Please select your home edition
Edition
Ocean Safety 2023 - New Identity - LEADERBOARD
Product Feature
Sailingfst Vakaros Atlas Edge
Sailingfst Vakaros Atlas Edge

Instantaneous Reflections

by John Curnow, Editor, Sail-World AUS 28 Aug 2022 23:00 BST
Reflections indeed © Flávio Perez

The gold foil wrap was easy. The opaque, light teal fresh water in Lake Neuchatel was a tremendous addition, as well. So many thanks to SSL Gold Cup Team Brazil's Media Manager, Flávio Perez, for sharing his images with us. It certainly was pretty as a picture out there.

After the training week, the crew of Team Australia all slid off to various parts of the planet. Some of the things they have done include Tom Slingsby and Sam Newton going off to Copenhagen for the SailGP, and Tom Burton who went to Halifax, Canada, for the 49er North American Championship, where he and bowman, Simon Hoffman, placed second. Nice work!

Mat Belcher was one of several whose next port of call was Australia. He has just finished racing on Ichi Ban at Hamilton Island Race Week, where they won Division One under ORC and were third under IRC.

Now just as the instantaneous reflections had been so vivid, colourful, and real, for me there have been others that share the very same attributes, but have taken more time to distil. Possibly in direct proportionality with the number of days that have slipped by since our days at the picturesque Grandson, Switzerland. Yes, the memories are certainly stored in 5k.

Quite likely, the last race against the Argentineans sums up the week. Wonderful gybes, charging into the leeward gate, and the result comes down to less than a length. Undoubtedly, the pointy end of the finals regatta in Bahrain is going to be a lot like this too. There are many good crews, and lots of hunger for the grand prize, as well.

Undoubtedly, the overarching thing for me has been the inclusion. Yes, I knew most of the sailors well already, and it wasn't about me. It was that there was an almost Three Musketeers notion to it. You know, 'All for one, and one for all!'

That spirit got me to thinking, for I was a schoolboy in 1983, and that galvanised us all like nothing else. No matter what you thought of him or his politics, the sight of our Prime Minister in his 'Australia' sports jacket is about as indelible in your memory, as a radioactive isotope is in the scans delivered by nuclear medicine.

For sure, Australian sailors have blitzed in World Championships, Olympic Games, America's Cup, SailGP, RTW races and major offshore events, but none of them really have the same power, or in-your-face Chutzpah as the KA-6 days. That is until now, potentially.

Yes, the SSL Gold Cup does mean that much. It's not corporate, and the teams are not so much pay packet-, as pride-driven. It feels a little like war. A person defending their homeland is always harder to displace than an occupying force or mercenary. And yes, immediately, I say hello to all the Ukrainians who are part of the shore crew, and thank you so very much for sharing your stories with me at base camp, and also in the transport to Geneva.

Now if we come back to the theme, and the six day learning curve at Grandson was way steeper than the nearly two decades of the Sir Frank Packer and Alan Bond eras, but look at the result. For sure there were some hiccups early on, but Team Australia never retired a kite. A bit of stickyback and it was fine, whereas others ran over them with seemingly great regularity, and there were a lot of new whales' nighties created day in, day out. The A2s being swapped in and out of the bows of the tenders could well be my most vivid memory, and the pile awaiting the sailmakers back at the marina was like some nautical totem pole.

Driving from the accommodation to Grandson, and then back again each day with Team Captain, John Bertrand AO, was a delight. He would talk about observing the ever-improving 'orchestrated ballet' on board with a true passion. One that was so addictive as to have me observing these great sailors, at the top of the game, not so much in awe, as in appreciation.

Rounds of applause and WooHooooos on board our chase boat were common, and I must thank Team Coach, Ben Durham, as well for his thoughts, theorems and comments. It was definitely special to be there. To see it. To be involved. And now after the fact, to appreciate it all that much more... Nice.

OK. There it is. There is so much more on the group's websites for you. Simply use the search box, or 'edition' pull-down menu up the top of the masthead to find it all. Please enjoy your yachting, stay safe, and thanks for tuning into Sail-World.com

John Curnow
Editor, Sail-World AUS

Related Articles

The power of tech
What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? Posted on 2 Jul
An evening with the Scaramouche Sailing Trust
Sailing hasn't always been a sport for inner-city state schools like the Greig City Academy Sailing hasn't always been a sport for inner-city state schools like the Greig City Academy (GCA). But they've shown it can be accessible to everyone, with amazing results. Posted on 2 Jul
Jazz Turner completes Project FEAR
Drama right to the end in her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles Jazz Turner has completed Project FEAR, her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles in her Albin 27 yacht. A flotilla of supporters met her in Seaford Bay, which grew and grew the closer they came to Brighton Marina. Posted on 1 Jul
Project FEAR is in the final few days
Charity circumnavigation almost over, in record time, with a record total raised Jazz Turner is expected to reach home (Brighton Marina) on Monday 30th June or Tuesday 1st July. She has sailed round the British Isles - all round Ireland and the Shetland Islands - without any assistance in 27 days so far. Posted on 28 Jun
Funding for clubs transforms sailing opportunities
During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from UK clubs about their experiences During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from a range of UK clubs, walking through their case studies, and then heard from experts in finance who talked us through the opportunities and pitfalls of acquiring funds. Posted on 26 Jun
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
Project FEAR turns southwards
Charity circumnavigation progress report from the Shetland Islands Last month I didn't even know that Muckle Flugga existed. Yet today, the very name of the island brought tears of emotion to my eyes, as I heard Jazz Turner scream it out in victory, in a video she took when passing the lighthouse. Posted on 22 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
Jazz Turner's fundraising target is smashed
Already £30k raised for Sailability, so it's time to up the ante Jazz Turner has now passed the northern-most tip of Ireland and is on her way to the Shetland Islands, and at the same time her fundraising total of £30,000 has been smashed! Posted on 15 Jun