Bring on the young 'uns

Thursday 1 July 2010, 15:30 GMT

Words: David Schmidt

Many a junior sailor who has experienced the rush of a high-performance dinghy has dreamed of breaking into sailing's grand prix. For some it's the America's Cup, others the Olympics. But, for those who become mesmerized by the magic of distance racing and the allure of ‘chucking a lap' on the world's fastest monohulls, one experience trumps all.

Earning a berth on a Volvo Open 70 requires a combination of outstanding sailing abilities, a multi- faceted skill set and a pinch of luck, as most sailing programmes don't train young sailors for high- end ocean racing. For the most part, individuals must create their own opportunities.

Fortunately for younger sailors who dream of standing watch at 40-plus knots in the howling latitudes of the Southern Ocean, new rules for the 2011-12 edition mandate at least three crew per boat to be born after 1 September 1980, to contain team payroll costs and to develop tomorrow's veterans.

The concept of involving younger sailors isn't new. In the 1993-94 edition of what was then The Whitbread, an English skipper named Matthew Humphries took the helm of the Dolphin & Youth campaign, leading a crew consisting of disabled and young sailors with an average age of just 23.

At 22, Humphries was the youngest skipper in the history of the race, but he already had round-the-world experience, having sailed aboard With Integrity in the 1989-1990 race when he was just 18. While Dolphin & Youth suffered a dismasting and serious bow delamination, the team fought hard to the finish and successfully completed the race. But, how important a role did stamina and youth play? "Ask any university student who can party half the night and still work the next day," Humphries told the London-based newspaper, The Independent, during the race.

Prior to the 2005-06 edition, race organisers announced a new design, the Volvo Open 70, to replace the Whitbread/Volvo 60s. The new rules stated that each team could build as many boats as they chose, with the caveat that each boat must be raced. Dutch entry ABN AMRO assembled a top-notch campaign and built two boats. The idea blossomed that the team staff their second- generation boat, ABN AMRO ONE, with race veterans and man their first-generation boat, ABN AMRO TWO, with ‘kids', hoping to capture both overall victory and fantastic media attention. The oldest sailor aboard the ‘kid's boat', the late Hans Horrevoets, was just 31 at the November 2005 start, and the team's skipper, Sébastien Josse, was 30.

"It was one hundred per cent the coolest thing I've ever done," said George Peet, a trimmer aboard ABN AMRO TWO. Peet became enamoured with the Volvo when he was 12 or 13 and The Whitbread was on television. "I was intrigued that guys raced 60- foot sailboats around the world," said Peet. "I knew the Volvo was something I had to do."

In reaching this goal at such a young age, however, he met formidable hurdles: experience and versatility. Peet benefitted from ABN AMRO's unique tryout structure in which they sought to fill two onboard positions from each of the regions in which they do business.

"This was fortunate for me because some of the sailors from other countries were better than I was," said Peet. In total, some 1,800 sailors applied for 10 coveted spots, and the select few were given the opportunity to train with race veterans and eventually compete against them.

The plan worked. ABN AMRO ONE achieved a soaring victory, and ‘the kids' became media darlings with a captivating storyline. In addition, ABN AMRO TWO set the 24-hour monohull distance record, 563 miles, which stood for three years.

"There was a level of energy and willpower that one only rarely finds in a crew," said Josse. "The guys always wanted to go faster, they couldn't get enough!" Sailors on other boats also noted this youthful enthusiasm. "They were clearly having a great time," said Ken Read, skipper of PUMA's il mostro in 2008-09 and a crewmember on Ericsson in the final four legs of the 2005-06 race. "Everyone left thinking that it could have been a boring race without ‘the kids.'"

Drawing on the success of the ABN AMRO TWO project, the rules required each boat to have two crewmembers less than 30 years of age on board for 2008- 09. Read's crew included three: Michi Mueller (GER), Shannon Falcone (ANT) and Casey Smith (AUS), each of whom made significant contributions.

"When you give the right kid the chance," said Read, "and place him with nurturing veterans who will take him under their wing, that rookie will become a veteran in days, not years." Despite Mueller's obvious skills, says Read, "he never would have had a chance to get on the boat without the rule."

Rome Kirby, 20, grew up around America's Cup and Volvo campaigns. "I learned about boatbuilding and rigging. During my senior year of high school, I needed an internship to graduate. Kenny Read told me to come and work for him. I trained with PUMA and got certified as a medic." This internship gave him the opportunity to experience a professional offshore sailing programme, and to serve on PUMA's reserve bench as a back- up pitman. But, most importantly, he learned a crucial lesson that applies to all would-be Volvo sailors: versatility is paramount. "To sail in the Volvo you've got to bring something else to the table," said Kirby.

While dreams and opportunity play a key role in determining the next generation of Volvo sailors, Kirby, Peet and Read also point to the importance of having indispensable non-sailing skills. Since Volvo boats must be self-sustaining while offshore, each sailor is tasked with areas of responsibility such as sailmaking, boatbuilding, hydraulics, rigging, or medical, in addition to their on- deck duties. Having these skills in advance makes a huge difference when it comes to team selection. "Another key," adds Josse, "is to gain experience in the classic ocean races such as the Sydney- Hobart or the Fastnet and get used to big and powerful boats, in full-on conditions, and get fit to cope with it."

For young sailors who have the dream, the ability, a multi-faceted resumé and a bit of luck, the under 30 rule offers an opportunity that will define their lives. Likewise, the rule also nourishes the race with new blood, fresh ideas and vitality. Youth, after all, is the lifeblood of all things.