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Chris 249 View Drop Down
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Posts: 2041 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Chris 249 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Marketing Superlatives ....
    Posted: 25 Feb 15 at 11:26am
Nope, but like the OP I tend to get annoyed with extravagant claims and marketing BS.   Smile

And, being an Aussie, I've seen it from the inside so much because of the way some skiffies carried on in the past that I may be highly sensitive to it!  When the 49er was announced as an Olympic class, some of our one-eyed commentators claimed that we were a dead cert to clean up the gold for several Olympiads....in fact our skiffies were cleaned up by Brits, Yanks and Finns for two Olympiads, which underlined how weak some claims to superiority can be.

EDIT - and some may say because of my jobs I've spouted rubbish for a living, so maybe it's just professional jealousy!  When you want someone to talk rot you should pay for it.....


Edited by Chris 249 - 25 Feb 15 at 11:49am
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Pierre View Drop Down
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Posts: 1532 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Pierre Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 15 at 11:21am
Did a Merlin sailor do something unspeakable to in the past Chris?
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Rupert View Drop Down
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Posts: 8956 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Rupert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 15 at 11:17am
And to lighten things up a little...

The Minisail National Championships will be held at internationally renowned yacht club Whitefriars SC in the beautiful Cotswold Water park on July 4/5. Entries are expected from top Minisail sailors from around Europe and the UK.
Current Champion Rupert Whelan said "it is wonderful to be part of such a big event. Numbers taking part have tripled over the past 4 years, and we expect a great turnout again this year, with top sailors from Belgium, Holland, France and Germany coming to take part. The atmosphere will be electric and the sailing standard 2nd to none".
Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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Chris 249 View Drop Down
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Posts: 2041 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Chris 249 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 15 at 11:03am
Originally posted by Dougaldog

Salcombe Week (which many would rate as one of the hardest events to win in any class)

Ummmm, how many of those people who rate Salcombe Week that highly have done;

America's Cup;
Olympics;
Moth/Melges/Farr 40/Dragon/Etchells/505/Laser/470/F18/Kona/Hobie 16 etc worlds?
Volvo
Windsurfing world cup or RSX Worlds
etc etc etc?

To claim that one race in a class that, while very good, is restricted to one country is "one of the hardest to win in any class" seems to be over-egging it. Merlin sailors from one countryrare extremely unlikely to be so much smarter that they can sail part time and still be harder to beat than the full-time sailors from just about every major sailing nation, as you find in some other classes.

Sure, Salcombe Week would be extremely hard to win, but it's far from the only such lesser-known but hot event. There are lesser-known regattas where guys who have been top 4 in the Lasers and top 2 in the America''s Cup struggle, even after years of experience in the class in question.

Sure, people in the Merlins will list names as if to say that they demonstrate how good the class it - but so can those from many other classes in other countries. Andy Davis is no doubt an excellent sailor - but what is there in his record to show that he is better than Chris Dance or Tito Gonzales, who come from classes that don't seem to make such claims?** 

How many people who have done Salcombe Week know how it compares to the US Thistle titles, or the Australian Sharpie championships, the NZ Sunbursts, or perhaps the Bavarian Pirat Title* or one of the many other lesser-known hot regional classes? I sail in a class that normally has 3 or 4 Olympians (past and present) at its titles and most people in the world wouldn't know it exists.  I'm not saying it's tougher to win than Salcombe Week, but the point is that it's probably improbable that anyone can even list all the regattas that can claim to have good fleets, much less work out which one is harder to win.

I have an old mag where the Merlin fleet claimed to be possibly the hottest in the world. It was an arrogant and jingoistic thing to say when classes like Finns had people with Elvstrom racing, and it seems as if nothing has changed. 

Oh, and on this topic I do apologise for the Aussies who have beaten their chests about skiffs over the years, but the fact that we can be one-eyed doesn't excuse it happening elsewhere.

EDITED to lighten up.  :-)

* Ok, this one is a guess!  :-)

** Actually, some of the classes they sail in also over-egg the publicity, but not in the same way IMHO.


Edited by Chris 249 - 25 Feb 15 at 11:37am
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Dougaldog View Drop Down
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Posts: 356 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Dougaldog Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 15 at 10:43am
Just to set the record straight, the Merlin Rocket Class has four major trophies up for grabs; the National and Inland Championships, Salcombe Week (which many would rate as one of the hardest events to win in any class)and the Silver Tiller - raced across the whole season and demanding success at all sorts of venue, from the smaller inland locations to events held on the open sea.

In the 50+ years that these events have been raced for, until recently only 3 helms had managed to win them all 'at some time' (no one has ever won them all in a season) and Andy Davis is now the fourth - and all his wins are in the same boat too.

Given the competition in the fleet and the range of events, locations and conditions raced at, I'd say that was a pretty damn good record and hardly one to be sneered at.....

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Old Timer View Drop Down
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Posts: 370 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Old Timer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 15 at 10:37am
In an a recent post JimC said "those PR morons really get up my nose, why can't they just report the facts" 
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turnturtle View Drop Down
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Posts: 2538 		Post Options Post Options   Quote turnturtle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 15 at 10:37am
Originally posted by JimC

Be fair, probably means the Nationals *and* the inlands...

The one I hate is when the publicity droids send out press releases saying "XXX Says" which they've made up themselves and which XXX never said, using phrasing XXX wouldn't ever use in a month of Sundays. One should always remember in a press release "XXX says" means "I'm sure XXX would say it if I put the script in their hand and enough pressure was applied".

a bit like Ben Ainslie's initial endorsement of the RS Aero that was later redacted?
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L123456 View Drop Down
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Posts: 500 		Post Options Post Options   Quote L123456 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 15 at 10:35am
Originally posted by furtive

Doesn't seem unreasonable - I'm guessing he's won the Merlin Nationals, Inlands, Silver Tiller series, Salcombe Week.

He's probably won the lot ... but a National Class only has one "Championship" the rest are just other major events ... lets not debase the kudos that goes with being the champion ...
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JimC View Drop Down
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Posts: 6662 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 15 at 10:23am
Be fair, probably means the Nationals *and* the inlands...

The one I hate is when the publicity droids send out press releases saying "XXX Says" which they've made up themselves and which XXX never said, using phrasing XXX wouldn't ever use in a month of Sundays. One should always remember in a press release "XXX says" means "I'm sure XXX would say it if I put the script in their hand and enough pressure was applied".
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furtive View Drop Down
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Posts: 188 		Post Options Post Options   Quote furtive Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Feb 15 at 10:22am
Doesn't seem unreasonable - I'm guessing he's won the Merlin Nationals, Inlands, Silver Tiller series, Salcombe Week.
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