Please select your home edition
Edition
Maritimo M600

Can World Sailing learn from dear old Oz?

by John Curnow on 10 Apr 2016
Yachting Victoria President Ian Cunningham sailing with his son David - ISAF Sailing World Cup - Melbourne 2014. Jeff Crow/ Sport the Library http://www.sportlibrary.com.au
Some time ago now, Sail-World proposed that the World sailing peak body, ISAF had a really good opportunity at hand when it morphed into World Sailing (WS). Why just lay the drop sheets out and tape up the edges of the windows for a splash of paint, when you could bring out the jackhammers and do a proper reno???

A call was issued for 200,000 sets of goggles and earmuffs to be supplied and for the real work to be commenced.

A new CEO, Andy Hunt and a bunch of other things have occurred, along with promises to get busy with the big tools, before the painters, tilers and so on arrive for the final glitz.

In the meantime, Yachting Australia has begun its own odyssey, and the resultant butterfly is to be known as One Sailing (OS). It all started with consultation with not only the member States’ own boards, but also the clubs around the country to see what the rank and file really thought about it all.

It was ambitious, and there were no super-huge benefits to be gained in terms of cost savings. Rather, it was to be about more uniform direction, streamlining of process, superior use of the Australian Sports Commission’s money and better service delivery. Things that would take time, certainly sounded good, and if you did not get onto it now and become more dynamic, then in the future, you would be even further off the curve and parked squarely in the origin of the x and y axes.


Yachting New South Wales was the first to be absorbed into the new framework. There will always be challenges when change is around, and OS (sounds very Apple, doesn’t it, and does that make Matt Allen Steve Jobs?) is not immune to this at all. Indeed, we understand the current work environment has multiple hurdles and that the builders report that some of the detail is missing from the architects’ drawings.

Sounds like any building site really, but as they continue to work on with getting the devil out of the minutiae, it seemed prudent to see what the next cab off the rank, Yachting Victoria (YV), had as their take on it all. They appear to be on track for the merge by July 1, 2016, with other States to follow thenceforth.

YV’s President, Ian Cunningham, said of it all, “We’re up to the Schedule now. We have an agreement on the content of the main game and the schedule will be finalised next week, at which time we’ll sign and then David Edwards, Matt Carroll and Steve Walker can get it moving on from there.”

“On the ground, things will not change too much, with the physical assets to remain exactly where they are. They can only be used in the State of origin, unless the MYA (member organisation) and YA agree. The MYA can change ownership or retain assets, so on the ground there will be very little change. The benefit comes from cutting away all the separate administration efforts, which will all become centralised.”

[Sorry, this content could not be displayed]
“The requirement to develop implementation strategies and national programs will go direct to OS executives. There will be Regional Managers and then customer services officers assisting them in each locale and middle level management will also be decentralised. So delivery of services on the ground will be the same, but with national benchmarking that may not have existed previously.”

“This will allow for some benefits there and then with administration and marketing services centralised there will be some cost savings as a result, and then also some cost savings as result of being a national buyer. It is about the streamlining of service delivery and the achievement of common goals”, added Cunningham.

That’s all terrific, but a quick review of services offered, shows that VY provide powerboat courses as part of Boating Victoria. “Yes, as OS is the umbrella for service delivery, then perhaps there does need to be ‘One Boating’, and it is all part of the broader discussions going on. Our registered Trade Marks and names are all being signed over, with the stipulation that they must be used on programmes that already exist within the State. Ultimately though, a national brand will do much better in the sponsorship market, and this is a key element of the whole move.”


“Victoria does do things a bit differently to the other States, so this is why we made all of the draft schedule ones available for review by everyone. It was the same with the implementation documents. We are not trying to keep it quiet, at all, but rather get the best and most suitable outcomes.”

“To that end, we beefed up the termination agreements for the whole of OS, so that we have the ability to go back to square one should it become necessary, but the whole thing is linked to performance criteria so that we can be fully across the way it is all going. We have added transparency and grandfathering back into previous documents to ensure that no one feels like what we have to date has been lost.”

“There was concern at how the MYA boards were going to interact with OS going forward. They will not be redundant, even though they are not directly in charge of strategy or implementation. We are going to some lengths to ensure that MYAs are involved in strategy development, so this is written the implementation agreement, as it were. There is an annual review of the implementation as an AGM agenda item”, said Cunningham.

