Sailing's leaders push to fix logistics, money and access

Sail racing's growing pains, and its growth opportunities, will be laid bare at the Yacht Racing Forum, held alongside METSTRADE on 19 and 20 November, where industry figures argue the sport needs to fix its logistics, its storytelling and its accessibility all at once.

Several speakers have previewed the issues they intend to raise. The common thread: professional sailing has become too complicated to treat as separate silos of competition, logistics, sponsorship and sustainability.

"The professional side of sailing is becoming increasingly interconnected," says Dan Jaspers, managing director at Pindar, a company providing logistics support for sailing events and racing classes. "There has historically been a tendency to treat sporting competition, event organisation, logistics, commercial programmes, communications and sustainability as largely separate functions. We believe that model is changing."

Jaspers points to the sheer scale of moving a modern race team around the world: boats, containers, support equipment, spares and vehicles, shifting between multiple countries and customs regimes over a season. He believes teams should organise this collectively, and that event organisers ought to learn from each other, reflecting together on the demands society sets for sporting events and the value regattas and society can bring to one another.

"I believe the most successful events of the future will be those that think of themselves as part of a wider ecosystem rather than simply a few days of racing," he says.

Money is tight ashore, even where the racing itself is thriving. Sailing circumnavigator and marine industry entrepreneur and consultant Meghan Reilly says the regatta experience remains high quality on the water, but VIP high-level hospitality ashore is a challenge to maintain against limited budgets and increasing operational costs.

"Sponsors demand more value for money," Reilly says. Media production and digital exposure, she argues, are becoming more important as a way to add value for sponsors without adding to operational expenses. She calls media and online presence "the true growth opportunities now for Regattas to deliver for their sponsor brands and scale impact without breaking the bank."

Randy Draftz, owner of Regatta Management, comes at the same problem from ground level, focused on events for leisure sail race teams. Launch, haul-out, dockage, housing and post-race parties all have to be coordinated for competitors who've mostly travelled to the event. "There are many moving parts for attendees to coordinate, and it's our job to make it as easy as possible and to provide the best race management," he says. "This is a top priority for every event manager."

There's genuine appetite to widen the sport's base, not just tinker at the edges. Reilly cites the St Maarten Heineken Regatta's "Island Time" class, designed for cruisers and less competitive teams, as its biggest growth fleet. She also notes Antigua Sailing Week's transition to a rally format to attract more families and non-serious racers, while still offering a structured competitive environment touring the island's pristine anchorages.

"There is not only potential, but also a critical need to engage a wider, more diverse audience," she says. "Next Generation racing, women's development and local public access opportunities are imperative to the sustainability of our sport."

Jaspers frames accessibility as one of the biggest opportunities too, not only for people with disabilities, but in the broadest possible sense.

"The sport needs more obvious entry points and much clearer pathways through it," he says. "It is not enough to tell people that sailing is open to everybody. The industry has to create practical opportunities that allow people to participate."

Growth shouldn't be measured purely by the number of people sailing boats, he says. Developing sailors, coaches, technicians, volunteers, race officials and people who want careers within the wider marine industry are all part of growing the sailing ecosystem.

Technology is doing some of the heavy lifting on the spectator side. Reilly says the technical detail of high-speed foiling is well above the average person's comprehension, but the extreme speeds and conditions come across clearly.

"The pure adrenaline translates well, without having to really get into technical things," she says. "Non-sailors can appreciate 'survival mode' and seeing humans push limits." While spectators might not understand why SailGP boats split the course, she says, digital overlays and data showing each boat's speed make the racing easier to follow and appreciate.

Jaspers draws the comparison to Formula 1, where fans follow the sport without understanding every aspect of aerodynamics, tyre management or power unit technology.

"Sailing needs to get better at doing the same thing," he says. "Technology can help enormously. Tracking, graphics, onboard cameras, audio, data visualisation and good commentary can explain why one boat is gaining and another is losing without requiring the viewer to be an expert sailor."

"Ultimately sport is about people and stories. Who is winning? Who made the mistake? Who took the risk? Why did that tactical decision matter? What does this result mean? If sailing can answer those questions clearly for an audience, its technical complexity becomes an asset rather than a barrier."