Oceanracing 2002 - Around Alone

TWO VERY DIFFERENT SAILING EVENTS
Absender: "Aroundalone"
Datum: 15. Feb 2003 04:26

The racecourse for this amazing yacht race - shot from the space station - what a place to live Emma Richards - one of the sailors who have made this event a compelling story - Billy Black photo Brad van Liew - one of the top solo sailors in the world - Billy Black photo 14th February 2003
The AmericaÂ’s Cup starts today in the warm waters off Auckland. ItÂ’s sure to be an interesting contest and I for one am keen to watch it. Having said that I canÂ’t help but wonder why a largely over-hyped regatta sailed by overpriced sailors can garner so much attention, while formidable sailors like Bernard Stamm, Thierry Dubois and Brad van Liew toil in relative obscurity. ItÂ’s a strange quirk in modern society that money can dictate so many things and that we as individuals often canÂ’t help ourselves when it comes to following the crowd. If you stacked a room full of warm blooded people and first showed them a video of the action off New Zealand, followed by one of Bobst Group Armor lux blasting through the Southern Ocean at 30 knots, I am sure that you would find an even split among those watching as to who finds what interesting. I have a hard time believing anyone would prefer to watch the AmericaÂ’s Cup yachts rather than Stamm at speed, but I am a reali st and I know that my viewpoint is a bit skewed. I am only guessing that the split would be 50:50. If thatÂ’s the case, or for good measure take 75:25 favoring the AmericaÂ’s Cup, why then does the AmericaÂ’s Cup wallow in money while Around Alone sailors live on bread and bones, say nothing of borrowed equipment? I guess if I could answer that question I would have the corner office rather than a small desk where I write these reports, but since I have posed the question, letÂ’s explore the points made.
Instead of throwing dollar bills in the wake of a slow AmericaÂ’s Cup boat that has long since been eliminated from contention, I hope some of that money will be thrown on the deck of an Open class boat careening through the Southern Ocean bringing excitement to a world craving good, honest, wholesome television.
--- Brian Hancock great.circle@verizon.net