It’s Chuck’s fault!

by John Curnow on 26 Sep 2016 The blame rests squarely with the much venerated, and truly celebrated US sports photographer, Chuck Lantz. Had he not shown me this image he took during the recent Rolex Big Boat Series on San Francisco Bay, then this editorial would not have come to pass.

Seriously though, thanks Chuck, for quite possibly in the one snap you have shown what may be on offer on in Tokyo 2020, and for the next four years in the build up. Naturally this will require the planets to be aligned, and also the correct brand of Champagne to be served at the next World Sailing bash, amongst many other forms of the Dark Arts to be performed as per instructions for it to be so, but there is a chance. Equally, the news is set to be delivered sooner, rather than later, so there’s a bonus!

We have already written at length about why all the brouhaha revolving around the Sailing World Cup is back on the table. Simply put, the IOC does not see sailing as either inclusive enough or sexy enough (read bums on seats or heads in front of screens). They feel that there are many countries that just simply cannot afford to get into our sport. Must find out what they have to say about Equestrian, where a Dressage horse can be well over $250k a head, and take years to train up. True, those Warmbloods are a super-impressive looking beast, but still…

Also, there is a back catalogue now on our choices to put both sexes into an OD Moth, because they don’t care so much about the weight of the sailor, and make the Nacra get up on foils. King Carlo Croce has already thrown his notion for an ‘offshore’ type vessel or keelboat into the mix, but I am not sure how that is going to get the crowds inspired, especially as they won’t exactly be right there to witness it.

The Women’s Elliott 6m did get a huge following at Weymouth, but it was Match Racing and therefore pretty simple for the punters to take on board. The kites are amazing and on en masse, just something else. A lower barrier to entry means it is a lot easier to get into this than sailing.

Casting oneself back to 2012 and the Sailing World Cup in Melbourne, and the largest group there was the kiteboarders (in the low-rider days, too). By far! Yes, most had set their plans to get there after the initial positive announcement concerning them and Rio, before it was rescinded so abruptly, but they still came. They were also the most multi-national and multi-lingual, most diverse culturally, socio-economically, and also gender wise. So how about that for inclusion, eh?

Low(ish) barrier to entry and size/gender equality are way more than by-products under the kite. The leader of the Women’s group was so petite-framed, yet she still managed to charge around the course smartly and show everyone else where the marks were.

Additionally, a Sou’wester blew in that had whistled Dixie all the way from Antarctica to Melbourne. Variation is a continual theme on Port Phillip for sure, but with a seaway bordering on 2m+, courtesy of the 40km fetch from the bottom of the Bay, I think you can imagine that for that particular day, racing was completely blown out. All except for one class, and you guessed it, it was the kiteboarders! They relished the opportunity to get out there, and gracefully those miraculous volunteers manned the Committee and Course Boats to get them racing.

What was the other boon! No it was not a legendary Aussie cricketer named David and a slab of VB cans. Rather, it was the show put on for the now completely swamped, über-ginormous deck of the Sandringham Yacht Club! QED… Thanks once more to all those sailors for making it just so. In the Aussie vinacular -Cheers, bewdy.

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