Keeping the passion alive

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
An internet search for 6500 comes up with answers such as a cool, bluish-white color temperature for light bulbs, an Apple computer from the late 90s, and a long-range business jet known for luxury and performance. I didn’t expect to see 6500th edition of the Scuttlebutt newsletter, yet that’s where we are.

We weren’t too organized in the beginning, as the online archives start at Issue 194, with the lead story reporting how big wind on the final day of the 1998 Star North Americans battered the fleet:
— 6 broken masts
— 2 sheared off booms
— 3 completely swamped boats
— 2 men overboard
— 1 exploded mainsail
— 10 or more busted vangs, shrouds, etc. and lots and lots of breaches, broaches, knockdowns, spills & thrills but NO INJURIES!

John MacCausland and Phil Trinter won that race, and since Stars like big crew, it was Issue 1630 that told the story of how Phil played football for Indiana University. When they won the 2013 Star World Championship (photo above), Issue 3918 had the news.

Since 1997, Scuttlebutt has been sharing stories about the sport. When you report on the sport for that long, spending each day looking at the activity, you see a lot more than race results. You see how the sport is changing, and Issue 5551 shared these observations:

• When the cost in time and money to participate exceeds the pleasurable benefit, people seek alternative activities.
• Better isn’t always best, as the natural inclination for improvement slowly eliminates those that choose not to chase the rising bar.
• We are capable of evolving toward extinction.

That report, The State of the Sport in 2020, still resonates today.

Putting out this newsletter for nearly 30 years has as much to do with caring for the sport as it does just showing up. With great sponsor support for 2026, I will be showing up again this year, and hopefully you will too. Scuttlebutt began as a passion project, and it is our readership that keeps the passion alive. Thanks!