An open letter to Richard Brisius and Johan Salen – organisers of the Ocean Race
From Barry Pickthall – journalist and yachting historian
Pricey Richard and Johan
What is going on inside the Ocean Race organisation? Your PR assist for the media is appalling, the Ocean Race site is falling down and simply this week your staff points a press launch re-writing the historical past of the primary Whitbread Around the World Race
Let’s begin together with your PR assist. I emailed your press workplace on 10th November asking for assist compiling a definitive record of multi-crew circumnavigators, particularly those that accomplished all legs within the final two Volvo Ocean Races.
No response.
I persevered, however your press officer, clearly a graduate from the ‘Don’t know, Don’t care, Don’t trouble me’ faculty of PR, failed at each stage regardless of gaining access to a complete library of books protecting all earlier races that you just inherited from Volvo. I do know, as a result of I co-wrote six of them, together with Crusing Legends, an entire historical past of this as soon as nice occasion to mark its 40th Anniversary.
Maybe she tried to entry the knowledge from the Ocean Race web site as a substitute of strolling over to the bookshelves. Fats likelihood. An evaluation of the Ocean Race web site uncovers at least 49-page breaks inside the historical past pages alone.
This lack of curiosity stems from the highest. I despatched a request asking if each of you could possibly no less than affirm the circumnavigators inside the crews you sailed with throughout earlier Whitbread Races. Johan responded inside 7 days, however 4 months on we nonetheless await the Brisius record of circumnavigators aboard the Whitbread 60 yacht Brooksfield!
The Worldwide Affiliation of Cape Horners has now revealed an 1,850-strong record of multi-crew circumnavigators https://www.capehorners.membership/most important/roundingsregister.php
The unfinished entries listed in purple stand as a damning indictment to the dearth of curiosity the Ocean Race organisers have in regard to the Race historical past. It may well solely be hoped that this critique will alert these forgotten Whitbread and Volvo Race veterans to register their well-earned achievements themselves.
And now to your press launch issued on 11th March spotlighting the pioneers who organised and competed within the first Whitbread Race again in 1973. https://www.theoceanrace.com/en/information/13000_The-French-Connection-Collection-in-The-Ocean-Race-part-1-The-pioneers-of-the-crewed-round-the-world-race.html
Was this an try and re-write historical past or just a mirrored image of the identical sloppy understanding of the good race you have got inherited? Listed here are a couple of misnomers
You accredit Sir Francis Chichester and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston as those who first considered the thought of a multi-crew yacht race across the World.
Flawed.
That accolade goes to Anthony Churchill, the writer of the British journal Seahorse, and publicist Man Pearce who first revealed a pamphlet concerning the proposed occasion through the 1971 Cowes Week. Unable to lift sponsorship, the 2 handed their race format and a listing of potential entries to the Royal Naval Crusing Affiliation which already had the Whitbread Brewery as an celebration.
Chichester could effectively have been consulted – in any case, he had been sponsored personally by Col. Sam Whitbread throughout his solo one-stop circumnavigation in 1977/8 – however your author is confused between your race and the 1968/9 Sunday Occasions Golden Globe Race the place Chichester grew to become Chairman of the Race Jury. Sir Robin Knox-Johnston gained that race – he was the only finisher – changing into the primary to sail solo continuous all over the world in his yacht Suhaili. Knox-Johnston didn’t turn into concerned with the Whitbread race till the second occasion in 1977 when he co-skippered the British maxi yacht Heath’s Condor.
One other main error considerations Eric Tabarly and his 73ft Andre Mauric designed maxi yacht Pen Duick VI. Sure, they competed within the 1973 Whitbread however not with a spent uranium keel. That concern occurred through the second Whitbread in 1977/8. Pen Duick was disqualified for not having a legitimate ranking certificates (due to the keel) and was solely allowed to proceed the leg round Cape Horn to Rio after Knox-Johnston petitioned the Race Organisers to permit Tabarly to race as an unofficial entry. For the final leg again to Portsmouth Pen Duick competed for a non-public wager in opposition to Knox-Johnston’s Heath Condor which gained the guess by 100 miles.
It could be comprehensible if this slap-happy strategy was all the way down to an absence of cash. It should be arduous to function with out the numerous thousands and thousands of Euros as soon as offered by Volvo. However then once more with no title sponsor in place and simply 10 months to the beginning in January 2023 the query must be requested: Will the Ocean Race occur in any respect?
I hope it does, however to many observers, the 2 of you’re looking more and more like Emperors with out garments.
Barry Pickthall
