Pretense, Coutts and Peter Houston

[scassani]

In a recent post on AC Anarchy, Peter Houston says, "Coutts hasn't given America a reason to care about the team that pretends to be from America." (my italics)



The contradiction of the name given the team by its sponsor with the nationalities of the crewmembers is enough to give viewers who know little of sailboat racing and all everyone knows of his and her homeland a reason to say something's not right here. A commentator telling a viewer how the boats compete or what happens when USA Bundock, having misfurled their gennaker in the prior turn, rounding the top mark they lose a two-boat length lead on Team Korea says nothing to ease the viewer's misgiving. So knowing how better to watch the racing will not lead a viewer to accept a truth ACEA needs to convey while the viewer puzzles over accents he does not hear in the speech of fellow Americans: America wins when Oracle Team USA wins. The pretense created by identifying nation with the qualifying club lays bare for all to see when Booth and Jobson tell us one or none of our team is American. This confirms for the viewer he hears the accents right; it does nothing to help the viewer unravel the puzzle the commentators have affirmed is there.



Coming to appreciate what we see on the screen and so on the water will never bridge the divide between representation and reality Spithill and others recreate each time they reply to a question. Sailors are indifferent to a puzzle yacht clubs perpetuate when a member hires the best sailors available for a competition the Deed presents as being among nations. They countenance the usual practice: from the day of the first America's Cup, a member of an eligible yacht club has purchased skills on the world market, as he can afford them. The way things are in professional sailing satisfies a knowledgeable viewer his team is the best it can be. Other viewers not so knowledgeable do not share the sailors' perspective: the team flying the stars and stripes should be the best our nation fields. Since thefirst America's Cup competition the ear of the sailing community has been dull to a ring those outside their circle hear is hollow. Now the Defender and Challenger tell us they intend the race format, the choice of design and much more to attract a new and larger audience to watch their nations' teams compete. Steeped in other national and international competitions, viewers new to the America's Cup do not know to think American yacht club or Team Korea while they watch sailors from anywhere race their flagged boat. Sailors from anywhere cannot resolve a competition among nations. Yet the step that would color the competition so as to make it conform with the flags of the boats, removing the incongruity and so making it easy for any viewer to jump to his feet and yell, "We're winning!," will have to wait on a competition that goes on beyond the reach of any camera. Those who hold a race result dear must be led to recognize that more of what we cherish can be shared but only by risking their confidence in the outcome. A race among nations takes in a commentator shouting, "The America's Cup is America's again!" and he being right. If this idea is to win over an ability to prevail at any cost, and a willingness to pay that cost, the nation we honor must have its moment onstage. I intend this post to be the moment.



Peter Houston points us to a shortcoming in Coutts' leadership. I believe Peter has given light to a perpetual blindness that is common to sailors of many nationalities. What we have today is pantomime as the Defender and Challenger act on the thinking of many in the sailing community. The box the sailing community struggles against is more real than the Defender and Challenger can make disappear by authoring a Protocol to mandate a method of measuring LWL, a maximum crew weight and national identity. As Peter Houston tells us, our accepting the authors' specification for national identity draws us into the author's pretense. Houston sees the pretense for what it is because he is not so drawn. Unlike most in the sailing community, when he reads what the authors give him on nation along with the requirements for measurement and crew weight, Houston refuses to put what the authors say a competition among nations is in place of a nation that provokes Houston to demand better of the Defender and the Challenger. History shows Houston's voice to be unique among sailors. He cares that they get the nation part right, as do I. Measurement and weight do not work this way on anyone.



Unlike a measurement method and a maximum crew weight, the final item in my list—nationality—does not read as a third subject the Defender and Challenger are obliged to specify if we are to know how to proceed in the pending competition. We know the stirring of nation, for good or ill. The authors of the Protocol and the sailing community get the stirring wrong. Sailors, and the Defender and the Challenger are sailors first, must be shown wrong by a means other than citing Schuyler's work. I intend my example of the viewer brought to his feet by pride in his nation winning to be such a showing. Try drawing on the pride in him, working from a burgee, a national symbol painted large on the wing and a crew roster. Whatever you bring out in the viewer, it will not endure Spithill's reply to "How did it go out there today?" and,as we know, pride in nation endures challenges greater than a discordant accent. It isn't pride you've perpetuated in the viewer; it's your confusion, again. With no change in sailors' effort to join more people with our national entry in the oldest trophy competition in sport, we will distinguish AC34 and those to follow solely by their positions in a chronology of America's Cup competitions. Historical orderliness, measurement and weight neither take hold nor do they stir.

 

[pjfranks]

It is the club and the country of construction that form the basis of national identity in the AC not the crew.

