Please select your home edition
Edition
C-Tech 2021 (Spars-QFX Racer) 728x90 TOP

The Boy in the Bubble

by Mark Jardine 14 Nov 2022 12:00 PST
Australia SailGP Skipper Tom Slingsby performs prepares for race day one. Race Day 1 Event 3 Season 1 SailGP event in New York City, New York, United States. 21 June © Sam Greenfield for SailGP

If you haven't listened to Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland, then you've missed out, and I highly recommend you do. The Boy in the Bubble is one of the songs on the album, drawing its title from the case of the boy born without a functioning immune system, so had to live in incubator-like conditions, but the song also explores starvation and terrorism, juxtaposed with wit and optimism.

It's a great song, and the lyrics seem to have so many meanings depending on the circumstance of the time; I just happened to be listening to it ahead of the Dubai Sail Grand Prix, where it really struck a tone as I thought about how the SailGP has developed. Here's where my mind wandered...

The title made me think how the SailGP circuit, or 'Season' as they call it, is a bubble. The boats, the marquees, the grandstands, the containers, the team tents, and all the other paraphernalia that is needed to run each event gets shipped from venue to venue. Once there the event village becomes the SailGP bubble. The sailors fly in, the fans flock to the hospitality tents and the grandstands, the racing happens on a tight course, then the whole thing gets packed up to travel to the next event, creating the next bubble.

But it was the lyrics which really chimed with me:

These are the days of lasers in the jungle
Lasers in the jungle somewhere
Staccato signals of constant information
A loose affiliation of millionaires
And billionaires and baby

One of the extraordinary parts of SailGP is how the TV production and commentary, together with the umpiring, is all done remotely in Ealing, London. All the information from the racetrack - the cameras, the GPS co-ordinates, and every other piece of data - is signalled around the world and back again at the speed of light, and then sent out to the public. It's quite a feat.

The loose affiliation of millionaires and billionaires is self-explanatory!

The technology involved in SailGP really is mind-boggling. Go back a decade and the whole idea of the AC72 catamarans was so absurd that when the first photos emerged of Emirates Team New Zealand foiling, everyone said it was clearly photoshopped. Nowadays it's commonplace, at least in grand prix sailing, and the America's Cup has moved onto foiling gecko monohulls.

It's bad enough saying to my kids, "When I was young, we didn't have the internet," and getting a blank expression in return. The whole idea of not being able to look up anything, anywhere, at any time is simply absurd now. As Paul Simon sang:

These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all, oh yeah

SailGP has taken what was new tech, refined some parts, simplified others, and packaged it all into an understandable and repeatable format. They are beginning to successfully franchise the teams, attract major sponsors, and make venues want to host a Sail Grand Prix. Creating a new sporting circuit is no mean feat; just listen or talk to Greg Norman about LIV Golf to find that out, but SailGP is doing it.

They are also experimenting with new concepts, such as the first fan-owned team launched last week.

Bear with me on this, but here's the opening paragraph of their press release:

Bernoulli | Locke, a member-based community creating new immersive partnerships and experiences using innovative Web3 structures, today announced they are launching a SailGP fan-owned racing team across Bermuda and the Caribbean. Using a DAO structure and built on the NEAR Protocol, this team is expected to open new opportunities in sports ownership and fan engagement.

For many this will be gibberish, and even for those familiar with the concepts and technologies it takes a couple of reads.

For explanation, Web3 is the idea of a new iteration of the World Wide Web, giving power back to its users, incorporating decentralisation, blockchain technologies (like those which underpin cryptocurrencies) and NFTs (non-Fungible Tokens - a unique digital identifier). A DAO is a Decentralized Autonomous Organization - a form of organization with governance managed transparently by its community, and this is where the 'fan-ownership' concept takes hold.

Will it work? Who knows? At the moment no-one's quite sure if Web3 will work, and cryptocurrencies haven't exactly had the best of times lately. The important thing is they're trying new things, continuing to push the boundaries.

Also, SailGP recognises that to be successful they need to connect with their fanbase. Ideas like this will appeal to the tech-savvy, or at least those who believe in the next generation of tech succeeding. The racing is gaining audience, and the coverage in Saint-Tropez apparently averaged 1.609 million viewers on CBS. People are watching.

There is though one group of fans who aren't happy. They're sailors, they're on social media, and they like their speeds in knots, their boats in the water, not above it, and their starts upwind. The reality is SailGP isn't even aimed at them, it's aimed at sports fans who may have never even sailed; so, as Paul Simon ended The Boy in the Bubble, the naysayers should take note:

These are the days of miracle and wonder
And don't cry baby, don't cry
Don't cry, don't cry

Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor

Related Articles

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
Harald Findlay on the 2025 Edgartown Race Weekend
A Q&A with Harald Findlay on the 2025 Edgartown Race Weekend When it comes to racing sailboats on the East Coast of the United States in the summer months, few places are as classic as the waters surrounding Martha's Vineyard's northwestern flank. Posted on 18 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
The X-Yachts Gold Cup Experience
A celebration of sailing, of X-Yachts and, most importantly of all, people Having just returned from Haderslev, Denmark - which is the home of X-Yachts and played host to the X-Yachts Gold Cup 2025 - I was left wondering if this was a racing event, a rally or a social celebration amongst close friends. Posted on 10 Jun
Getting excited for the Van Isle 360
Quoting a famous line from Pink Floyd's "Time" As I pack for the first half of the 2025 Van Isle 360 International Yacht Race, I find myself thinking about the last time I did this race, a certain Pink Floyd song, and the great adventuring, sailing and time with friends that awaits. Posted on 3 Jun
Robert Burke on HRCS's Dyckman Marina facility
Robert Burke discusses the upcoming closure of HRCS's Dyckman Marina facility Community sailing organizations are a fantastic and affordable way of drawing new sailors into the sport. Unfortunately, the Hudson River Community Sailing is being forced to close one of its two locations in January. Posted on 3 Jun
PredictWind - GPS 728x90 BOTTOMHyde Sails 2024 - One DesignArmstrong 728x90 - HA Foil Range - BOTTOM