From the Feedback - 5/01/2001

What do you think of Tony Bullimore`s efforts? I think Mark Chisnell has chosen Tony Bullimore as the target to vent his spleen on rather than the greater problem ... the media. He is perfectly correct that there are far more important stories to report - at the head of the list is the fantastic performance of Ellen. However, the media still perceive sailing as an elitist sport and it is with them, not Tony Bullimore, that he should be taking up the fight. Maybe he has a "press pass" to protect, so looks to easier targets?

I am also concerned with his comments about a "professional" campaign. The Race is not the America's Cup, each boat does not represent a nation, therefore it is none of the RYA's business how the team is run. If the original qualifying requirements had been upheld, the fiasco would not have happened, so the fault is with The Race organisers, not Tony Bullimore - as Mark said, Volvo are making efforts to ensure quality, not any national body.

Finally, does Mark not remember the past? Blondie Hasler racing the Atlantic in a (modified) folkboat, Knox-Johnston's home built cruiser, Fasizi, the Lawrie Smith twin dismasting and even Team P******S. People will dream, experiment and take part in races/boats that the "experts" criticise - some work out, some don't, but it is their choice. And we Brits should applaud those that do, rather than just talk. I agree it was not a great advert for the sport, but then is Tyson for boxing? Vinnie Jones for football? McEnroe for tennis? You went for a soft target Mark, put your talents and audience contact into addressing the real problem and let's get sailing broadcast to the wider audience.

From Chris Witty,
What do you think of Tony Bullimore`s efforts? The publicity given to Tony Bullimore is because of his close call with death several years ago. And the fact that, unprofessional as he is, attempting another global race is, in the minds of Joe Public, an extraordinary achievement. The fact is that many of us aren't Joe Public and are therefore wise to Mr Bullimore's cut price approach to everything. Certainly the informed media were able to let Joe Public know (not that they read the broadsheets) that Bullimore's preparation for The Race was a complete and utter fiasco. What hasn't helped matters is the Pete Goss disaster at Team Phillips which, when compared with Bullimore's antics, shows British sailing in a very poor light.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to spend a few hours sailing aboard Club Med in October and one has to commend Grant Dalton for the superb all round job he does. No wonder he can attract the corporate dollar. He's probably the most professional yachtsman in the world today. He employs the best crew (Neal McDonald and Ed Danby amongst them), gets his act together well in advance and gives his sponsors value for money (even if it is going the wrong way up the English Channel!).

Grant is a Kiwi, raised in a small country where there are yachtsman everywhere, and good ones at that. So there isn't much money to go around, particularly when Peter Blake is your main competition. Yet Dalton has always managed to sell himself as the best all round marketing package and therefore the best investment. Goss probably comes close but fails in his folly to make things difficult when a simpler way appears obvious. Dalton's boat for The Race is conventional. Why be different? Only one boat can win.

But the individual who simply isn't getting enough mentions in the British media is Ellen MacArthur. Now the Vendee Globe really is an event, a feat of endurance, of stamina, of courage and bravery. And here she is, battling for the lead no less, half way across the southern extremities of the Pacific - on her own. This girl's exploits should be talked about every day and not just when something untoward happens Bullimore-style.