Living in the Scuttlebutt World

The adventure of offshore sailing has been getting captured by sailors and onboard reporters, but not like how American Cole Brauer did so in 2023-24 Global Solo Challenge. But then again, Cole is the full package of skilled sailor and lively personality, and she liberally showcased herself for 130 days at sea. Thank you!

When someone questioned why Cole was not among the nominees for the 2023 Rolex US Yachtswoman of the Year Award, I said she needed to finish the race. Well, she did, and unless an American wins an Olympic medal at Paris 2024, I predict she’ll be our 2024 award winner.

Speaking of the US Olympic effort, Scuttlebutt has become a resource for how to resurrect its struggling sailing program, with recent feedback from John Bertrand and Bill Canfield. There are some common threads amongst all the observers, such as US Sailing’s proven inability to manage the team.

When US Team leader Dean Brenner was asked after the London 2012 Olympics about the timeline to revive the program, he figured it would take 20 years, but he could not have anticipated a revolving door of leadership: Josh Adams, (2012-16), Charlie McKee (2012-17), Malcolm Page (2016-19), Greg Fisher (2018-19), and Paul Cayard (2021-23).

And now, how can the latest US Sailing hire of Marcus Lynch (GBR) as its new High Performance Director be the solution when he doesn’t live in the USA, likely knows little about the cultural hurdles, and is far from a lightning rod for fundraising? Someone needs to instill program confidence to attract sailors and supporters? Oy vey!

From Women’s History Month to global International Women’s Day celebrations, March is a time to champion the power of women’s voices and drive positive change. We have two voices with Sharon Green and Kristy Robinson sharing their views on podcasts, while two-time Olympic medalist Shirley Robertson is now leading the superyacht community. These are good days!

Shifting gears, we spring forward this weekend with Daylight Savings Time, and as the days have already been getting longer, this provides an extra hour to play after work. I like that, and it also delays my dog’s pestering for her morning meal, so here’s to hoping she won’t figure it for a while. Wish me luck!