 

[~HHN92~]

GLS nominated clubs to be the nationality identifier of the challenger and defender and directed that the vessels be constructed in the country of the club.

It is the club and the country of construction that form the basis of national identity in the AC.

Any nationality objection in AC34 should be focussed on the almost complete abandonment of the national construction requirement.

Back in the day of the 1800's the crew were hired professionals, some of which were from other nations, but they were not in the spotlight. Just the club and the principals were.

Later, in the 1950's onward the crews came more into focus, who were mostly kids off for a summer of sailing.

Late 70's and forward it slowly trended to a professionals circuit, to the point of where we are today.

So, we got what we got, love it or leave it. Full-on professional commercialized money driven event. No money, no event.

And if not for LE and TT, no event.

 

[nav]

GLS nominated clubs to be the nationality identifier of the challenger and defender and directed that the vessels be constructed in the country of the club.

It is the club and the country of construction that form the basis of national identity in the AC.

Any nationality objection in AC34 should be focussed on the almost complete abandonment of the national construction requirement.

There is one other recent 'development' that has maybe sullied GS's simple competition, well it's two actually.

All the races of the Match that constituted the entirety of the AC he envisaged, were to be sailed in the home waters of the defending Club (and therefore Nation). So, just Defender/Challenger, Us/Them, Locals/Foreigners ...

By hosting outside the Club and even National waters and adding Acts, World Series, Challenger eliminations, etc creates some confusion amongst those not following closely.

 

[~Stingray~~]

The biggest attention, and so therefore the biggest lasting impression, will be of the real AC34 Match Race series for the Cup.

If people care that it stays in the USA, and almost certainly in SF, USA, then they will know ~exactly~ who to root for. (GGYC) Larry's team/syndicate.

RC answered a Q in the audio posted at ZG about this; his response was mostly about the coming competition between JS and BA, but he posed a wider question. [sic] "Would you want to try to explain to Larry why you didn't put the best possible crew on his boat come race day?"

 

[~HHN92~]

The biggest attention, and so therefore the biggest lasting impression, will be of the real AC34 Match Race series for the Cup.

If people care that it stays in the USA, and almost certainly in SF, USA, then they will know ~exactly~ who to root for. (GGYC) Larry's team/syndicate.

RC answered a Q in the audio posted at ZG about this; his response was mostly about the coming competition between JS and BA, but he posed a wider question. [sic] "Would you want to try to explain to Larry why you didn't put the best possible crew on his boat come race day?"

I wonder whether it will be in SF if OR Team USA retains the Cup for GGYC.

 

[~Stingray~~]

^ Sure hope so!

It's probably the biggest issue I might take with RC, or whoever, who were suggesting Newport as the alternative. It should at least be Bay based, and sailed within easy reach, hopefully again within awesome view too, of GGYC.

That LE endured so much effort to make it work in SF suggests that's his intention, long-term too should he win.

Much of the reason for TNZ's backing is to get the Cup back to NZ, as it should be. Not 'Rome' or any effing other place!

 

[PeterHuston]

In a recent post on AC Anarchy, Peter Houston says, "Coutts hasn't given America a reason to care about the team that pretends to be from America." (my italics)

The contradiction of the name given the team by its sponsor with the nationalities of the crewmembers is enough to give viewers who know little of sailboat racing and all everyone knows of his and her homeland a reason to say something's not right here. A commentator telling a viewer how the boats compete or what happens when USA Bundock, having misfurled their gennaker in the prior turn, rounding the top mark they lose a two-boat length lead on Team Korea says nothing to ease the viewer's misgiving. So knowing how better to watch the racing will not lead a viewer to accept a truth ACEA needs to convey while the viewer puzzles over accents he does not hear in the speech of fellow Americans: America wins when Oracle Team USA wins. The pretense created by identifying nation with the qualifying club lays bare for all to see when Booth and Jobson tell us one or none of our team is American. This confirms for the viewer he hears the accents right; it does nothing to help the viewer unravel the puzzle the commentators have affirmed is there.

