Filing a protest
June 9, 2012 § 1 Comment
First published on SailingAnarchy.com, June 2012.
Never accept a meeting request when the executive’s assistant starts with “he would like to tell you his ideas.” I did it this time and got burned.
These are the ideas of the head of AC-34′s Event Authority, in a nutshell:
- The financiers are tiring of the spend.
- Professional sailors can’t make a living.
- There aren’t enough amateur sailors supporting this pyramid.
So this AC will invent new TV heroes to attract fans to fund year-round professional sailors, take the financiers off of the hook, and transfer the costs to an unwitting couch-bound audience duped into an overpriced hat and a junkmailbox crammed with offers from sponsors. “We’re building a new pyramid.”
Oh, and sailors should sit quiet and be pleased, “’cause you get the trickle down.”
At the Pinnacle of Sailing
April 25, 2012 § 10 Comments
Or, who’s bringing the beer and PB&Js to the AC34?
I’m interested in the America’s Cup in the same way that I am interested in a mission to Mars: it seems pretty cool. I’m aware that it’s happening, and if I happen upon an attractive headline, I’ll scan the article. Like many, I’m intrigued by the science and technology and I’m impressed by the speeds that the new boats are achieving.
Sure, there might be some eventual technology trickle down, and that’s something to look forward to. But frankly, the opportunity to buy something pales in comparison with the opportunity to experience something, and like nearly everyone else on this planet, I face the reality that I won’t experience anything like it. Ever.
An Open Letter to Larry Ellison – Engage, Invest, Lead
October 1, 2010 § Leave a Comment
This article first appeared in SailingAnarchy, in October, 2010.
Let’s cut right to it. I’ll make no judgment regarding boats or venues. I’m not qualified.
But I believe we have a common interest in sailing, and you are gearing up to invest in shoreside infrastructure and large scale marketing. Please consider this three step plan to make the most of AC34, submitted with highest respect and humility.
1.) Don’t wait for trickle down. Make it something we all do now, with you. Engage.
Link every sailing not-for-profit in the country to your project, and popularize the best ideas in the grassroots through a nationwide collaborative design and discovery effort. Within a year, the best ideas will find their way not just into your boat, but also into dinnertime and classroom discussions and practical use all over the country.
A mass remote boat building project that mirrors the work that you are doing will engage multiple generations, and may, in fact, provide you a new idea or two in return.
