Peter Bentley is still getting in the neck...

From Denis Inman
What's your view on Amer Sports Too's performance? Susie Westmacott (Amer Sport crewwoman Emma's sister - see her reply here) has made a number of viable excuses for Amer Sports Too's lacklustre showing thus far in the Volvo Ocean Race. While a number of women have excelled as individuals in sailing, I believe that it has been proven many times over, that boats that limit their crew to only women generally do poorly.

Most of the boats that I race on are mixed crews and I prefer it that way. It makes for a better time on the boat, before, during, and after the race. Women can be great sailors and have a lot to offer. That said, in my opinion, women as a group, due to a number of reasons, many of which are beyond their control, are the still the "B team of Yacht Racing". The top men sailors need to help bring women up to the "A team" by taking a few with them on their crewed programs. There is a lot to be taught, and a lot to be learned from a woman's perspective of yacht racing.

From Gregory Kiely Annapolis, MD USA
What's your view on Amer Sports Too's performance? As someone who has gone through a co-ed boot camp at one of America's service academies, I have seen that there are women who, when put in a trying environment, will stand up and not be happy with losing because they are "smaller" or have less biological strength advantages. They are insulted if someone tries to give them a break because of these grounds, and they are there to be the best PERSON. The best woman doesn't get points and neither does the best man.

The Volvo Race is a highly competitive event where only the best of the best show up to race, and any competitor must be applauded for getting to a level this high. Yet I feel that it is fair to say a man with the experience of these women would have to perform better or they would lose their spot on the team. When all is said and done, a yacht race is a yacht race, and man, woman, child, senior citizen doesn't matter. The first hull across the line wins and the last hull loses. If they lose by one second or one week they still lost. Now, Susie Westmacott seems to be complaining an awful lot about many issues without mentioning the EXTREME bias she has. Is she a valid evaluator of fact, or is she doing her duty of backing up a family member?

Ms. Westmacott complains about stopping during a leg, yet I wonder if she would have Keith Kilpatrick stay on board his Amer Sports boat while he had a dangerous illness, or if Marcel van Triest should stay away from his family in a time of need? As for Tyco's problems, anyone who has ever raced at any level knows that to be the best you push the limits, and sometimes the limits win that battle and things break. That's yacht racing. Would she rather Tyco go into the depths of the Southern Ocean and risk a high potential for loss of equipment and loss of life for the crewmembers of the damaged boat? Anyone who competes at a high level of any activity, athletic or not, knows that at some point there are no more excuses.

You put up or shut up. In fairness, it is only leg two and the women as of now seem to be trying something new compared to the rest of the fleet, so we should say the verdict is still out. Let us revisit this when they get through the next southern ocean leg, and up to America when the race will at least be half way over. Then, the performance of all boats can be fairly judged. Things happen out there, and two legs is not a fair indicator. It gives us a good idea of the situation as those like illbruck seem to be at or near the top most of the time, but by leg five who is to say that they might have troubles of their own?

I personally do not see an advantage to being a male in the sport I have done at the highest levels in my short 21 years of life, but I have not been out in the Southern Ocean yet. For now, I say good luck to all of the crews, but again, the winner is the winner, and the loser is the loser and that is all that matters in this game.

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