Cowes to Monte-Carlo 2013

[willh]

You guessed right John.

[Jon Fuller]

Your Revenger is still lurking round, after a long holiday in Spain (Brian Pelham took it out there when he scarpered).

[willh]

Blimey that's lasted well. Don't make them like that anymore. Looks like we swoped places. Live in Mallorca now.

[wss]

Originally Posted by Mike Lloyd

Very commendable but foolhardy and naive. I cannot and will not be associated with this particular project (there is another in the wings) all the time it is associated with the RYA and the UIM.
ML.
.

The RYA have done there bit time for a new way

NEW TIMES NEED NEW WAYS

[Mike Lloyd]

Originally Posted by Guy41

I believe Offshore racing has never really made it to the mainstream - because it has always primarily been a competitor sport rather than a spectator sport.

The nearest it came was perhaps the Daily Express Cowes-Torquay and CTC races of the 60s and 70s and the Guernsey powerboat weeks of the 80s.

Most of the Joe public spectator appeal was I suspect due to very loud engine noise rather than a true interest in powerboat racing.

There is a lot of interesting initiative on this site regarding possible new directions for the sport (including from WSS and now ML?)

From the 100,000 plus views on this thread- “ultra marathon events” are very popular and not just from the detractors and and putters down.

Clearly an event such as CTM exists because it is one of the ultimate competitors' events- with good marketing it could be made a good spectator event too- but like those classic events from Cowes and Guernsey- a moderately large entry must be secured. (Everybody knows this)

A key to this will be a policy of inclusion rather than exclusion – this is where politics, personalities and organizing bodies raise their ugly head.

An organizing national authority basically supposed to provide a framework under which an event is organized – with the intention of making things as safe as reasonably practicable including;, setting minimum technical standards for boats and engines (through racing rules and scrutineers insections) and setting minimum standards for drivers and crew through licencing and medicals

- unfortunately some national authorities have grown to administer and enforce more and more restrictions, ultimately leading to exclusion-

Perhaps it is now time to replace over regulation with common sense, reasonableness and good seamanship .

This could mean handing many responsibilities back to the competitors and away from the authorities?

All of us in charge of a vessel on an international voyage have clearly defined duties and responsibilities under international law. As long as these are observed- there is no reason why we cannot make passages to previously defined destinations at the best possible speed. (i.e. a multi stage voyage to Nice for example?)

Mike- I echo many here in thanking you for your efforts to date- and eagerly await details of what is "in the wings"

Guy

Thanks Guy, Willh (a fellow Revenger man!) and wss for your kind comments, very much appreciated. You will have to wait a week or two while I clear up the residue of the CMC, the wolves are gathering there, before I turn my attention to what is waiting to be developed "in the wings".

Also, there's a great short story to be told about the development, trials and tribulations of the CMC over the last two years. When I get around to writing that all the grisly stories are going to come out and then some. It's going to be fun writing. I might need a good lawyer!
ML.
.

[blimp]

Guy 41 - just some quick thoughts on the matter of Marathon racing being/becoming a spectator sport. As you say, the number of views this thread has had indicates that there's clearly an appetite within the powerboat community, but the mainstream is a different matter entirely.

Anyone that's heard me drone on ad nauseum over the past while knows where I stand on the absolute need for powerboat racing to embrace mainstream and to position much of what it does very firmly 'out there'. Despite what some might think, this is more a mindset change than something that requires oodles of cash. Simple appropriate planning is all that's really needed - budget is of course grateful but isn't the key driver. Let me give you an example to demonstrate...

The Saturday before this great race was due to, or will, take place it could be possible to organise (in conjunction with Southampton City Council and Tourism stakeholders) to organise a parade, through the city centre, of the boats on their trailers, with the crews on their boats. The teams get public recognition, the media get some great stories/pictures, the city gets a good news story, and the event gets publicity (which should encourage more to come across to Cowes for the start). So ...everybody seems to win, and there isn't a requirement for a hefty budget.

