WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH TEAM SCA?

I copied this from Sailing Anarchy. Indeed it is the question many have in the back of their mind.

I am aware of several women who were not considered for the team; each of whom have deep offshore racing experience. I continue to wonder why.

The women’s performance is not about the differences in physical strength. So what is it?

sayin’…

Brian Hancock and Tracy Edwards rather thoroughly say what many of us are thinking…

There comes a time when it’s time to say something and I am going to say what’s been on the mind of many; why the heck are the women on Team SCA so far off the pace? Yes I know it’s a touchy subject but people are talking about it (amongst themselves) and many want to say something but they are scared of offending. Well forgive me I don’t want to offend either. I have been a major supporter of women in everything, not just sailing, for a very long time, but the performance by Team SCA has set women in sailing back decades. Before the barbs come out let me quickly interject that I think that the sailors on the boat have done an awesome job starting with the immensely talented Sam Davies who has led a great crew most of the way around the world. They are clearly a good team but unfortunately their results have been less than impressive, as I am sure they will agree.

There are a couple of things that account for this and none of it has to do with a woman’s ability to compete on equal terms with men. Indeed there have been some women sailors whose skill far exceeds that of almost all men. Florence Arthaud, Ellen MacArthur and Isabelle Autissier come to mind. Amazing sailors all, so the argument that women are not as good simply goes out the window. The main problem is that over the last four decades men have convinced themselves that they are superior and have excluded women from sailing at a top level. Not all men and not all sailing, but most women simply never got the chance to hone their skills at the top of the game. The pool of women that have the capability to compete on equal terms against men in a race such as the Volvo Ocean Race is tiny. Someone else can do the math but I bet there are a couple dozen collective circumnavigations among the male teams. You simply can’t compete when you don’t have the depth of talent. At the risk of alienating even more myself let me pose this hypothetical. I bet that Team SCA would beat a team made up solely of black men. Same reason; very few people of color have competed at this level.

So that’s one argument. The other is a bit trickier because none of the crew are willing to discuss it. SCA is a huge corporate entity that has carefully honed its message to maximize their exposure in the race, so much so that reading their press releases you would think that Team SCA was the first female team ever to compete. This is outrageous and is a complete disservice to others like Tracy Edwards and her all-female crew on Maiden (88/89), the women of Heineken (93/94), EF Education (97/98) and Amer Sports Two (01/02). Along with size comes politics and SCA as a corporate entity seem to be making decisions that would be best left to Sam Davies. Sam is the skipper and the buck stops with her but it’s general knowledge that Sam does not have the authority to hire and fire. I once did a Whitbread where that was the case and it was a disaster beyond measure. Ask Skip Novak who was the skipper without authority. There have been some bad tactical decisions made yet no one has been held accountable and no heads have rolled.

It’s time we get beyond this all-female and all-male nonsense. I agree with Skip in the article he wrote for Yachting World. If Volvo really wants to be progressive, and I assume that they do, then for future races let’s mandate an equal number of men and women on each boat and once and for all shut up this ridiculous debate about who is better. Although I am quite certain that would open up a completely different can of worms.

Those are my thoughts but I think it’s important to hear from someone whose entry in the 89/90 Whitbread had a huge impact on the event. Tracy Edwards skippered the first all-female crew to compete in a Whitbread, and with impressive results. Maiden won two legs of the race, finished second overall in class and 3rd in the Non-Maxi Division. I know that Tracy has been following this VOR with interest and probably with some dismay at how little recognition she and other all-women teams have received from corporate SCA. I think it’s time we got her take on the Team SCA situation so take it away Tracy…

When Team SCA was first announced and I saw the level of money, time and effort going into what looked like a very professional campaign I was ecstatic! Finally it looked as though there was going to be an all-female entry that was not an afterthought addition to a male campaign. There are so many incredible female sailors out there who have been let down by previous Whitbread and Volvo campaigns. I was so excited to see what they could do with enough funding, time and expertise. I began following their progress and this really reignited my interest and excitement in the Volvo which I have to admit had tailed off over the years.

