Another Trophy for Ashby
You may have seen Emirates Team New Zealand sailing director Glenn Ashby in a different sailing uniform helping another sailing team in another regatta over the weekend.
There is no need for alarm- Glenn had been called on by an old mate and Extreme Sailing series champion Leigh McMillian, to fill a gap and help get his Sultanate of Oman crew up to speed in their first regatta on the GC32 circuit.
“I have known Leigh for a long time, since about 2003, and have been good mates since about 2005. He and his crew Will Howden were our training Partners in the lead up to the Beijing Olympics on the Tornado catamaran. We did a lot of racing against each other and training in the years leading up to Beijing and then competed against each other at the 2008 games for our respective countries,” said Ashby.
“I have also spent many years racing against Leigh in the Extreme Sailing Series and more recently at the Moth Worlds, and he is not bad on the barbie for a Pom either “
It’s a friendship built on mutual respect and competitiveness, which obviously is a good a foundation as any, proven by the fact they comfortably won the GC32 Austria Cup on Lake Traunsee having never sailed together and with next to no practice before racing started.
“I only sailed for one and a half hours on the boat before the start of the regatta.
The GC32 Austria Cup was the first time that we have actually sailed and raced together after all these years of effectively racing against each other so we had a great time and a few laughs along the way, which was great. I think after all these years it was probably a good thing for both of us to sail together for a change, “ explained Ashby.
“Leigh is an exceptionally talented multihull helmsman in various classes and certainly knows how to keep a catamaran sailing fast. Combined with his long time Extreme 40 crew of Peter and Nassar and the inclusion of Alistair Richardson, who is also a top bloke and super handy skiff and Americas Cup wing trimmer, I felt that as a mixed group we adapted very quickly to the different roles on the boat and could cover each other well.”
Covering each other well is a vital element sailing on the foiling 32 foot catamarans where, like the America’s Cup yachts things happen ultra fast, there is minimal time to plan manoeuvres and think about racing scenarios, you just need to have each others backs.
“The GC32 racing was great fun and in my opinion very relevant to the AC45 sailing and cup sailing in the future with reaching starts and very similar courses. The racing situations that arise are similar and the foiling aspect adds the 3rd dimension to the boat which makes for challenging trimming, timing and boat handling, all of which I really enjoy,” is how Ashby happily summed up the benefits of his time as part of the Sultanate of Oman crew.
“For me personally, it was a breath of fresh air to be able to put the racing hat back on after some time off the water and actually remind myself why we go sailing. Sometimes when caught up in the big bad world of the Americas Cup, it is nice to escape and clear the head and simply try and keep the woollies on the jib flowing together and just tack when it flaps.”
Photo Credit: Guilian GRENIER | BULLITT GC32 RACING TOUR