FANS....of Sailing? Part 1

There seems to be a lot of talk lately about how to get more people involved in sailing. How do we make it more exciting? How do we create spectators, fan frenzy, cheering, excitement and an overall emotional experience for someone who may have never even been on a boat.

My gut instinct tells me to look at another sport that I love, but have never ACTUALLY competed in....Football. As a girl, I was obviously never involved in the game on a personal level, and my high school and college didn’t even have a team, however I LOVE the sport. From the coaching, to the crowds and the players themselves, we all get excited. We can be at the game, in our homes, listening in our cars, or checking mobil updates, and when a touchdown happens, we get stoked! I personally have been known to yell, scream, laugh, and cry, all through out the course of a game, that I have never actually taken part in. I’m a life long Chicago Bears fan, and my WI plates on my car say “DITKA”, I own a Gould jersey (yes, he is a kicker), I rock Navy and Orange whenever I can on game day, and I’ve been known to lose my voice at games. I’m completely passionate....about something I’ve never even done?!?!? I am in one simple word, above all, a FAN.

So what does it take to create a sailing fan? What do we as sailors, have to do to create Fans? Do we want them? (I know I do). Do we need them? (Hell YES, our sport is overly expensive and DYING). Where do they come from, and how do we take advantage of them as a way to build and grow our sport? It’s a complicated question, and even after I just wrote it, I’m struggling to grasp an answer in my head. Sailing has so very many outlets, between dinghy, big boats, fast high performance skiffs, AC sailing, the Volvo, and then you get into cruising and adventure cruising. Where do we as a sport start? Are the options to vast? So then why do I like football...

the team aspect
the hometown pride
the waiting 7 months for it to come back every year
the passion of the players (I just saw Tom Brady BLOW UP last night during his game against the Steelers...it was intense)
the passion of the coaches
the strategy
the epic noise a good hit makes
the strength
the fineness
and because I’m a girl....the fit men in tight pants

Solid list....and I’m sure I’ll think of more. So why do I like sailing? Actually for almost all the same reasons! So what are people so afraid of? Is sailing too complicated to understand? Hmmmmm have you ever seen a play book for football, or watched the game with someone who has played? There is a TON that I don’t know about football, it is a complicated game, and while I understand the very basics....I can still barely tell why there was a holding call until I see the instant replay. I’ve always heard the excuse that sailboat racing is too complicated, but I just don’t buy into that. It’s a lame excuse coming from people who have given up.

Next I'll take a look at a true sailing Fan....how did it all begin, where is it headed, and how can we take lessons from this case, and apply it to our sport at a larger level?

So What was it Like?

My boss said, “Imagine if you had backstage passes to Woodstock…that’s how excited she is.” And, I’ve got to say; I think it’s true. My experience in Boston for the Volvo Ocean Race was unlike any other. I met tons of people, helped with some servicing (ok, I sanded carbon and put One Drop on it, but Telefonica will NOT have squeaky winch handles!), and had a fantastic time just hanging out and seeing what the life of a Volvo sailor is like (well, at least the life on shore). I think we all have a lot of preconceived notions about what these people will be like. I know I for one look at some other races happening, and prepare myself to meet some, perhaps not so nice people, hell, Key West Race Week, the NOOD’s any quazi big deal big boat race has yachtie assholes by the boat load, but this is NOT the case with the Volvo Ocean Race. Maybe it has something to do with the amount of time they spend together, or possibly with the fact that they are going offshore for a long time in what can be very dangerous conditions, whatever it is, it makes all these guys fabulous to be around. It’s like being at the best event you’ve ever sailed, only it’s the Volvo, it’s epic, everyone there realizes it, and absolutely no one takes it for granted.

I’ve been back for almost 2 weeks now, and I’ve been struggling to pin point what exactly I can say about the event and my time there. Words like, “stoked”, “epic”, and “sick” all come to mind, but I really don’t think they do my thoughts justice. So here is the deal; there is something special about the group of people involved in this race, and I get the feeling it’s like the mob, and once you’re in, it’s damn near impossible to ever be the same. It’s hard for me to describe, or do a description justice, because I feel that other authors have described this quality far better than I ever could, therefore provoking the perfect emotion to help you understand the feeling that I got in the midst of everything…


“As to just what this ineffable quality was . . . well, it obviously involved bravery. But it was not bravery in the simple sense of being willing to risk your life. … No, the idea here (in the all-enclosing fraternity) seemed to be that a man should have the ability to go up in a hurtling piece of machinery and put his hide on the line, and have the moxie, the reflexes, the experience, the coolness, to pull it back in the last yawning momentand then go up again the next day … and the idea was to prove at every foot of the way up that pyramid that you were one of the elected and anointed ones who had the right stuff….” – Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff (p17-18).

