From the Feedback - 17/12/00

We'll be publishing the choicest moments from the stuff you send us - but each contribution may or may not be subjected to a rigorous process of editing for language, taste and imparted wisdom. And of course, as they so famously say at the start of anything like this, the opinions expressed in From the Feedback do not necessarily reflect those of the management, staff or investors of madforsport.com. Instead, and much more importantly, they reflect your views.

From Andy Nicholson,
What`s your view - should Pete Goss have been out there? Over the past few weeks the Pete Goss and Team Phillips race for The Race has been an enthralling one. I've been logging onto the various websites several times a day and reading the diverse reports and comments. This is something that has really stirred the yachting community up - and for that single point I think the whole exercise has been worthwhile. Was the design too radical? Was the build up to scratch? Were the time constraints too demanding? Was Pete Goss and his team up to racing the boat? How much more support can Phillips give? Where is the boat now and what condition is it in!!

Pete Goss has undoubtedly captured the imagination of the public with this boat. His ability to put into words that everyone can understand, the complexities of this sort of sailing is a real talent. However, this frustrates me immensely. Why can't we ever get his sort of funding across the whole sport - Olympic sponsorship, event sponsorship, the Volvo Ocean Race, Admiral's Cup and the much-hyped British America's Cup challenge. To the mass media in the UK, sailing remains "Bullimore rescued in the Southern Ocean", "British Steel fleet snap in half" and "Team Philips abandoned".

If sailing continues down the adventure story route we are in danger of forever losing the chance to get coverage and sponsorship into the top flight of our sport. The lesson to learn from this is not about Team Philips the boat, but Team Philips the media product, and how we can all improve to Goss' standard, attracting more media coverage and money into the sport.

From Peter Halliwell,
Could the Team Philips boat have been expected to survive such conditions? The more one hears of the project, the more bizarre it appears. Their design guru made some interesting remarks about not depending on computer modelling vis a vis "gut engineering experience" in New Civil Engineer, in connection with the famous wobbling bridge. Film of other "wave piercing" vessels show that if the boat doesn't rise to the waves, waves will pass over it - so one would have hoped that the boat had been designed so that the pod was as seaworthy as the hulls.

One would also have expected that a risk management strategy would have included damaged steering gear, both from one end of the chain - we can't steer the boat, so what do we do; and the other - how do we ensure that the gear won't be damaged if the pod is damaged.

I'm only a simple civil engineer, but I know that there is a mass of data on wave heights and frequencies in the North Atlantic. It would appear prudent to me to have taken this into account, and identified the critical conditions when the pod would be subjected to loads through wave immersion. Having said that, the Managing Director of an eminent mast making firm told me, a few years ago now, that they could design very accurately for known stresses. But there was considerable ignorance on dynamic loadings - when your superyacht hit a big wave, and the hull tried to stop whilst the rig not only wanted to go on, but was also loaded up by higher wind loading because the hull was not driven as easily as it had been.

So, yes, it could have been expected to remain manageable in such conditions, even if not competitive ... of course with the wing mast, like dinghies with fully battened sails, the **** thing won't stop.

From Matt Critchely,
What do you think about Goss` actions? Whilst I think that Mark Chisnell generally talks a lot of sense, I disagree with his sentiments on this issue. He states that "Pete Goss' call to abandon Team Philips ... no less a hazard to shipping than to its skipper's reputation" and, "a more canny operator might have chosen to protect Team Philips through to ... the South Atlantic, before making their excuses ..."

As an ex-Royal Marine, Pete's dedication and ruthless single-mindedness, coupled with a sense of pragmatism, has maintained the highest traditions of his Service, and if anything could serve him well in the future! He goes on to talk about a commercial disaster. Again, I would have to disagree; just recall the PR coup that Jamesons had after the Irish Admiral's Cupper had been run aground several years ago. The marketing potential in Pete's misfortune, like the Irish boat's incident, cannot be underestimated. I would guess that in terms of headline news in the daily papers for a week or so, together with TV bulletins, would have paid back the marketing department of Philips several times over!

Granted that the glory of winning The Race would have been a better way of repaying your sponsors, but generally good always comes out of adversity. Not that I am suggesting for one moment that Pete would have been so irresponsible as to deliberately engineer this situation. As Mark rightly states, the whole crew had four days of reflection before facing the media, but hindsight is a marvellous thing! Rest assured, that all seven men will come out of this experience stronger as a result.

Philips bases its marketing around innovation and has correctly identified that as a major feature of Goss' latest challenge, and the spin-off for average sailors, in terms of design and manufacture within the sailing industry, is without measure. Without the likes of Goss and Team Philips, there would be little in the way of progress within our sport - and wouldn't that be dull! Goss and his team should be given our utmost admiration for all that they have attempted. Just my thoughts!

From Matt Warren,
Anyone for the MX Ray`s brand of downhill thrills? When sailed with experience - which you would have to gain on any craft as different as this - I have reached close to 28 knots in about 12-15 mph of wind. I agree that upwind is a bit tricky, but again I have to say that sailing her for more than just a demo will bring the skill that it takes to pass Lasers and Bytes. One of the tricks is to know that it will not point as high - so bear off a little. You might have to tack more but you will "get them" on speed. Also try moving yourself forward on a beat to gain more waterline. I watched the Ronstan promotional video "Awesome Aussie 18s" for technique, and have picked up a few tricks. Remember, practice and dedication to learning a boat will bring the rewards of being able to "snuff" a Laser or "burn" a Byte. Especially one as "wiggy" as an MX Ray or Aussie 18 Foot Skiff, International 14, 49er or 29er - not to mention the International Canoe or the incredible Moth.