Living in the Scuttlebutt World

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
Upon winning the Star Class Bacardi Cup for an unimaginable sixth consecutive time, Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) shared how he follows the advice of his idol, Australian America’s Cup winner John Bertrand.

“His way of approaching life and the key to longevity is having someone to love, something interesting to do, and something to look forward to.”

I can’t promise love (aside from sailing), but there is plenty to look forward to and do. Let’s start with National Espresso Martini Day on March 15, which should ideally follow St Patrick’s Day on March 17 but never does. Hmm!

In between is known as Selection Sunday on March 16 when the 68 teams will be named for the College Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, and begins the official entry period for Scuttleball – our annual hoops pool to test skills in something other than sailing.

You don’t need to know anything to participate, as people that know a lot lose every year, and there are tools within the pool platform that can fill your bracket based on data. There’s no fee to enter… details here.

This is the fifth season for SailGP, and while the sports league claims to be doing great, I can confirm that someone is spending money on promotion. We have been hammered with press releases for their Los Angeles event on March 15-16, and The Atlantic sports publication is all in too.

I recall when the America’s Cup World Series was in San Diego for a November 2011 event, and I said you had to be either arrogant or ignorant to hold an event that time of year. Same goes for March, as the conditions over that span of months tend to be feast or fathom due to storms.

California hasn’t had much of a winter, but this week has been cranky with measurable rain and excessive wind, though the weather looks to be clearing on race days. Even Larry Ellison money can’t buy that kind of luck, but my worry now is water pollution coming from the flood channels. Fingers crossed!

There will be extra eyeballs on this event as the area is also being considered for the 2028 Olympic Sailing Program. How this venue got on the table is a shocker, particularly when nearby is the 1984 Olympic sailing venue which would be so much better. After Marseille was a disaster at the 2024 Games, I pray the athletes finally get what they need for LA 2028. It’s about time!