The appeal of offshore
by John Curnow, Sail-World.com AUS Editor 18 May 22:00 UTC
The world's largest offshore race, the biennial Rolex Fastnet Race has been an established fixture on the ocean racing circuit since 1925 © Kurt Arrigo / Rolex
I had been pondering. Yes. Marquee events have no issue attracting entrants. Middle Sea, Transpac, Cape to Rio, Fastnet, and Hobart all spring to mind instantly, but what of the 'lesser' races? Lots of boats in pens (slips) a lot of the time, and races take off with nine, 12 and 15 entrants on many an occasion. So, has offshore lost its appeal?
Well, the craft have improved. Nothing wrong with a Cole 43, but you're going to have a way better time on a Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 440, for instance. The strings are better placed. There'll be no hanks to try and open with frozen fingers. You have a hull form that can reach and run, with twin rudders to give even more control.
Rags? Out of sight. No huge overlappers here. The wardrobe is immense. A-Bags, staysails, fat head mains on certain craft, and Bloopers consigned to old mags. Aramid moulded wonders, and no Dacron - did someone say life span? Single line reefing if you want. Roller reefing up for'ard if you so choose, and lazy jacks to stop that pesty main trying to become the biggest sea anchor yet seen on the planet.
Sounds like we're talking about Class 40, Open 40, or Fast 40, but we're not. EPIRBS, PLBs, PFDs, satellite tracking, satphone for scheds, medical kits with real drugs, VHF to guide you straight back into the MOB, and what's better than taking the S out of SAR? Nothing!
Tech wear, like stuff that breathes, now who would have thought? Boots that grip, are flexible, and are dry. Gloves that are like having your hands facing an open fire. Yummy.
Dosh
All of it is terrific stuff, but there is one element to note. Coin. All of it costs more now than it did, both in real and relative terms. So, we'll acknowledge that, and move on. Clearly then, it is not just one thing, but a combination of many...
As all of this was going around like some concrete mixer with a set of overdrive cogs fitted, I spoke with one of Sail-World's great friends, Lee Condell of Performance Boating. Seems he too had ordered a few square metres from the same concrete plant.
Time. It is not just the amount of time, but the requirements for people's time in which to do so many other things. You can make time to do a few days, or a week for say Sail Port Stephens, but trying to do something every single Saturday? Not going to happen, and club racing with windward/leewards has been the big loser there. Twilights with no specials took off ages ago, but now the biggest mover is the Monday twilight with kites. Pack it in, nice and tight, and maybe not home for dinner, but possibly some late emails, or put the kids to bed.
Evidently, not only is it all a sign of change, it also underscores that the day of the Bag is not over by a long shot. Phew... TGFT. "Clubs' regular fleets have suffered from this, as a whole Saturday is a big chunk to donate to one pastime, but people have found their way to get some competitive sailing in the early week twilights," said Condell.
"It's certainly a significant shift, and I think that Australian Sailing and the Clubs need to promote the adventure of offshore sailing. To that end, so too does the tone that the media portrays of the sport."
Well, we know that Sail-World definitely does its bit therein... No one has any time, but we can always make time to do the things we want to. Here endeth that lesson.
Adventure
Now if you create desire for adventure, then you need to offer a pathway to achieve your goal. You hire Sherpas to ascend Everest, after all...
A new generation has to know what it is like to do it, and why the hell you would want to in the first place, when from this side all you can seem to remember is that nothing goes to windward like a kerosene canary. To say nothing of no matter how many times you tapped the logo on your chest, Scotty never seemed to answer the call to 'beam me up'. Like what is with that. In any other armed service that would dereliction of duty.
So, we have selling the dream. Got it. Now you have to get experience in order to become experienced crew. Deliveries were always good for that, so too the 120 to 240 milers. Lot of organisation for a short jaunt, but you are under the watchful eye of the Organising Committee and all those great volunteers.
OK. The draft of some new boats precludes them from some marinas/harbours, and in days of yore, the leaders would get to say Coffs, and then there would be a series of local races to keep everyone going as the tail gunners came in, and then there would be a grand party at the end. This was THE event for many, and certainly the creator of many a tale.
This does not happen so much anymore, and it is to the detriment of the smaller/shorter races. Boats are quicker, and in longer races, a leading boat might be two days and change, and sailed in maybe one or two weather systems. Smaller craft might be five days and sailed in at least three weather systems. So, there is no argument about who got what. It is in consequential. From the moment the gun went, and by the time the sky went black the separation meant it was not horses for courses. Anything but.
Alas, staggered starts like Transpac and Osaka make a lot of sense. Get everyone there within Cooee of each other, and let the festivities begin.