As for the spectator-friendly nature of things, I'd have to say a tempered 'yes'. The tempering is due to the fact that it's limited to when and where spectators can see and hear the boats .....which in the case of this race is only at start and finish points. That's perfectly fine ....just look at the Volvo Ocean Race (and they only have 6 boats).

Instead of 'spectator-friendly' it needs to be thought of, and planned to be, 'consumer-friendly' ...which is a different thing entirely on some levels. People can 'consume' events from their sofa, rather than on the quayside, and that's where the big play is ....for organisers, media, race teams, sponsors and for the mainstream.

We were at a big event during the Summer for sports property holders and one guy who ran, I think, an American football team was moaning about not being able to get people off their sofas and into his stadium. He was looking at this the wrong way around. Yes, you need to spend time figuring out how to get people to your event, but (with an ever increasing importance) you need to flip that and figure out how to get your event to your audience ....wherever they might be.

We'd done a lot of work around this for the event. Hopefully, at some stage, we might get the chance to demonstrate it.

[Catweazle]

Originally Posted by Guy41

I believe Offshore racing has never really made it to the mainstream - because it has always primarily been a competitor sport rather than a spectator sport.

The nearest it came was perhaps the Daily Express Cowes-Torquay and CTC races of the 60s and 70s and the Guernsey powerboat weeks of the 80s.

Most of the Joe public spectator appeal was I suspect due to very loud engine noise rather than a true interest in powerboat racing.

There is a lot of interesting initiative on this site regarding possible new directions for the sport (including from WSS and now ML?)

From the 100,000 plus views on this thread- “ultra marathon events” are very popular and not just from the detractors and and putters down.

Clearly an event such as CTM exists because it is one of the ultimate competitors' events- with good marketing it could be made a good spectator event too- but like those classic events from Cowes and Guernsey- a moderately large entry must be secured. (Everybody knows this)

A key to this will be a policy of inclusion rather than exclusion – this is where politics, personalities and organizing bodies raise their ugly head.

An organizing national authority basically supposed to provide a framework under which an event is organized – with the intention of making things as safe as reasonably practicable including;, setting minimum technical standards for boats and engines (through racing rules and scrutineers insections) and setting minimum standards for drivers and crew through licencing and medicals

- unfortunately some national authorities have grown to administer and enforce more and more restrictions, ultimately leading to exclusion-

Perhaps it is now time to replace over regulation with common sense, reasonableness and good seamanship .

This could mean handing many responsibilities back to the competitors and away from the authorities?

All of us in charge of a vessel on an international voyage have clearly defined duties and responsibilities under international law. As long as these are observed- there is no reason why we cannot make passages to previously defined destinations at the best possible speed. (i.e. a multi stage voyage to Nice for example?)

Mike- I echo many here in thanking you for your efforts to date- and eagerly await details of what is "in the wings"

Guy

Gets my vote

[Mike Lloyd]

A final word.

Many thanks to Jon Fuller for starting this thread two years ago from a meeting we had in Guildford and to Dean Gibbs who gave me his Entry Fee roundabout the same time. By Dean committing with his full entry fee at the time I naturally thought we would have many racers willing to do the same!

Many thanks to all of the volunteers who were helping stitch the race together and in particular to Shirley Nellthorpe, Sally Windsor and of course my long suffering wife Jules. To Aidan Foley who had to put up with my daily phone calls and to Alan Goodwin for his companionship during our 10 day visit to all Spanish & Portuguese venues this year and who had to suffer my erratic driving on the roads in Spain & Portugal in the dark early mornings. It has been traumatic, very expensive personally to all of us, fascinating and very interesting. We have met a huge number of people and we have had to work many thousands of unpaid hours.

Was it worth it, yes of course? The race caught the imagination of thousands including myself. I think this type of long distance endurance racing is the stuff of legend and there is still a desire for it among a selected few. The race could probably have been run 10 years ago but obviously not right now in the current economic climate. I doubt very much if it will ever run again as there are too many forces at work preventing those who want this type of adventure from taking place.

I guess it’s a return to a normal life once again without powerboats. Which my wife will be mighty pleased with.
ML.
.