And then someone posted the SCA promotional launch video. The voiceover told me that they were the first all-female crew to attempt to sail around the world. I was stunned and then horrified as I realised that it was Volvo who had released and promoted the video along with Scuttlebutt – both of whom should have known better (to expect the idiot from scuttlebutthole to know anything is a stretch – ed.). After a lengthy battle fought online and via email to the CEO of SCA, by me and many, many others, it was finally changed. The apology from the CEO was begrudging and trite. At first I was upset and then I was furious that Maiden was being treated in this way. The SCA media team then proceeded to announce that the girls were the first all-female crew to do the Volvo (originally the WRTWR). And so it was Dawn Riley’s turn to be forced to fight her corner and remind them that she skippered Heineken and that after Maiden, Heineken, EF Language and Amer Sports Two they were in fact the fifth all-female crew to sail to race around the world. Instead of apologizing profusely, the SCA media team announce on Twitter that SCA would be the BEST all-female crew to race around the world – to which someone replied that they needed to win then.

What was even more upsetting was that all of us who had so looked forward to supporting the women on SCA had been forced to defend our achievements instead of cheering our friends on. Two of the women on SCA actually emailed me to apologise and let me know how mortified they all were with the media.

Even so, with all that behind us, women sailors of the world looked forward to the start and watching SCA build upon our successes of the past 25 years. To say that we are all disappointed would be an understatement. But my disappointment is not with the women of the team who I know are all extraordinary sailors, much better than I ever was and definitely fitter! We all knew something was going terribly wrong, but we all kept quiet, afraid of being accused of being women bitching about other women. This could not be further from the truth for me and every woman I know who just wanted SCA to WIN! I gave Sam Davies her first break as a nipper on RSA when we attempted the Jules Verne and broke many world records, consequently we are good friends and I was desperate for her to do well. I have followed her career with pride and excitement.

I am gutted that they have not performed as we had all hoped, but on the plus side, they were building their knowledge and experience and that is what is needed for success next time. It is so difficult for women to gain experience of Ocean Racing so this could be used as a wonderful opportunity to build upon for the next event. What I have a real problem with is the media team and the way they are portraying the results as some sort of victory. It is toe curling. This is so damaging to women’s sailing and it lowers the bar for excellence and expectation. When Maiden did really badly on Leg 4 we were devastated to lose our overall lead which we had held at the half way mark. Our press conference and consequent press releases talked about what we had got wrong (my navigation) and how we could improve – because that is what sports teams do. They do not portray coming last as a victory and make themselves into a joke team which is humiliating to women’s sailing, dragging it back to the days before Maiden.

I know that the women have been uncomfortable about the way they are portrayed but cannot say so because it is not their campaign. And herein lies the problem I think. Team SCA is managed and run by Richard Brisius and Johan Salen of Atlant – not by the women themselves. Richard and Johan also ran the all-female EF Education which played second fiddle to Paul Cayard’s EF Language so I am astonished that more lessons were not learned.

All of us on Maiden (the actual first all-female crew) did everything ourselves. We raised the funding, we found a wreck and turned her into Maiden, we decided what training we would do, I chose the crew and we did our own press releases. We sweated blood and tears to get Maiden to the start line and we fought with every fibre of our being, every every inch of the way to prove that women could be as good as men. I am so proud of our Maiden’s performance and achievements, but when we crossed the finish line 25 years ago we all looked forward to the day when an all-female crew would win – and this discussion would no longer be necessary.

To think that even 15 years ago I put together and skippered Royal SunAlliance during which 11 women sailed one of the biggest, fastest multihuills in existence at the time and held broke a number of world records, including the fastest ocean record (Cowes to Dinard) for a number of years. And now we are cheering mediocrity.

