Slick as Shoeby

James Boyd speaks to Team Tyco's skipper about the Volvo and his America's Cup plans

mfs: Would it still be good value for sponsors?

KS: It's still really good value for money this event. There's no question. If you look at the time it goes over and the exposure it gets in the countries it covers. So do you keep the price low enough and keep it commercially viable or do you just go for it and hope you get the AC type boys involved. I have no idea what the answer is to that.

I don't think the costs would rocket if we went bigger: You might find them going up 25-30%. The problem we're dealing with now is the salary thing. The bar has been raised because of Cup campaigns.

mfs: Where will it all end with the salaries?

KS: I've been in this sport a long time, so I don't have anything against the guys making money. I don't have a problem with that, but the salaries are now about one third of the project and the Cup stuff is a bit more than that. As a generalisation you make more money on the Cup that you do in the Volvo.

But you do a round the world race like this and there are a lot of other things driving you to do it, so it is not the sort of thing you'd hop on and do for money - 125 days stuck on a Volvo 60 is not a walk in the park...

mfs: In the past you've express more than a passing interest in getting a big cat. Is that likely to happen?

KS: It's going to be hard, especially because The Race has come almost a year too early. For anyone to be serious about it, they've got to be doing it now. I've got other commitments with the America's Cup for the next year and then some on-going stuff with Tyco, so it's not going to work out just yet, but that is something I'd definitely like to do.

mfs: So it's not over with Tyco?

KS: We're going to finish up here and put the boats in England. They're not going to be sold. And we're going to do our own thing for the summer. A couple of the guys are doing Cup stuff and we'll see how we go after that.

mfs: Are the days past when sponsors stay in for more than one race?

KS: Merit Cup are the only one who kept coming up. I think sponsors and teams are becoming much more aware nowadays that there needs to be some sort of on-going programme once they formulate these teams because the sport is getting more professional - you've got to hang on to your good people. And now there are these Cup teams talking about being in for two hits straight away. Illbruck nearly did it, but didn't quite. That sort of mentality is the way I think these teams will go in the end if they want to be competitive.

If you get in and do the first time, you know you're going to be a whole lot better the second time. It's the same with car racing, it's the same with anything. It will be good for us all too because we've never had job security in our lives.

Shoebe discusses the America's Cup and his part in it on page 5...