Coming to appreciate what we see on the screen and so on the water will never bridge the divide between representation and reality Spithill and others recreate each time they reply to a question. Sailors are indifferent to a puzzle yacht clubs perpetuate when a member hires the best sailors available for a competition the Deed presents as being among nations. They countenance the usual practice: from the day of the first America's Cup, a member of an eligible yacht club has purchased skills on the world market, as he can afford them. The way things are in professional sailing satisfies a knowledgeable viewer his team is the best it can be. Other viewers not so knowledgeable do not share the sailors' perspective: the team flying the stars and stripes should be the best our nation fields. Since thefirst America's Cup competition the ear of the sailing community has been dull to a ring those outside their circle hear is hollow. Now the Defender and Challenger tell us they intend the race format, the choice of design and much more to attract a new and larger audience to watch their nations' teams compete. Steeped in other national and international competitions, viewers new to the America's Cup do not know to think American yacht club or Team Korea while they watch sailors from anywhere race their flagged boat. Sailors from anywhere cannot resolve a competition among nations. Yet the step that would color the competition so as to make it conform with the flags of the boats, removing the incongruity and so making it easy for any viewer to jump to his feet and yell, "We're winning!," will have to wait on a competition that goes on beyond the reach of any camera. Those who hold a race result dear must be led to recognize that more of what we cherish can be shared but only by risking their confidence in the outcome. A race among nations takes in a commentator shouting, "The America's Cup is America's again!" and he being right. If this idea is to win over an ability to prevail at any cost, and a willingness to pay that cost, the nation we honor must have its moment onstage. I intend this post to be the moment.

Peter Houston points us to a shortcoming in Coutts' leadership. I believe Peter has given light to a perpetual blindness that is common to sailors of many nationalities. What we have today is pantomime as the Defender and Challenger act on the thinking of many in the sailing community. The box the sailing community struggles against is more real than the Defender and Challenger can make disappear by authoring a Protocol to mandate a method of measuring LWL, a maximum crew weight and national identity. As Peter Houston tells us, our accepting the authors' specification for national identity draws us into the author's pretense. Houston sees the pretense for what it is because he is not so drawn. Unlike most in the sailing community, when he reads what the authors give him on nation along with the requirements for measurement and crew weight, Houston refuses to put what the authors say a competition among nations is in place of a nation that provokes Houston to demand better of the Defender and the Challenger. History shows Houston's voice to be unique among sailors. He cares that they get the nation part right, as do I. Measurement and weight do not work this way on anyone.

Unlike a measurement method and a maximum crew weight, the final item in my list—nationality—does not read as a third subject the Defender and Challenger are obliged to specify if we are to know how to proceed in the pending competition. We know the stirring of nation, for good or ill. The authors of the Protocol and the sailing community get the stirring wrong. Sailors, and the Defender and the Challenger are sailors first, must be shown wrong by a means other than citing Schuyler's work. I intend my example of the viewer brought to his feet by pride in his nation winning to be such a showing. Try drawing on the pride in him, working from a burgee, a national symbol painted large on the wing and a crew roster. Whatever you bring out in the viewer, it will not endure Spithill's reply to "How did it go out there today?" and,as we know, pride in nation endures challenges greater than a discordant accent. It isn't pride you've perpetuated in the viewer; it's your confusion, again. With no change in sailors' effort to join more people with our national entry in the oldest trophy competition in sport, we will distinguish AC34 and those to follow solely by their positions in a chronology of America's Cup competitions. Historical orderliness, measurement and weight neither take hold nor do they stir.

This is a bit awkward post to write, because it is not often I see such prose with my name attached to it. FYI - it's Huston, not Houston, though when I was in the entertainment industry sponsorship biz back in the mid 90's I used to joke that I'd get married to Whitney Houston and then she would have been Whitney Houston Huston. Or more likely I would have been Peter Huston Houston.

I'll have more to stay about this over the weekend. Need to take some time for this to distill while enjoying fun in the sun. Go sailing, or otherwise get out on the water everyone. We can get back to making the world safe for messing around in stupidly expensive toys when we are all anchored to our desks after the long weekend.

 

[~Stingray~~]

Peter Houston points us to a shortcoming in Coutts' leadership.

This is a bit awkward post to write, because it is not often I see such prose with my name attached to it.

Maybe you could tell us about the USA Glory Years again, 1992?

 

[~HHN92~]

Peter Houston points us to a shortcoming in Coutts' leadership.

This is a bit awkward post to write, because it is not often I see such prose with my name attached to it.

Maybe you could tell us about the USA Glory Years again, 1992?

 

Two of the USA glory years were 1983 & 1987. '83 because of almost beating a faster boat, and '87 for rebounding and winning it back.

 

By 1992 things had begun to deteriorate, although it was probably the last hurrah for American technology, in its relatively purest sense.

 

DZ has its place, but I do not think it was nearly the same purity, technology wise, as S&S 87 or A cubed.

 

'88 is what really screwed things up, even though both boats were impressive it their own right. The Kiwi boat always reminds me of sailing with O.H. on his Kiwi 35, a miniature version of the big boat, designed in the mid 80's and an odd twist of fate with it being named as such.

 

[dogwatch]

So, we got what we got, love it or leave it. Full-on professional commercialized money driven event. No money, no event.

And if not for LE and TT, no event.