Now, these guys are not flying into space, like the men described by Tom Wolfe, however the are hurtling around on carbon fiber rocket ships, pushing themselves against mother natures wall, you have to have something special, or be a little off, to get up and do that every day.

Boston vs. Baltimore

So I’ve been spending the last few days in Boston, MA for the Volvo Race. The one question that I have gotten a lot is, “How does Boston compare to Baltimore?” I have to say, the comparison is interesting, there are pluses and minuses to each stopover, I would love to say one was way better than the other, but I don’t think I can. Boston has a lot of things going for it that I enjoy. The haul out area and all the bases are right at Fan Pier, so everyone can see everything. While the general public is not allowed in this “wet area” they can still see in and see what is happening. There was nothing like this in Baltimore, in fact everything was quite a ways away, so the general public never really got to see, where the real action happens, in fact, they were no where near it, kind of a bummer for Baltimore and big points for Boston.
Baltimore did however have some strong points in my mind, the location was fantastic, it was right downtown, which allowed the public to see so much. This location was also really cool because you could go to any number of restaurants along the harbor and see boats zipping around, which also means a lot of people who just happened to be going out would stumble upon the VOR. In Boston, the waterfront area seemed not nearly as inviting, which was simply unfortunate. You really had to be aware that the circus was coming to town, and you had to want to go. That said, there certainly wasn’t any lack of excitement Saturday when boats left for the in-port race, or Sunday during the Pro-Am match racing that was right off the pier.
Finally, dock access. The distance between the dock and shore was about the same in both locations…very close. This is fantastic for all of us going there to look at sweet boats, there is no shortage of viewing at either venue, however, Boston has lacked one critical aspect…dock tours. In Baltimore, you could stand in line, and eventually be taken down to the dock in groups of 8 or so, to see the boats. I’ve seen none of this here in Boston, which is a real shame. Getting up close to these boats is certainly a highlight for many people. Now, granted in Baltimore, you were never allowed on the boats, they were still there, and you could still take nice up close and personal photographs, you really cannot do that in Boston, and I think this might be one of the larger shortfalls. For the general sailing public, this was the coolest part, and for the general non-sailing public, this was a great way to show them the sport, I was certainly sad to not see this in Boston.
More to come from Boston!

Shut Up and Fish

I’m not sure how many of you are up to date on your Deadliest Catch, but my mom recently informed me that a crew all had shirts that said “Shut Up and Fish” on them!!! I think this is fantastic! I also think they ripped off MY tee shirt!
My father, like many driver/ boat owners used to have a nasty case of HOBS (Head Out of the Boat Syndrome). This is a terrible chronic problem that leads to the driver looking around, talking about what they see and the ideas that they have, without focusing on what they are there to do…DRIVE!
Our old tacticians would constantly say to my dad, “Jay, just shut up and drive the boat” So finally after a summer of hearing this…the whole crew sick and tired of it….I took matters into my own hands and made every one shirts. They all read, “JAY SHUT-UP AND DRIVE” My fathers reads, “I’m Jay, I just drive”. Needless to say, a hit at the event, and at many event since!
That was at least 3 seasons ago…hence I’m pretty positive Deadliest Catch owes me something here…
Jay Shut Up and Drive Shirt Photo coming soon...

Why is it Always Out with the Old?

As of late I’ve been reading a lot about the IMOCA and about their plans to create an even more stable class rule for their 60 footers to ensure that not nearly as many boats break. At the same time I’ve been hearing about the recent rule changes for the Volvo 70’s. The changes in this class are very minimal, in an effort to make this generation of boats competitive with new builds. This seems to me to be a no brainer and a must for the Volvo. In order to draw more sponsors and sailors into the Volvo boats need to be cheaper and easy to acquire, tweak and then sail. The recent surge by Delta Lloyd to the front of the Volvo fleet is proof that it CAN happen, and it certainly something that Volvo is taking note of. But will the big sponsors with the big money and the ability to make new builds always win out in the end?
Quite possibly, however, half the fun of the Vendee was that there were SO MANY boats to begin with, that it was easy to follow the middle of the pack, and there was of course the drama of boats breaking, but despite that, there was a story for everyone to see themselves in, we were able to relate to someone in this fleet on a very personal level, which is a huge part of this edition of the race being such a global success. Although I feel I’ve been able to watch the Volvo, I’m still not sure if I’ve been able to connect with it. Bring on more boats and more sailors, and a personal touch, and I think this problem is solved.

