On TP 52s and the Sport of Kings
This is awfully confusing. We have
SA calling the TP52 the premier big boat, and Frank calling them a complete ripoff and a farce. Maybe if Frank would cite some facts and figures (as opposed to wild theories and incomprehensible associations) he might earn a little credibility. But perhaps that has been suggested already...
Frank, try starting with this picture. What do we see here that would indicate this is the start of anything other than a premier keel-boat race?
It was the defacto creation of a legal monopoly by the King of England for the East India Trading Company, that sparked Boston Tea Parties on the east coast of the Americas. Corporate influence, campaign finance and cultures of corruption are directly related.Thanks to the crew, sponsors and owners of Pirates for this insight.
Objections to TP52s in the Americas stems from undo influence on design by kings and those who make themselves out to be kings (multi national corporate executives). The fact that a designer recently created a TP52 that met all the rules and still was not allowed to race illustrates.
We in the US suffer by a decline of 1000 sailors a year to the sport. The reason is that this sport is viewed as a sport of kings, and seriously our nation is not about supporting kings. We look to de-elite the sport.
Lets continue because I think we are ready to impart more mighetto-ism.
The sport has duck dodged this issue for two long. I speak as a US patriot now.
You do not have kings with out slaves or their equivalent. In our sport, slaves are created by a system of patronage which exists owing to a culture of fools, also known as a culture of silence, and culture of corruption. In our sport the kings are multi-national corporate executives and the race game is played this way.
Keep your mouth shut - like a proper slave - and one day you will crew on - or design - an America's Cup vessel.
I now speak as fondly as I can of Johnathan McKay. Here is this Bethwaiter, who charms us with his Tasar deeds and advances the sport as it should be, something everyman with inclination can participate in and something where talent rather than connection matters. Johnathan finds himself unable to compete with the money.
He pays to participate in a mini-transat race in hopes of advertising his skill. These Mac26x-like vessels de-elite the sport. But, for reasons I think unnatural for a man of his talent, he does not complete the race.
The apparent reason - a dismasting. The true reason - we can not know - but suddenly Jonathan is in the money. Did he keep his mouth shut about letting some one else win. I will not argue so. But I will state that it looks like a duck.
The great American Hero - Judge Jackson - stated that if it looks like a duck, you assume its a duck and shoot. This is how he started the process of taking down the multi-national corporate executives at Microsoft. It is also how he educated patriots that our form of democracy relies on speaking slanderously about public figures appearing to do wrong. Lesser democracies do not allow citizens to do so. In lesser democracies (England, Poland, Canada, Germany, Spain, other EUs) only lawyers can speak as we in the US are allowed. We who participate in the duck dodge (this Tuesday Murellet has almost her full crew) speak of this kind of thing always and do not keep silent as a mater of patriotism. How does White Cloud hit a charted rock in the Van Isle 360? Who was at the helm? What other crews does he/she crew on? Who pays for the 38,000 in damage? Unless there is talk there is no progress - as a sport or as a nation.
Frank L. Mighetto
representing South Sound Sailing Society
we hoist the flag of terror for TP52 supporters - Yes it is the US ensign.
