The Broadside
The Broadside is a new feature with a certain angle of attack that we will present from time to time.
I know prominent people sometimes have to say stupid things in public. It goes with the territory. You don’t get to be rich and famous by being sensible. But we like to think that most sailing folk are immune from this affliction. Maybe not.
Ken Read is one of the most accomplished sailors on the planet (or at least in the English-speaking world). Now, out of a clear blue sky he’s suddenly emerged as the leader and front-man of a last-minute US challenge for the America’s Cup.
The outfit calls itself “American Racing Challenger Team USA”. Catchy handle, hey? “American” and “Team USA” in the same name, just in case you doubted its Stars-&-Stripes credentials. Their first media release boasted that this was “a major moment in the resurgence of American sailing on the global stage”. We get it. It’s a sort of MAGA on water.
Except that the co-founder and chairman of this effort (i.e. the moneybags) is a Czech billionaire, Karel Komárek. Not much apple pie there, comrade. But never fear. Good old Ken is there to sprinkle bulldust over the whole thing.
“The America’s Cup now isn’t considered just a billionaire’s playground”, Read says. “It’s considered a playground of success for sailing. Our goal is to make this as inclusive as possible. We want to be as much of an open book as we possibly can, because that’s the only way we’re going to help change and promote this sport. This isn’t a sailboat racing program first right now. This is a, ‘How are we going to use this to do a greater good?’”
Sure, Ken. The Cup “isn’t a sailboat racing program”? You make Donald Trump look like a bastion of truth.
The Bosun