There is no doubt in my mind that an all-female crew could win the Volvo but we have a whole generation of women sailors who were cut out of the Volvo when the Volvo 70s came into play. The men barely had the strength to control those ridiculous boats and so women were excluded. Until someone puts a campaign together which places the women at the centre and in charge at the very beginning I think we will fail. There are some amazing women out there such as Dawn Riley, Emma Westmacott and Adrianne Cahalan (to name a few) who could run an awesome campaign but none were approached by Atlant. Volvo have benefitted greatly from the SCA publicity which we, as women sailors, feel has all but wiped out our past achievements. No other sports team celebrates failure – why do they think its ok for women?

I am not sure I would want to see a mandate for equal men and women on each boat. That could cause its own problems. Maybe it would work. Whatever the outcome of this event; It’s time Volvo made a concerted effort to encourage more women to enter and to assist them in every way possible. I also think that the best way for SCA to redeem themselves is to sponsor Sam Davies (if she wishes to take part) for the next event but WITHOUT Atlant. Let Sam or whoever, pick her team and run her own campaign using the many lessons learned from this one and the past 25 years of women’s sailing. That would show that SCA are serious about supporting women’s sailing.

I will leave the final word to a 16 year old future Olympic sailor whom I met whilst speaking at a Yacht Club. I am paraphrasing what she said but in essence this is it: “Watching the ridiculous flag waving of SCA Media Team every time a team of women manage to sail from one Port to another, is to watch a Corporation aided by Volvo take women’s sailing back 25 years.” She finished by telling me that the boys in the Youth Squad now make fun of the girls and offer to cheer if ‘they make it from one side of the reservoir to the other’.

Well done Atlant.

CLOSE FINISH IN NEWPORT

The finish was closer than the time between “Dongfeng” and Abi Daubi” . After 5000 miles of leg 6 of the Volvo Ocean Race;  200 yards separated these two boats at the finish off  Fort Adams.. The evening was perfect for the large crowd warm and clear with not much wind.

DONGFENG CROSSES FIRST
DONGFENG CROSSES FIRST
DONGFENG AND THE NEWPORT BRIDGE
DONGFENG AND THE NEWPORT BRIDGE
ABU DAUBI AND THE NEWPORT BRIDGE
ABU DAUBI AND THE NEWPORT BRIDGE
CROWDS AT FORT ADAMS
CROWDS AT FORT ADAMS
FACES IN THE CROWDS
FACES IN THE CROWDS

volvo newport  5 6 15  65797

OLIVER HAZARD PERRY
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY

KNOWING WHEN TO SLOW DOWN

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What a difference a day makes. The headlines yesterday were pedal to the metal. Today dismasting. Heavy weather sailing is about knowing when to ease off the pedal.

Volvo Ocean Race can confirm that Dongfeng Race Team broke its mast early on Monday (GMT, March 30) but fortunately nobody has been injured and there is no immediate danger to the crew.

The incident happened 240 nautical miles west of Cape Horn at 0315 UTC on Monday, in the final hours of the night onboard Dongfeng.

The crew reported that the mast broke above the third spreader, the top section of the mast. They are not planning to continue racing on this leg and are heading towards Ushuaia, Argentina, under their own sail.

Reached via Inmarsat, a disappointed skipper Charles Caudrelier said: “I’m gutted. As you’ve seen from the position reports we have been, on purpose, backing off a bit, not attacking in any way.

“The mast broke without warning, in about 30 knots of wind. We are unable to sail safely on starboard tack, but we are able to make reasonable speed on port tack. We will head towards Ushuaia and assess our options for getting to Itajaí.”

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) is aware of the situation and is on standby to help if necessary.

We are in constant contact with Caudrelier and are establishing the full extent of the damage to ensure we give him the support he needs to deal with the situation.

Ears pinned back and foot to the floor

(March 29, 2015; Day 13) – The Volvo Ocean Race may be a marathon, but at this stage of Leg 5 from Auckland to Itajaí, it’s pretty much a 350nm sprint east to Cape Horn.

