The Black Knight
by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 3 Jun 2018 15:00 PDT
The Black Knight - 'tis but a scratch! © Supplied
For the last 18 months or so we have looked closely at, and evaluated, the Olympic sailing scenario. Whilst the recent voting did not offer too many surprises, other than sadly the seacocks being opened on the Offshore Event, there was always the question of the newly-instated anti-trust rulings in the Eurozone, and what this would do for the venerable Laser.
You know, the nearest competition also has a volume manufacturer issue, so to be completely honest, I am not entirely sure the new re-evaluation policy is going to do much, other than give a few people a job for a while. Now I will probably get an email from Kringle for saying it, and the AST will take exception, but perhaps it is time to look at helping young sailors preserve their bodies, and give them a craft worthy of their abilities.
Of course, we have done, and continue to do so very well in the boat. And we have many a medallist to prove it. So if you need your morning dose of hilarity, and to see what I mean about the futility of the exercise, then you can watch the late Graham Chapman and John Cleese here.
Interested parties will need to get a wiggle on, however, for submissions close on June 27. Meanwhile, we could be waiting a long while for an answer (up to 18 months), but I promise we won't evaluate the machinations of it all every week during the ensuing period.
Seeing as we are off on a comedy theme, I could not help notice that the AC has been a wee bit like a Pink Panther film of late. "Have you got a room you fool?" So as Clouseau and Kato set about destroying the place in a farcical karate scene, the notion that Bertarelli is sitting this one out is very interesting.
Given he has the coin to do pretty much whatever he likes, the fact that he calls them expensive, untested, and catamarans dressed as monohulls is wonderful to hear, if for no other reason than as a counterpoint to all the other material that gets pushed out so regularly. He also cites the four entries to date as another reason for his more considered approach to it all.
Don't get me wrong. A 75-footer making 50 knots sounds wonderful, and what a spectacular image it will be, but Bertarelli is correct when he comments, "I really do not understand this: why change boat at every edition of the Cup? One could see the previous Cup had a direction to follow. You could spend the same amount to develop the project, but with less risk of making a mistake. Take the British and Ben Ainslie in the last Cup: the best sailor in the world, but had the wrong boat. Game over." At least with the 12s you had a development cycle, and it took Bondy et al over a decade to nail it...
Tacking. The Whitbread that became the Volvo is to be known for the 2021 edition as the Volvo??? Yes. Volvo Cars are moving sideways from owner to sponsor. The new owners, Richard Brisius, Johan Salén, and Jan Litborn, collectively known as the figureheads of Atlant Ocean Racing Spain, certainly have the pedigree, having been team managers over the last three decades (near enough), and also have a knowledge of winning with EF Language and Ericsson 4. Brisius has also raced in the event.
Now it may also not be the VO65s last days. It was thought that the foiling IMOCA 60s were going to get the nod, with an in-port craft to be also included in the mix. Yet it now looks like everything is in the mix, including a lot more build up to the big event, and possibly another class doing a lap at the same time. Could be a bit like the old, yes very old, over and under three litre days of Mount Panorama. That could be very cool!!!
We also spoke last week about the VO65s, and how they have finally cracked the 600nm mark for the 24-hour run, and in doing so beat the mighty VO70s that are almost the stuff of fables. Yet it would be remiss to not then also note the work of the OBRs (on board reporters), for they are the ones who have delivered us the imagery that makes these sorts of number so real. Therefore, thank you to all seven of them from all of us.
Right oh - here today there are some gems for you to review. We have information about the 83 containers that went overboard en route to Botany Bay, GC32s, Andrea Francolini's pics from the start of the Sydney to Noumea race, the Volvo, the Clipper RTW race, Marseilles World Cup, the AC and all its twists and turns, Extreme Sailing Series, Vice Admirals Cup, that wicked Gonet monofoiler, Melges 24, soon to be boat watching season up North, Jeanneau Sunfast 3600, Cadets off to their Worlds in Germany, Finns, great intel from North Sails, cruising help this time from the MySail team, and certainly there is much, much more.
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John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS