Sydney to Hobart yacht race

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Johnno

Without the space age maxies there would be no press coverage, no sponsorship, not much public interest and basically no race. While I'm a big fan of the tight racing amongst the smaller boats, generating public interest and therefore sponsorship/media coverage is also essential. .

Want more media coverage, how about letting the fastest sail boats in Australia race.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Factor

Want more media coverage, how about letting the fastest sail boats in Australia race.

+1

[JPA Cate]

Has anybody heard what caused Wedgetail's dismasting?

Thanks,

Ann

[neilpride]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Has anybody heard what caused Wedgetail's dismasting?

Thanks,

Ann

I read something like the failure at the third spreader, sudenly bang!! and 20 minutes later the crew throw the rest of the rig in the wáter, Mighty Tasman take a toll in rigs and hulls...

[neilpride]

What a bullet!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wgO...yer_detailpage

[dpddj]

Actually, Comanche is hand cranked - notice the deck pedestals? This allows her to go for some records that require no power assist. Wild Oats ran electric winches. If your crew is good and built like deck apes, well, that's how we used to do it.

[Brob2]

Originally Posted by Johnno

Without the space age maxies there would be no press coverage, no sponsorship, not much public interest and basically no race. While I'm a big fan of the tight racing amongst the smaller boats, generating public interest and therefore sponsorship/media coverage is also essential.
However, it would be nice to see the media put more effort into covering the middle/back of the fleet.

It's not essential. In the days of yore there was lots of great racing without big sponsorship and media coverage; it's a question of what brand of racing you prefer. Clearly you like the current situation while I prefer the days of amateur sport sailing but both offer good racing, just different styles.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Brob2

It's not essential. In the days of yore there was lots of great racing without big sponsorship and media coverage; it's a question of what brand of racing you prefer. Clearly you like the current situation while I prefer the days of amateur sport sailing but both offer good racing, just different styles.

The reality is that 99% of the ones that were following the race were following the fight between Wild Oats and the fastest sailboat in the world, Comanche that here was....slower. Great fight by the way. You have just to look at the news coverage and what boats they took pictures from.

If you want to make sailing a big sport you have to give spectators what they want, really fast and spectacular sailboats that fight for overall victory that euphemistically is called line honors.

Sure you can have great sailing without media coverage, that is the same to say great sailing with very few spectators, it all depends if you want to make sailing a major sport or a confidential one.

If you make it a major sport and if you are good you don't need to be rich to have a top boat, the sponsors will pay for it (look at the French professional racers) if it is a confidential sport you need to be rich to have any decent racing boat. That's the difference of a sport for great sailors or for rich sailors.

By the way I followed the race on my blog, for the ones that are interested on the sailing differences between Wild Oats and Comanche, there is something about it there.

[Brob2]

Originally Posted by Polux

The reality is that 99% of the ones that were following the race were following the fight between Wild Oats and the fastest sailboat in the world, Comanche that here was....slower. Great fight by the way. You have just to look at the news coverage and what boats they took pictures from.

If you want to make sailing a big sport you have to give spectators what they want, really fast and spectacular sailboats that fight for overall victory that euphemistically is called line honors.

Sure you can have great sailing without media coverage, that is the same to say great sailing with very few spectators, it all depends if you want to make sailing a major sport or a confidential one.

If you make it a major sport and if you are good you don't need to be rich to have a top boat, the sponsors will pay for it (look at the French professional racers) if it is a confidential sport you need to be rich to have any decent racing boat. That's the difference of a sport for great sailors or for rich sailors.

By the way I followed the race on my blog, for the ones that are interested on the sailing differences between Wild Oats and Comanche, there is something about it there.

The "fight" people are supposedly tuning in to watch is between 2 billionaires. America's cup has been dominated, and to my mind ruined, by two egocentric billionaires from the US and Switzerland. The major regattas on the Med are dominated by maxis, all owned by billionaires or their companies (and subsidized by taxpayers as a result, of course). Big boat racing is just as dominated now by the elite rich as it was at the turn of the 20th century. Top sailors back then were in the employ of people like Lipton and Vanderbilt just as they are now by Ellison and Clark. The difference is that now 'Oracle" is splashed all over everything whereas as I don't believe Lipton's sails carried any tea logos. I see scant change there.

I see little point in making sailboat racing a big media sport and certainly don't see it as making boat racing any more egalitarian than it once was. External sponsors that do see it as a true marketing opportunity are typically the likes of Rolex and Louis Vuitton, who (I suspect) are also the primary outside sponsors at the local polo club, and I haven't seen that change in my 35 years of racing. There is virtually no 'trickle-down' effect from such yacht racing sponsorship that I have seen. The French support of single handed racing I see as being pretty much a one-off. Most countries are lucky if there are one or two nationally known racers, save NZ and Australia.

I just see it differently. I must be getting old.

[rgscpat]

People want good stories to come from watching the race. It can be about the supermaxi duels, or about classic old yachts, or about long-time rivals, or about carnage on boats inflicted by the Tassie, or about interesting personalities and crews. Whatever makes for a good, dramatic story, whether heartwrenching or uplifting or tragic or unexpected, will strengthen public interest in the race and in sailing. Gimme colour.

[Factor]

Originally Posted by Polux

......... the fastest sailboat in the world, Comanche that here was....

Its not the fastest sailboat in Australia let alone the world, not even close.

[JPA Cate]

Factor,

Maybe I'm wrong here, but I thought Polux meant that remark in jest, as Comanche had just been shown to be so obviously not the fastest boat in the world.

[Brob2]

um, rgscpat...

[garrobito]

..I sailed the first maxis like the kialoa... my money is with comanche...

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Factor,

Maybe I'm wrong here, but I thought Polux meant that remark in jest, as Comanche had just been shown to be so obviously not the fastest boat in the world.

whether it's the fastest boat ( of type) in the world remains to be seen. A day before the race one of the co owners made mention that Comanche will need the wind to get up for it to out perform any rival. And as was seen she didn't have the get up and go in mild winds.

For my money, I'm still thinking the bigger they are the bigger they fall.