Actions and Consequences

Mark Chisnell reflects as Team Philips makes its way, solo, across the North Atlantic

The weakness to the pod could have been discovered in a year's time on a trans-Atlantic run, after the boat had spent the summer doing 24-hour record run attempts, and wowing the world at everything from the America's Cup Jubilee regatta to the Volvo Ocean Race start. At that stage, an abandonment such as this wouldn't have been a commercial disaster. The boat would have already paid back the investment of sports marketing bucks.

But perhaps Goss didn't even have to pull out of The Race - a more canny operator might have chosen to protect Team Philips through to the start of The Race, to nurse her as far as the South Atlantic, before making their excuses and bolting into Cape Town. In which case, it could've been 'spun' as enough of a success for everyone to have got out, reputation's intact, and a glorious summer tour of the Channel and Mediterranean organised.

Such Machiavellian tactics are not Pete Goss' style - which is largely why he's so admired. Goss chose to go for it and he bet the pot - much as he has all along. That's his nature, and we shouldn't be surprised. It's not about sailing, he liked to tell us, it's about daring to dream.

Unfortunately, it was about sailing. It was about boats and their structures and engineering, how they work and interact with the environment and the crew. It was also about a concept that required the very best brains and experience the sailing world could throw at it to make it work.

As Club Med and PlayStation have discovered, there are enough problems involved in just scaling up to this size technology that's already known to work. Designers of the calibre of Gilles Ollier, and Morrelli and Melvin have had plenty on wrestling with this difficulty alone - but Goss wanted to do all that and more.

And so the comparison with Ellen MacArthur is significant. Three years ago both were 'daring to dream' - Ellen of the Vendee Globe, Goss of The Race. Ellen chose to surround herself with the cream of the grand prix, professional and Olympic scene as designers, advisors and coaches. But Pete Goss chose ... well, for one he chose for his lightweight multi-hull, a crew replete with the experience of sailing heavy mono-hulls the wrong way round the world.

Ellen accepted the limitations of her own experience, knowledge and ability, and had the instinct to look to the best people for help in realising her dream. Right now, Ellen is running with the front pack in the Vendee, competing on a level with the very best solo sailors in the world. While Pete Goss has four days on a container ship to reflect on the choices and decisions he made.