Well, It’s Over.... Leg 5 That Is

After 40 + days, everyone in the Volvo Ocean Race has made it to Rio. There were a lot of things that I’ve wanted to comment on as this leg evolved, but in the end, I though it would be fun to reflect back on the highlights (plus I don’t want this blog to be all VOR all the time…I think they have a website for that and actually pay the person that writes that blog).
Here are my top 3 moments of the leg.

Well Crap
Not even to the first scoring gate and Telefonica Blue breaks it’s forestay. What a total burn! I like these guys and I love Bekking’s determination in the VOR (we all recall Movistar 05-06). This man clearly loves this game, and I give him, and the whole team, major props for finding a solution and making it work all the way to Rio. Impressive and quite admirable.

Ballsy Moves
Sure it was calculated, but we’ve all heard, when in the southern ocean, head south. However, the guys on Ericsson 3 and the young navigator, AKSEL MAGDAHL, challenged this age-old philosophy. They hit the scoring gate off New Zealand and TACKED!!! To put it rather bluntly, this took balls. I dig it. All of us who ever have to make critical choices can take a note or two from this situation. It was a big risk that would yield a big reward. At one point heading to Cape Horn, these guys were 300 MILES ahead of the second place boat! How stoked am I that these guys went on to win the leg. I’ve got to say, I was stoked for them at the first scoring gate, being 2nd after starting 7 hours behind, and then I was thrilled when I checked the VOR site and learned that even with them and E4 going into “stealth mode” in tricky and light conditions off Rio, Ericsson 3 managed to pull out a well deserved victory. I loved it…I would like to say it was the balls-ist move of the leg…but then what would I say about my last favorite moment?!?!?

Naked
Spinlock, listen up! Casey Smith is running around NAKED in the Southern Ocean… but he’s still wearing your deck harness….when you only have ONE equipment choice. I’m heading off to Boston in a few weeks for the in-port race and restart, if I only meet ONE person, I want to meet Casey Smith, Bowman on PUMA. Dude rounded Cape Horn naked!!! AND IT’S ON FILM!!! I’ve got to say, this is the kind of footage we need more of in sailing. People doing fun and crazy things (believe it or not, it is relatable! We’ve all done something crazy!) This move took some serious balls…pun totally intended, and I think everyone loved it! It shows what sailing is all about….Fun crazy shit!

The southern ocean leg and rounding of Cape Horn will forever be my favorite part of the Volvo. Something magical seems to happen down there, signs are made, family photo’s are taken, cigars and drinks are had, and sometimes someone even gets naked. It just seems that regardless of if you are first or last, you are happy to get there, and happy that Neptune can give you safe passage. It seems like the most sentimental part of the race, and I think that’s what makes it so cool. Everyone is just stoked to be where they are and be sharing that moment with their friends. That’s epic…and totally what our sport is all about. If you had to ask me why I want to sail the VOR, rounding Cape Horn would be damn near the top, and not because I want to knock it off the list, but quite the opposite! I want to experience it, with an amazing group of people, and just be in that moment, where nothing else matters, it’s just you, your friends, your boat, and the Cape…

Stoked

Well, it is almost April here in Milwaukee, WI and of course, it is supposed to snow. I received this bleak weather updated on Friday morning, and needless to say, was very disappointed. This is typically the time of the year where I start itching to get back out on the water, and I was actually contemplating taking my laser to Chicago, but alas, Mother Nature is putting a stop to that plan.
Taj Burrow : photo Steve Robertson

I had to do something to get my mind off of the inevitable cold front that was looming a mere 12 hours away, so I threw on “Step into Liquid”. I’ve never surfed before, but believe me, it is high on my list of things to do before I turn 30 (I’m about to be 25, so the big 3 0 seems to be creeping up on me). Anyways, if you haven’t seen “Step into Liquid” I suggest you stop reading this…go to the Blockbuster and get this movie. Epic only begins to describe it. The first time I watched the film I finished it @ 2a.m. and pressed play again. It’s that good. The thing that gets me about this film every time is how stoked people are about surfing. It seems that it is just about them being in the moment, with the energy of the waves looking for that one sweet ride, and the feeling that ride creates just keeps them coming back, looking for that perfect wave. I get stoked just watching this movie, and I can only imagine that was what the director was going for. It makes me wonder if that feeling that I get when I go sailing is the same thing. All the more reason to try surfing and find out!

I think one of the most interesting things about sports in general is that everyone is getting stoked about their own thing. I only hope there are people out there as stoked about something as I am about sailing.