Road blocks
Legalities. So maybe some uniformity might be good. Some clubs will offer a short ocean race as Cat5 plus, but others will want Cat3. Huge difference in time, money, and effort. Condell added, "You know, it is much better to have people doing qualifying under the auspices of a race, than merely bouncing off into the blue to rack up some miles. Much safer all around. More eyes making sure all the little pieces stay on course, and there are more safety protocols in place should it go a little sideways. Also helps with the public perception!"
Adventure is good. Really good. Alas, Man's oldest challenge, and all... Far less appealing outcomes not so good, and likely to involve the authorities coming into play, which we do not want.
"Clubs saying you can't do a short offshore race until you do a qualifier? Not a good pathway at all. Place them in the care of experienced officials overseeing the entire program. Not, there are the Heads, and off you go," added Condell. "You put pressure on people to qualify on their own, and decision making could be compromised."
So, adventure is part escape, part thrill, part test. In times gone by, it was much harder for someone to know when you got there. You had to find a bunch of coins, then a phone box, and dial away. Now, you have 10 minutes to get in touch before you're getting a spray about how come it took you so long?
I mean, is the adventure still the adventure? Like the rest of life, you're away, but still so in touch. Smartphone. Is it? Case in point, two people at across a table at a restaurant, and they are both heads down tapping away madly. Riddle me that, Batman.
Cool
In this age, do ancient piers with perilous rusty ladders, having far too many sherbets, and 44 Gallon drums burning wood cut the mustard when it comes to thrills? Definitely better than gaming your life away in dark room, but just have a look at the rise and rise of mountain biking, and people make heaps of time to go away for weekends to do that.
"I have certainly noticed a preponderance of bike racks on cars, and also all the running clubs in my area. It is a social thing now. Anything that is succeeding is both fun and collective. The community aspect is crucial because everyone is juggling a million balls at any one time, and as we are social beasts, we still need to connect, so those things that can be fun and connected are winning out."
"Injecting enthusiasm and making it appealing for a younger audience is critical, and I dare say this is why the adventures of Cole Brauer and ZaZa Tucker were followed as closely as they were. There was some excitement."
It is important to note that the social programme at any club needs to have young people driving it, lest it becomes a bit like the yacht club scene in Caddyshack. Say no more. Might be funny, but it is decidedly cringeworthy. Now. Who better to run your social media platform than someone who does not even know what Y2K was?
The same could be said for crew on board. Recently I was photographing an event, and another person on board spent the whole time posting. I was spent by the end, and I bet her thumbs were, as well. Remember, it might not be your thing, but it is a real thing to whole lot of people!
Assets
Sort of ties in with 'Dosh' from earlier on. It would be great to get some new Jeanneau Sun Fast 30 ODs into clubs for people to do some introductory sessions to offshore. Alas, you need a lot more than the handful of coins from the phone box days. "Today, you can buy a good second-hand boat for considerably less than it would cost to buy new. Perhaps we can borrow from the UK here, where they have invited members to lend a boat for a season for particular events, and this does not preclude the owner from using it for other things."
"Take the short offshore series at Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, for instance. It is six races across seven months, and the owner can make it available to a youth group to try a short offshore race. This sort of thing could make a real difference, and there are always owners looking to give back because of what the sport has given them. They might not see the footage and the posts, but other young people will."
Don't believe it? What about when they see a whale, a dolphin, a sea eagle? Bet that's going to make sailing more appealing.
After going big, there are a lot of smaller, faster boats coming onto the scene. 30 to say 36 or 38 is a big deal now. So, you are not going to get onto a hotshot first up, but at least you will see them for longer before and after the start.
"Another thing to do is to allow boats to sail with less than what their IRC ticket has listed. Even allowing the use of the autopilot in these circumstances just removes another barrier to entry. IRC also need to look at hull and rig factors, and perhaps change them as time goes by, so that one class cannot utterly dominate for long periods. It does not help the overall cause."
"If we get more people out there, then there will be more experienced crew to serve on more vessels, which is crucial as things like Hobart become more and more of a bucket list item."
"It can be scary out there, and you have to respect it. The sea state in a small boat doing the Sydney to Hobart race can be very daunting. I remember watching a TP52 that had lost its rudder being towed behind a trawler on behind a 200-foot line and launching itself off waves as it got towed across Bass Strait back to Melbourne. All I said to myself was OMG. Another 30 plus Hobart veteran said to me after being towed back to port, 'That was just the worst 24 hours of my life. It was just horrendous.' Yes, the big incidents are pretty few and far between, but you do have to be aware and prepared for them," said Condell in closing.
Please enjoy your yachting, stay safe, and thanks for tuning into Sail-World.com
John Curnow
Sail-World.com AUS Editor