From The Archives: Ethnicity, Arguments, Recognition

Here are some moments in sailing history stored in the Scuttlebutt archives…

5 years ago: “Let’s face it: As an industry, right now, we do a great job of selling boats to old, white men. But U.S. demographic trends suggest this group is shrinking, while the black, Hispanic and Asian populations are on the rise. The pace at which that change is taking place is startling and has significant implications for our industry. We need to know what to expect if we’re going to have any chance of succeeding.” – Liz Walz, columnist, BoatingIndustry.com (Scuttlebutt 3746)

10 years ago: The legal skirmish over the America’s Cup showed no sign of ending, with the champion Swiss Alinghi syndicate asking a judge to reconsider his decision to declare the Golden Gate Yacht Club the main challenger for the next race. Alinghi’s lawyers contended that the San Francisco club’s July challenge on behalf of BMW Oracle Racing was invalid because it failed to properly describe the yachts in which the race would be sailed.

The challenge letter described a boat that would measure 90 feet long by 90 feet wide, a dimension that could apply only to a multihulled vessel like the catamaran that American Dennis Connor used to defend the cup in 1988. The challenge, however, also called the boat a “keel yacht,” a term traditionally used to describe a boat with one hull. (Scuttlebutt 2502)

15 years ago: The Olympic Sailing Committee of US Sailing, has recognized five athletes
as the sport’s U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) Athletes of the Year. Recognized in the Team category are Yngling sailors Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.), Lee Icyda (Stuart, Fla.) and Suzy Leech (Avon, Conn./Annapolis, Md.). Laser sailor Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.) and Laser Radial sailor Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) are Male and Female Athlete of the Year, respectively. (Scuttlebutt 1235)