Contents October 2020
FEATURES 4Magnificent
34 Facing the mirror Is the existing grand prix crewing model set for a major upheaval? ROB WEILAND
40 Careful what you wish for STEVE ORLEBEKE is terribly hooked
44 Quicklier
Flashback At the end of the day the 1987 America’s Cup turned out to be a rare success for the one-hit wonder. A bit harsh to describe Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes 87 in those terms but when she faced defender Kookaburra III (seen here), boat and conditions were a perfect match for the US challenger leading to a long, dispiriting series of four races for Iain Murray and his young Australian crew. The original plan for the Kookaburra team was to modify their second boat, Kookaburra II, for the Match but this was abandoned when she was suddenly needed as tune-up horse for the final round of the defender series. Even had the Australians been able to improve their best heavy-air prospect the Conner steamroller was by now virtually unstoppable. After his bruising experience in Newport in 1983 and his subsequent rejection by the New York YC when he offered his services to lead their 1987 challenge, Conner found enthusiastic support at home in San Diego where prominent businessmen not only dipped into their own pockets for cash but helped Conner raise substantial sponsorship from a small group of US corporations – the first real corporate sponsorship in the Cup’s history. Conner’s choice to campaign out of Hawaii also proved an inspired call, in particular leading his team towards the deeper, more powerful sail shapes that would better suit the rough conditions in Fremantle. His crew also of course became very comfortable controlling a heavily loaded 12 Metre in big seas – though less widely publicised were the numerous (very) near sinkings they had along the way during training
COVER/INSET Gilles Martin-Raget
– the making of a Wizard DAWN RILEY sits down with her friend of more than 30 years BUDDY MELGES –who stuck firmly to his favoured seat of the pants approach to sailing in San Diego in 1992… and won the America’s Cup
50 Last chance saloon We are fast approaching the elections for the World Sailing executive which for once really do have big implications for sailing. Or maybe not? GERARDO SEELIGER talks to CARLOS PICH
54 And then they were free… The brilliant FRANÇOIS GABART did not pick the best day to open a new facility and receive the main hull of his new Ultim. JOCELYN BLERIOT
56 Out on a limb It is a brave man who makes performance calls about any America’s Cup fleet, let alone this one. ‘Nothing ventured,’ says DAVE HOLLOM
REGULARS
6 Commodore’s letter STEVEN ANDERSON
11 Editorial ANDREW HURST
14 Update Getting closer… at long last, relieved to have made the trip, winning the Cup was just the start of it all, TED TURNER at his finest and the Not-a-Pogo hits its stride (rather quickly). Plus is there really
no end to that man’s ingenuity? PAUL BIEKER, JACK GRIFFIN, TERRY HUTCHINSON, GARY JOBSON and LYNN FITZPATRICK
20World news Even the proudest warriors make mistakes, all credit to the Stars&Stripes, French sailing loses one of its finest, the Brits (really) are coming, PHILIPPE POUPON – happy customer, lateral thinking in Auckland. Plus why ever faster and ever higher is not necessarily a good thing. PATRICE CARPENTIER, DOBBS DAVIS, IAIN MURRAY, BLUE ROBINSON, GAVIN BRADY, IVOR WILKINS, BLAIR TUKE
32 Rod Davis –Man up
It all went rather better than expected 36 TP52 Super Series
– Robust supporter
ANDI ROBERTSON talks to one of the original founders of the modern Super Series, Quantum Racing skipper DOUG DEVOS
38 ORC – Let’s hunt A new custom raceboat for the US circuit is much too rare a beast. But it’s a start. DOBBS DAVIS
59 RORC news
– Back in the saddle And both entries and enthusiasm are flourishing EDDIE WARDEN-OWEN
60 TechStreet 61 – Technology 70 – Events
67Seahorsebuild table – Unstoppable And RAISON’s at it again. ELOISE NICOLAS
78Seahorse regatta calendar
103 Sailor of the Month More similarities than there are differences
Very sneaky… unless there’s anyone to leeward. The latest Dalma Sailing Festival in Abu Dhabi attracted 116 of these elegant 60ft dhows crewed by more than 3,000 sailors from across the country; that almost certainly makes this event the largest big-boat regatta in the world. We have no idea of the rules on pro sailors but the Abu Dhabi Sports Council put up a prize fund of Dh25 million which is shared among the first five finishers, along with five new cars. To save you looking it up 25 million dirham is today worth around US$7million…
MATIAS CAPIZZANO
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