So what then of the jewel in the crown, the Sailing World Cup, Melbourne? For the last couple of years it has well and truly had a healthy coat of dust over said tiara, as fewer and fewer crews showed up and even the Aussies did not come in 2015. Both YA and YV even had to top up the pool to keep it afloat when it moved from Sandringham to St Kilda.


“Well the agreements have been signed to hold it for two more years and the Victorian Major Events Corporation (VMEC) is still on board, and with more funding for this period. We may get the to be the Grand Final for the SWC, as they are re-jigging the format. This will ensure the top boats will get there. There will be a qualifying event for others to get a wild card entry to the big leagues.

“In the contracts and running in parallel, we will still have the invited classes. We have budgeted to break even this year, without needing to draw on OS funds at this time. The World Cup Executive Committee will be the same people. A presence from OS, who has not yet been nominated, Mark Turnbull, Steve Walker, Cherry Birch and then two representatives from the VMEC”, said Cunningham in closing.

Now whether there is a place for the SWC at all remains to be seen. WS has sent it in for panel beating for the last three years and their own faith in it is hardly staunch. This year the calendar has at least been cleared to give it its best chance, but you do feel the doctor is still hanging over the patient with the defibrillator paddles!!!

Others have done better, simply by not being part of it anymore – take Palma (Trofeo Princesa Sofia) for instance. Still, as long as there is a SWC, then the Antipodeans should, nee demand, to be part of the roster. So to the East Islands I merely say, ‘Get behind it’. Now the same seems to be apt for us Ozzies and OS, as well. Indeed, WS might take a leaf here too, and so on that note of wonderful global domination, I will finish this particular part of the spiel…


Anyway, elsewhere in the universe, please avail yourself of the terrific material ranging from the Team Soft Bank Japan video to Line 7 returning under the stewardship of Duncan Curnow (no relation). As a brand they go back to 1963 and have been an integral part of the apparel fabric (pun fully intended) here in Oz. There are also the 470s, the Clipper Race and the Vendée to immerse yourself in.

So do keep a weather eye on Sail-World. We are here to bring you the whole story…

Rolly Tasker Sails 2023 FOOTERPantaenius Sail 2025 AUS FootersMRT AIS Man Overboard Beacons AUS / NZ

Related Articles

The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?!
Posted today at 11:00 am
The power of tech
What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it?
Posted on 2 Jul
Some thoughts on provisioning for distance sailing
A new perspective on provisioning and time spent at sea One of the great joys of distance racing unfurls the moment that the dock lines are untied. Suddenly, the myriad packing lists that inevitably define most trip-planning efforts become about as relevant as a tax return from eight years ago.
Posted on 1 Jul
Jazz Turner completes Project FEAR
Drama right to the end in her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles Jazz Turner has completed Project FEAR, her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles in her Albin 27 yacht. A flotilla of supporters met her in Seaford Bay, which grew and grew the closer they came to Brighton Marina.
Posted on 1 Jul
A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more...
Posted on 25 Jun
Sailing and the summer solstice
Celebrating sailing and the longest day of the year If you love long evenings and early mornings, this is one of the best times of the whole year, as the summer solstice (Friday, June 20) and the entire rich expanse of summer are about to burst into bloom.
Posted on 17 Jun
Video Review: The Amazing Cure 55
Composite Construction meets Cruising Convenience It was two years ago at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show that I talked to Dave Biggar about his ideas and plans for the Cure 55. At the 2025 show I got to step on board the yacht and see how his ideas became reality.
Posted on 17 Jun
The Big Bash
Every summer the tournament rolls into town. A short format of the game. Fun and excitement abound. Every summer the tournament rolls into town. Local and international players. A short format of the game, run over a relatively compact six-week season.
Posted on 15 Jun
The oldest video footage of Kiel Week
A look back into our video archive at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s In our series of articles looking back in time through our video archive, we visit Germany. Kiel Week is been a crucial event on the world circuit, and here we look back at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s.
Posted on 15 Jun
Nick Olson on PredictWind's newest features
Nick Olson discusses PredictWind's newest features PredictWind has long been a leader in presenting high-quality marine forecasts. Nick Olson discusses the company's newest features.
Posted on 12 Jun