Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

Yours or Mine?

by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World.com AUS on 19 Jun 2017
Picture says a thousand words, huh! Rod Emmerson
The origins of this headline were in a Facebook post that went along the lines of, ‘My Aussies are going to beat your Aussie!’ To be honest, it was kind of sad moment, for it was a clear and present reminder that we have not played in the space as a country since One Australia. Hoodoo Gurus moment right there – ‘Like wow. Wipeout.’ Following that revelation on FB, there were some clever cartoons that appeared during the week, too. Rod Emmerson summed up one side of the equation pretty smartly with our hero pic.

Elena Achilli also chimed in with a good one that certainly highlighted a very key point in it all. Given the results to date, the exhausted Eagle could well be the telling tale! Alas, for us, it is all about whether Ashby will beat Langford, Spithill, Hurst, Newton, and Slingsby (who as the dual passport holder is the designated Seppo)? From there, the questions continue. Did OTUSA buy Softbank to have it available to become Oracle Two, as it were? Only Oracle can have a second boat, and its hulls are the same as OTUSA, for what it’s worth.



They could leave the ‘Japanese’ grinders on, and buy putting Spithill and Slingsby on board, get back out racing should there be a prang or other issue. Equally, OTUSA put a cyclor on the first boat inside two days, so it would not be outside the realms of possibility to be doing that in a shed right now. You could almost expect the wheel and controls to be same between the two boats as well.

Right oh. The next point will be to see which recently unemployed AC sailors show up at Lake Garda for the Moth World Championship. They expect to have 200 go into the mix, so it will be a grand affair like no other. Given the extremely low output of Exocets produced to date, which have dominated the results since their arrival not that long ago, a fun game might be to find them inside the armada of Mach 2 foiling Moths on the glorious and oh-so-picturesque lake in Northern Italy.



Last week we looked at the reinvigorated Sail Melbourne that will run from November 29 to December 3, 2017. This week, news of the Tasman Project surfaced. One of the comments from last week was, “You never know, perhaps an Asia Pacific Cup or similar could get up… With the Euro circuit now dwarfing the SWC, it is more than pipe dream stuff.”

So if the Tasman Project had arrived a year earlier it might have kept a SWC event Downunder. Remember, once upon a time Sail Sydney and Sail Melbourne were both ISAF Grade 1 events, only one step below the Olympics in world ranking, which is important to note. However New Zealand chose not to support them and equally the AST similarly ignored NZL events. Of course, these two countries won an impressive eight medals in sailing at Rio.

Now here’s the thing. Had they supported each other, then many other countries would have been motivated to campaign down under in recent years, for the Antipodeans are clearly at the pointy end of many a fleet. With team GBR and USA under Aussie management, as it were, could we now see some of the Euros and Seppos come to play? As one industry legend said to me, “Evidently it appears that after the SWC has been lost in the Southern hemisphere, they realise what they have forsaken. Olympic campaigners learn how to think two steps ahead. Seems now like the athletes need to coach the administrators?” Cannot argue with that, and we’ll certainly cover it on Sail-World.com and see what goes down.

Now if you would like to receive the Sail-World newsletter each week, then please go to the 'Newsletter' button at the top of the Sail-World home page and enter your details. Simples...

Palm Beach Motor YachtsAllen Dynamic 40 FooterSelden 2020 - FOOTER

Related Articles

18th Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona day 1
Opening victories and nautical splendor This week, Barcelona once again takes center stage in the world of classic sailing as the 18th edition of the Puig Vela Clàssica gets under way. The opening day delivered ideal conditions for a spectacular display on the water.
Posted today at 12:28 pm
Rolex Fastnet Race: IRC Two Preview
With 73 entries in IRC Two, the Rolex Fastnet Race is set to deliver a striking display. Could two new JPK 1050s upset the apple cart in IRC Two? Jean-Pierre Kelbert has a habit of breaking the mould in IRC racing, and his new 34-footer may well be a game changer in this competitive division with 73 entries.
Posted today at 10:36 am
Dragon Edinburgh Cup in Torbay overall
Tight Racing and Tactical Brilliance The final day of the 2025 Edinburgh Cup brought sunshine, shifting breeze, and two exciting races that kept the championship wide open until the very last run.
Posted today at 8:13 am
Seldén Rodkicker 50 - manual rigid vang
Specifically sized for yachts between 50 and 55 feet A Rodkicker rigid vang is designed to enhance sail handling during reefing and allows for greater sail trim control.
Posted today at 8:00 am
WASZP Games 2025: Talent & fun descend on Weymouth
Poised to be the largest and most competitive in the class's history The 2025 International WASZP Games, set to take place from July 19–25 at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, are poised to be the largest and most competitive in the class's history.
Posted today at 7:23 am
Transpac 2025 Update: Moon River Tonight!
The magic of offshore racing in the 2025 Transpac A vast ocean separates Los Angeles, California, from Honolulu, Hawaii, but the boats racing in this year's Transpac have now crossed the halfway mark. Race leaders are in the tradewinds and making their approach to the Aloha State.
Posted today at 12:26 am
20 Canadians set for Long Beach Grand Slam Event
The Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta will be held July 12-20 20 Canadian sailors will take part in the fourth and next-to-last event of the 2025 Sailing Grand Slam Series, the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta, to be held July 12-20 at one of the two Olympic venues for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Posted on 10 Jul
All smiles among first finishers of the AEGEAN 600
The fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion As the fastest teams crossed the finish line today at Cape Sounion and made their way to the harbour at Olympic Marine, there were exhausted smiles all around.
Posted on 10 Jul
British Classic Week day 4
It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for the OneSails inshore race It was a classic Solent day in Cowes for day 4 of British Classic Week with hot temperatures, sunshine and no breeze in the morning before the sea breeze kicked in from the west and it was time to go racing.
Posted on 10 Jul
iQFOiL Worlds a Aarhus day 5
Finalists locked in for new Medal Series format With the sea breeze stubbornly refusing to make an appearance, Day 5 of the iQFOiL World Championship turned into a long waiting game both ashore and on the water.
Posted on 10 Jul