With winds from the northwest, the boats have now gybed their last gybe and stacked their last stack. Their ears are pinned back and have their foot to the floor, as the 30 knot winds and 2.5 to 3-metre waves are allowing the teams to see what the VO65s can do.

“Now that we’ve all more or less settled in for a long port tack run to the east the big question on everyone’s mind is just how hard to push,” reports Amory Ross on Alvimedica. “If there’s anything we’ve learned so far this race it’s that the leaders aren’t afraid to redline the revs when challenged.”

Apart from SCA, the entire fleet – separated by 20 nm between Donfeng to the north and Abu Dhabi to the south – has covered more than 500 nautical miles in the last 24 hours, with the top five averaging over 20 knots as they fight for the lead. But Ross reminds that trophies aren’t determined at Cape Horn.

“We feel fast, as fast as anyone, and when you feel fast nobody wants to slow down because in the back of the mind we’re telling ourselves we can be first to the Cape,” observes Ross, with Alvimedica positioned to the north. “But this leg will be decided along the coast of Brazil, and if we push too hard now we may never give ourselves that chance.”

Pulling the throttle back may occur soon as the sea state is about to get rough. Waves are expected to build over the next 24 hours as the sailors get closer to the continental shelf – and Cape Horn.

As for SCA, with no fractional gennaker after damaging it earlier this week, they simply can’t match speed with the fleet. Forced to use the smaller J1 jib, they are suffering for speed and angle and, with reduced routing options, will continue to fall behind the pack now.

Leg 5 (6,776 nm) Position Report (21:40 UTC)
1. Team Alvimedica, Charlie Enright (USA), 2293.3 nm Distance to Finish
2. MAPFRE, Xabi Fernandez (ESP), 2.3 nm Distance to Lead
3. Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing, Ian Walker (GBR), 6.4 nm DTL
4. Team Brunel, Bouwe Bekking (NED), 7.0 nm DTL
5. Dongfeng Race Team, Charles Caudrelier (FRA), 11.2 DTL
6. Team SCA, Sam Davies (GBR), 401.4 nm DTL
7. Team Vestas Wind, Chris Nicholson (AUS), Did not start

VOLVO UPDATE : STANDING BY VESTAS AGROUND

At 1510 UTC, Saturday, November 29, Team Vestas Wind informed Race Control that their boat was grounded on the Cargados Carajos Shoals, Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean. Fortunately, no one has been injured.

We are in contact with the boat to establish the extent of the damage and ensure the crew is given the support needed to enable it to deal with the situation.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Reunion Island is aware of the problem.

The crew has informed us that it is currently grounded on a reef but nobody is injured. Volvo Ocean Race and Team Vestas Wind’s top priority is to make sure the crew is safe.

The crew has informed Race organisers that it now plans to abandon the boat as soon as possible after daybreak.

Team Alvimedica and two other vessels are in contact with Team Vestas Wind to assist.

We will give you more information as it becomes available.

standing by

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Team Alvimedica Navigator Will Oxley shares this update from on board:

We are in contact with Vestas every 30 minutes on VHF radio whilst we wait for dawn at which time the local coast guard should be able to help effect a rescue. Meanwhile I am sure it is great for them to know we are standing by and ready to intersect their life rafts when they reach deep enough water for us to safely navigate in should they abandon at night.

Our sails are down and we are motoring back and forth on the lagoon side of the reef remaining as close as possible to the crew of Vestas Wind while they require assistance. We cannot get closer than about 1.8 miles to them because they are hard on the reef but in the event they abandon to the rafts we may be able to help with recovery. We may also be required to help after rescue but we await advice on this.

For all practical purposes we are no longer racing towards Abu Dhabi for now, but we have not suspended racing. However, in accordance with the laws of the sea, and Racing Rules of Sailing Fundamental Rule 1.1 we are standing by Vestas “to give all possible help to any person or vessel in danger.”

The guys on Vestas are our mates and many of us have sailed 1000’s of miles with them. We will remain with them as long as it is possible we may be able to help.”