I'm not sure that's really true. In the 1st half of the 20th century the AC became ever more ruinously expensive even to the $B equivalents who personally paid for it and certainly bemoaned the cost. After WWII, nobody wanted to play, so in 1956 the game was restarted in "little" 12Ms.

So reset (trademark Xlot) to a much lower cost base has been done successfully before. It could probably be done again.

The irony is that when the AC was paid for by syndicates of mere $Ms and crewed by a mix of professionals and kids sailing for the summer, a load more people were interested in it than the attention gained, at least to date, by the $400M AC34 circus.

 

[dogwatch]

Whatever you bring out in the viewer, it will not endure Spithill's reply to "How did it go out there today?" and,as we know, pride in nation endures challenges greater than a discordant accent. It isn't pride you've perpetuated in the viewer; it's your confusion, again. With no change in sailors' effort to join more people with our national entry in the oldest trophy competition in sport, we will distinguish AC34 and those to follow solely by their positions in a chronology of America's Cup competitions. Historical orderliness, measurement and weight neither take hold nor do they stir.

Sorry, you've obviously put a lot of effort into writing this but I have absolutely no idea what it means.

 

[dogwatch]

Go sailing, or otherwise get out on the water everyone.

Yep. Hitting the road to the club shortly!

 

[BronzeWing]

Just remember it is the Yacht America's Cup (they won it first) not the United States of America's Cup. This Cup had its "rules" screwed with for many years by the NYYC. They finally lost it and it has since then had it's rules screwed around with by every subsequent holder. Hell even here in NZ we screwed the pooch letting Alinghi in. Look what that did. The America's Cup has nothing to do with sailing in the normal sense. It is a pissing contest between the rich. Just remember what Oracle is an acronym for. Old Rich Arsehole Called Larry Ellison. He who has the gold makes the rules and like good ol NYYC, he intends to manipulate them to ensure he keeps on keeping on. If he thinks he can win it with a bunch of Aussies and Kiwis then he will. Doesn't say a hell of a lot about what Larry thinks of US sailors. Then again Steve Jobs didn't give a shit about the US. All his overpriced products are made elsewhere.

 

[Presuming Ed]

GLS nominated clubs to be the nationality identifier of the challenger and defender.

He didn't really have much choice. National sports associations were just emerging in the middle of the ninteenth century, and the idea hadn't reached sailing yet. The FA was formed in 1862, the RFU in 1870. The YRA - precursor to the RYA was founded in 1875, and was only concerned with ratings. The NAYRU wasn't formed until 1897 and incorporated Canada, so wasn't really set up to select US national teams.

So there really weren't the structures in place to organise international competition as it later arose - between teams representing countries. If you wanted to start an international competition, one club per country was pretty much the only way you could do it.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Let's take it back to the origins of the cup then. A NYYC flagged boat sailed mostly by Norwegians. Oh, and do lets put back in the nationality clauses that made the stache an italian, and made Rod Davis a New Zealander.

I like that the youth cup is going national - at least that proves they were listening. But in the big game, syndicates are going to buy the best talent, wherever they can get it. End of Line.

 

[scassani]

Peter Huston posts, "FYI - it's Huston, not Houston..."

My apologies.

 

[~HHN92~]

The difference, I think, with the 'Norwegians' of the 1800's and the pro's today are this: back then there was no leisure class in the middle that was available to crew these boats. You had to hire men to sail the boats as there was no one else. They built or bought a boat, and then had to get a skipper and crew to sail them, so where do you go? Plus, they did not try and 'sell' what they were doing to the masses, it was just reported, and not having any other major sporting event going-on, people went out to watch. What other event did you have going-on back then? Maybe some horse racing? Early baseball? Cricket,or soccer? Tennis, anyone?

Today they are selling a product, and building teams to make the products as attractive/competitive as they can. And if they do not 'sell' this product, there will be no event. That is a huge difference to what happened back in the day.

The NYYC won the Cup under hard circumstances, and were trying to replicate the difficulty for anyone who wanted to win it away. Sure, they played hardball, but that is the way it was back then. If they made it soo bad, then why were there regular challenges for it, from a variety of men over the years, except for times when there was a world war going-on?

Now, compare that to the 50'-80's, where they made adjustments to bring the competition back to life in the post WWII years, which led to them ultimately losing the Cup. Sure, they went to a smaller yacht in the 50's, but Europe coming out of the war (where the normal challenges come from) was still re-building from the ravages of war, which from my understanding and seeing the various programs over the years, was pretty wide-spread.

So, to compare today's 'pros' to those in the 19th century, is quite a stretch. Plus, you do not see advertising spread over the hulls and sails in those grainy old photos.

 

[Tornado-Cat]

The paradox is that Coutts opened the nationality rules in order to help his team (the US) win the AC and to get more teams, however the lack of real national teams prevents having a large audience.