To get on our young driver programme talent and hard work are not enough, they have
to be desperate – Dr Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing
Four points of ‘light’, the advice I give to the people who mean the most to me: as in what I told our son when he did part-time design (con- tainers, not boats) for Emirates Team New Zealand in 2013. 1 Be confident not cocky. Don’t shy away from challenges, embrace them. 2 You want to get started, get stuck
into the work and get your work done quickly. Don’t mess about. 3Be happy and upbeat. Not rah-rah-cheerleader-type, but pleasant to be around. It’s contagious. Grumpy bastards don’t make it. 4 Self-starter, don’t wait to be told what to do. If you understand the concept and thinking, then do what you think is right. Be proactive not reactive. You might make a mistake but no one will fault you for it. This is the big one, the holy grail of that all-important ‘point of difference’. The first thing your coach, crew boss (or any boss) will notice is who is doing the maximum and who is sitting back doing the minimum. And that is judged by who is a self-starter. Plain and simple. Ignore this rule at your peril.
Following your dream can be a rough ride. Hang on and keep one foot in front of the other. You don’t know where or how it will end. I am betting it will end as the time of your life and no money. But then I am a coach, always looking at the problems, then thinking of the solutions!
I know some people reading this are thinking Jimmy Spithill and Ben Ainslie did not have to do it this way. They did. But you weren’t watching back then. They were pushing, though noticed by very few and 20 years ago. But let’s agree on this: they were desperate to succeed and willing to give it all up for a chance to make it into the big time.
Understand that hundreds of sailors are trying to make it into professional sailing. Only one or two will. It’s a terrible bet. Unless you are desperate, really truly desperate, take the smart choice. So how desperate are you?
SEAHORSE 23
GILLES MARTIN-RAGET
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