A meeting of minds

Goran Peterson, President of ISAF, opened the debate revisiting the decision to exclude multihulls from the 2012 Olympics, with a strong statement.

I quote: "First let me say I deeply regret the divide this debate has caused in ISAF and the sailing community.

It was not an easy decision in November 2007 and it will not be an easy decision today. I don't want to lose the multihull from the Olympic Program, nor the windsurfer, nor the keelboat. In fact I don't want to say goodbye to any event or class.

But ISAF has been requested by the IOC to reduce the events by one for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition. So one group was always going to be disappointed. However, no event is in or out of the Olympics forever."

He also went on to say a few other things, that don't seem to be the subject of the formal press release. I don't hold with personal attacks, or with unsigned poison pen blogs, but publicly stated opinions by individuals (irrespective of the role they play in life) is a fundamental right in all democratic societies.

It would seem unfair to label such as being disloyal to the sport of sailing. Things said in the heat of the moment easily get misinterpreted!

But enough carping. The multihull community at large has taken Council's actions positively and I look forward to the next debate. Hopefully the next vote will not be of the sort that gave my colleague Zvi Ziblatt apoplexy - shrouded as it was in secrecy.

The council then went on to debate whether or not a multihull was a dinghy. Seriously! I not just writing this to fill the page! This was occasioned by a submission from Oman - they see their future, for better or for worse, as multihull specialists.

Well finally ISAF decided that it wasn't. I've looked it up; apparently the word dinghy is Hindi for a small boat. I guess all small boats should therefore be dinghies? But then that didn't really suit the purpose.

Oh, Alice. Where were you when we needed you in Wonderland? After this, anything seemed possible.

I was at the conference with Abdulla Al Obaidly, who happened to be sitting in the chair at the Council meeting so that he could learn a little more about the role of a council member.

We couldn't have picked a worse time as by the end of the day he was totally confused - as were many of the observers. One particularly long debate went on over ‘what is a conflict of interest'. The Arab world has a particularly novel concept of what is the role of a Council member.

Before I was involved in the position it was held by an Egyptian, who thought it was an opportunity to go shopping and enjoy the trappings of glory. Abdulla soon found out differently and was exhausted at the close of play.

Later that evening we dined at the expense of the Chinese Sailing Federation and Rolex, a long time supporter of sailing. It was a magnificent evening for the Council and their friends.

Entertainment was provided by traditional Chinese dancers changing twenty face masks in as many seconds - reminding me of a financial adviser I used to know.

The next morning we did a tour of the splendid new Olympic Regatta facilities at the end of the bay, and were there at the start of the International Federation of Disabled Sailing event.

The way these less able-bodied sailors get around on a boat is incredible. It certainly made an ‘able bodied' sailor feel humble - though some may argue about my qualification as a sailor!

Meanwhile, back at the conference we find ISAF has a problem with the Olympics; it contributes not only some eight million dollars to the coffers over four years, but it also encourages Governments and sponsors worldwide to fork out about half a billion dollars to their sailors. That's serious money!

The problem is that most sailors don't sail Olympic class boats and don't have Olympic aspirations. ISAF has some good events that need developing and one that needs sorting out.

The round-the-world races and long passage races, like the Sydney Hobart, draw both participants and competitors like a magnet.

Match racing is another great draw, however the shenanigans of Bertarelli and Ellison in the America's Cup arena are not doing it much good. The President remarked that ISAF may have to get involved.

Though normally that would cause me a sharp intake of breath, on this occasion I agree. Run professionally these events, along with the proposed World Cup, could swell the coffers and enable the ISAF to take a less emotional view of the Olympics.

Talking of the Olympics, we met with Alistair Fox, ISAF's new Event Manager. Affable and enthusiastic he gave us a good hearing over the UAE securing an unallocated quota position in the Beijing Olympics. It's an excellent opportunity for both ISAF and the UAE to raise the level of awareness of sailing in the Arab world.

Meanwhile our intrepid Adel Mohammed Al Bastaki is back in Europe training his heart out. All things being equal he'll make it to the Olympic regatta and if I know Adel, he'll kill to get a good result.

Barrie Harmsworth has been sailing since boyhood. His first voyage was with Captain Cook and together they discovered Australia. Having been involved with all aspects of sailing in the U.A.E for longer than he is prepared to admit, he brings his unique slant to what is happening in the world of Sailing and the activities of the International Sailing Federation.

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