Rob Weiland
Apples and pears
It is interesting to follow SailGP, for me not so much the racing itself but more as a business idea and particularly its path from concept to reality. The concept is of course not unique, if not a straight copy of the FIA Formula 1 World Cham- pionship; a commercial entity presenting as many weekends of ‘high octane’ racing as is practical
on close to a year-round basis. Or in the case of sailing, ‘adrena- line-fuelled’ racing at similarly iconic venues to compete with other forms of entertainment. Preferably making good money doing so… To be one of the iconic venues can of course be bought. Formula
1 and SailGP have similar models based on revenue from hosting fees, sponsors, broadcast and online rights, plus increasingly ticket sales. Teams also have a value and are now being bought and sold. I have no idea how long Russell Coutts has been toying with the idea for what now is SailGP but my modest guess is at least two decades. With that renowned ability to focus, plan and execute. Shortly after launching SailGP in late 2018 I am sure the Covid
spanner did not make it any easier to get the wheels rolling. However, now we are into Season 5 and even more cautious observers for the first time feel SailGP has a realistic chance of moving into the black and sustaining itself within a foreseeable timeframe without continuing to wean off the teat of Coutts’s partner Larry Ellison. Whether we get there or not, hats off to Russell. He has put
together something exceptional; this one has been more compli- cated than winning any yacht race, I reckon. There will be many reasons why Russell got as far as he did,
besides his personal skills and determination, like the deep pockets of Mr Ellison. But I feel that foremost it is the decision to go for one-design hardware; this is in contrast to Formula 1 where the constructors’ title is highly prized – and financially rewarded – with technical development one of the main selling points. In sailing terms Formula 1 is a box rule class. Of course this might have been driven more by circumstances
than by choice. The AC50 foiling cats, used for the 2017 America’s Cup, were box rule boats so the vision to transform the Cup into an F1-type circuit would have meant continuing on the box rule path, each team designing and building unique boats within that AC box. But once the AC door was closed with the switch to the new
AC75, removing the box rule ‘complication’ helped to increase team numbers quickly; as well – somewhat counterintuitively – as helping
38 SEAHORSE
to deliver close competition and impressive performance. The risk of course is that constraining technology and design sooner or later makes the product less interesting. Arguably the AC flying monohulls are already next level and technically interesting enough! Switching foil concepts and adding an electric ‘boost’ motor – as in the F50s – won’t attract more viewers and open extra wallets. Less easy to predict is how SailGP’s current ‘green and inclusive’
profiling plays out, leaning on not just ‘redefining sailboat racing’ but also on its ‘Purpose & Impact’ material as a deeper objective: ‘We race for a better sport and a better planet.’ Terminology like ‘Race for the Future’ and ‘The Power of Purpose’ sets a high bar in terms of perception, claiming SailGP demonstrates the power of sport to drive climate action while also promoting inclusivity within. Up until as recently as six months ago this might have been con-
sidered progressive marketing. Maybe it even helped to attract some sponsors. But right now it will be causing some soul search- ing… maybe it’s time to tone down the green rhetoric in the face of a new Trumpian reality, especially in the US. Drill, baby, drill. But I hope SailGP sticks to its guns and keeps investing into this
side of the show. If only to ease my doubts that polished marketing one-liners like ‘Creating a sustainable tomorrow’ or ‘Advancing diver- sity in sailing’ are about opening up the sponsors’ wallets while dis- tracting everyone from the vast amounts of equipment, sailors and staff being moved around the world between 20-odd annual events… If SailGP is the apple in this column then the 52 Super Series
could be the pear, or vice versa. The two are fundamentally incom- parable in objectives and execution. For sure Super Series also aims foremost to entertain, but for the owners of the boats com- peting, with five high-quality regattas a year at cost; whereas SailGP aims to entertain mass crowds and somehow monetise this for ‘shareholders’. Both circuits strive for and promote excellence… see how sailors switch seamlessly between the two circuits. Some TP52s and F50s were even built at the same factory! For high-level pro sailors both circuits offer a career path that
many sailors aspire to, if not envy. For several generations of pro sailors and shore crew first the MedCup and since 2012 the 52 Super Series have been their regular source of income. For a very few there might be even bigger rewards in SailGP but, as in Formula 1, careers are short, lots of human crash and burn; it is not every- body’s cup of tea to be constantly pushed by super-tight deadlines while constantly changing time zones and battling jetlag.
RICK TOMLINSON
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