Change of course

How we balance that? Keeping core sailors interested and also attracting a wider audience?

We are a global and diverse sport on very different levels. With all strategies, it doesn’t matter if it’s a company or sports related, it’s about getting all the stakeholders behind something, it’s very difficult. In my view we need to be gender equal (in participation), or we will be less relevant in the future. We also know if you are more gender equal, you attract more youth.

Can you give examples where the gender situation is being turned around into a positive?

We have WOW (Women on Water) which is gaining strength, and is a great way for more women to join the sport. If you look at the drop-out rates in sailing, it’s usually around 14 years old. I know from past experience match-racing is a good way to retain female sailors. This was at a club level and the gender balance was 52 to 48 percent.

There’s also how we teach sailing.

Kids these days want to be taught differently, with a much broader grasp of the sport; they want to know about things like the environment and sustainability.

We have excellent youth programs, but they need a bit of a tweak. We have introduced eSailing [World Sailing was the first international federation to join the esports movement and hold a world championship], which is acquainting non-sailors to the sport. We are getting the sport to a bigger audience and the younger people are catching on to that. At some clubs they are putting together five or six iPads together and kids are playing on them, so they learning about things like wind angles and setting a course.

Where is most innovation happening at the club level?

New Zealand is one example. They are re-inventing the good things we have done. It’s not over-complicated, they are just doing it. In Europe there is greater involvement of women, and from my experience being Commodore of the Royal Danish Yacht Club (2007-2011) – which has its own talent centre. Italy too is emphasising youth, and clubs doing things for youth. When I went to Greece for their Sailor of the Year awards, young optimist sailors were presenting all the trophies. So, there’s so much we can do and we don’t need fancy studies to do it.

Also, when we face troubles in our sport we ask the people at the top of the leader board, and basically I think we should more questions of those toward the tail end, because without them you don’t have a fleet.

And I think while the Optimist is a super class, I think just below the Optimist we could build even more people into sailing if they have a chance of going double-handed. But sometimes I think we are fighting it (change), instead of embracing it.

I really believe it’s about gender equality, more mixed sailing and getting the grass roots growing.

As far as the Tokyo 2020 Games is concerned, there’s been some negative comments about the reduction in the number of spectators and operational restrictions in order not to upset local fishermen. How are negotiations going?

We are very confident about the venue. It’s at a club where they know how to race and put on a regatta, but of course hosting an Olympic event is a whole different thing and then at the same time we want to bring more spectators. Let’s just say the fishermen, they have a special status in Japan. They decide when it’s free for racing but we have signed off the agreement. I’m pretty sure we’ll see a good test event (17-22 August 2019 Enoshima Yacht Harbour), and you will see from the media perspective at the Olympics, new graphics and SAP analytics the best presentation of sailing so far with drones, on-board cameras.

What’s your response to criticisms that too much money is ploughed into the Olympics and not enough into the foundation and building blocks of the sport??

 I can understand the criticism because in World Sailing when we are having our annualCouncil meeting we are more or less only discussing the Olympics.

When I was elected that was one of the things I wanted to change.

If want to change it, we need a new governing model and we’ve spent the last two years constructing a new structure comprising an Olympic Council dealing with the Olympics and some Commissions dealing with Youth Development and things like that.

At this November meeting I’m moving people can vote at the AGM for a new structure; an Olympic Council and a number of Commissions working on developing youth sailing and how to encourage more women in our sport, and cross sport programs.

How do we harness for instance the surge in interest in short-handed offshore sailing as evidence by the popularity of the Vendee Globe? What about the mixed keelboat for the 2024 games?

Well we got a very clear majority at all the AGMs for pushing the (mixed two-handed) offshore event for Paris 2024 and we are discussing with the OBS (Olympic Broadcasting Service) on how it will be covered. It is actually about being a good mixed team on a double-handed boat. The equipment is secondary, which is just what is available around the world.

There is a working group that is identifying suitable equipment for fitting the standards of safety, but also being suitable for that kind of double-handed racing, which is available around the world. Let’s say maybe there are 20 or so options on that list. That list will be shown at the Mid-Year Meeting, and then until the Annual Meeting in November, we will gain feedback on any similar type boats that we didn’t know of.

So, we sail in the boats available, and then at the end of 2023, World Sailing is going to be selecting a boat for the 12 or 15 participants at the 2024 Olympics and that is going to be a boat delivered to the Games from that list.

You are a pretty handy sailor yourself; you won the Dragon European Championship in 2011 and took bronze in 2013. How often do you get out now?

 Ah it’s a little bit of a problem. Up to last year I was actively sailing the Dragon but I had to say to the guys they keep the boat but I won’t be part of it. They said ‘we need you for the Gold Cup’, (2019 Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup, at Medemblik), but unfortunately due to travel involved in this job I can’t make it.

I suppose the flip side to that is your role allows you to get a unique take on the sport. It doesn’t take sailors too long to find a class, a boat or experience in common?

Every time I travel I’m reminded that sailing is a sport you can enjoy your whole life. I was out (on Sydney Harbour) sailing Farr 40s and there was somebody onboard that I knew, but also three or four people I’d never met before. You go out, you sail around the Harbour, you do some tacks, you have some jokes and later in the bar I find out they know some of my best friends in Europe. That’s what is special about sailing.

In Denmark sailing is a big sport, and I feel that’s the case here because of your huge country. Australians are good sailors, there is generally a high standard because of the conditions. People are out enjoying the sport, there is a lot of afternoon racing, weekend racing.

It’s also important, I think, that we are open to new things. Young people are the future of our sport, and in order to stay relevant, sailing must provide a competitive product.

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This interview appeared in Issue #56 of Sails Magazine. To subscribe follow the link.