The Publisher
*****
Jul 18, 2011, 7:05 PM
Post #1 of 3
(1831 views)
Shortcut
|
|
These were the best of times...
|
Log-In to Post/Reply
|
|
BEST OF TIMES
Ever hear about the good ole days? For the sport of sailing... some were, some weren’t. The depth of the conversation depends on your age. The sport has paid a price for the pursuit of excellence. Most everything in sailing has improved with time... except the number of people doing it. Here longtime Scuttlebutt reader Ray Tostado of Southern California reflects:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
You may have missed the best times sail boat racing ever had. It happened in Marina del Rey (Los Angeles, CA) in the late '70s and early '80s. During the birth of the IOR rating system.
It was a period of total transition from wooden boats with full keels to the Peterson, fin keel and detached rudders age. The entire racing scene was open for innovation. From sail cuts, to hull shapes, it was an open playing field. I recall some summer months when the harbor was welcoming one IOR boat a week to the starting line. What made it so exciting is that money was not the dominant factor for winning races.
Amateurism was still assumed, and "pros" stood out for their limited skills, bravado talk. Crazy kamikaze crews ruled the seas. As an owner you could compete against multi millionaires, even billionaires. All you needed was decent gear and crew. It was exciting to race against the best money could buy, and have at your disposal only what true friendship and will to win could provide. I, as a Hollywood teamster, was racing against a man who owned a Hollywood studio. Now that was fun.
Eventually money won and took over the playing field. Our amateur crews became semi-pros, then full time pros. Getting good crews became limited unless you could "compensate" them. We, today, could not buy the great times we had back then.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Would you like to share your version of the ‘best of times’? Post it here.
- Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt
|
SCUTTLEBUTT
SEARCH
WHO'S 
LOG IN
