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ePaper created 2014-06-11, 13:05:34 | version 1.30.01
83 high performance match racing. TheStewartAssociationalettertotheSquadronFlagOfficersguaranteeingthatCooksonYachtscouldhave12StewartSprints fully commissioned by the end of January of 1989,in time for the New ZealandTrials,the Citizen and the Match RacingWorld Championship. This proposal was followed up again in mid May of 1988 with a special meeting between the Squadron Flag Officers andWayne Boberg,Derek Divers,and Bill Miller representing the StewartAssociation. In that meeting,they reviewed their proposal to build 12 Stewart Sprints in time for the 1989 International Match Racing Series and presented a letter of credit fromWestpac Bank guaranteeing full funding of $1.5 million for the project. Furthermore,the Squadron would have full control of the boats, and not have to deal with individual owners ever again. The tone of the 15-minute meeting was reportedly not overly cordial. The Flag Officers neither accepted nor rejected the offer, but the issue was never again discussed with the Stewart Association. The Squadron pigeon-holed the offer, which is surprising considering all the positive feedback on the Stewart 34 fleet and the fact that three of the Flag Officers had been Stewart owners. In fact Richard Endean stated to me in an interview that he thought,because the design of the Stewarts allowed them to sail nearly dead down wind rather than high gybe angles,the racing was closer and more exciting,making them an excellent choice. So why did the Squadron pass up the opportunity to finally have full control of a full fleet of identical boats to be used as they pleased for match racing events? We have been unable to find out for sure, but can only surmise that another deal had already been accepted. TheSquadronindicatedtotheStewartAssociationthatDBmightpossiblysponsorthe1989NewZealandTrialsandthatthey would choose the boat. The Stewart Association still did not give up hope. When Bill Miller and Bryce Sommerville contacted DB, they were told that DB would only recommend but not actually choose any particular class of boat. Trevor Geldard, a respected maritime consultant was retained by DB to evaluate the options. In a conversation with Miller, he indicated that he was sure that the Squadron had issues with the StewartAssociation. On the brief given to him by the Squadron listing possible classes of boats that could be used for the upcoming series, none of the four boats listed were Stewart 34’s or Stewart Sprints, despite the $1.5 million funding guarantee. A somewhat incensed Bill Miller contacted Squadron Commodore Don Brooke regarding the issue. Brooke assured Miller he would contact Geldhard and get back to Miller by 9:00 am the following day. That never happened. The Squadron Flag Officers,firmly in control of the event,had obviously decided to ignore the StewartAssociation. Clearly they had other options going forward. Or did they? The Squadron, as if oblivious to the ill-will they had created over the past few months, once again requested the use of the Stewart 34 fleet for the 1989 International Match Racing Series. Not wanting to let what had become a world-acclaimed series fold, the Stewart owners acquiesced and once again made their boats available. Nonetheless, the pervasive underlying controversy lingered on. The prelude to the 1989 Citizen Watch International Match Racing Series was severely marred by a scathing article published in the October issue of Sea Spray entitled“Cheats Threaten Stewart’s Match-race Future.” The article contained half-truths,out of context quotes and erroneous predictions. While it seriously offended the owners and no doubt damaged the reputation of the Stewart Association, it was decided in a meeting between the Stewart Association and two of the Squadron’s Flag Officers that filing suit for libel would only serve to further inflame the situation. Instead,Commodore Don Brooke wrote an article which was published in the November 1988 issue of Sea Spray in an attempt to set the record straight. He wrote: “I would like to positively advise the yachting public of New Zealand in the strongest possible manner, that the R.N.Z.Y.S. has enjoyed the totally constructive attitude shown by all Stewart 34 owners during the past ten years of match racing. We will continue our association,as at the present time our considered opinion suggests that the Stewart 34 is still the most suitable yacht available for match racing in New Zealand.” This was just six months after the Stewart Association’s $1.5 million offer to build a match racing fleet was ignored. As with the America’s Cup, it was unfortunate that an event that is so highly regarded and successful on the water was plagued by such drama behind the scenes. While Auckland was embroiled in controversy over which class of boats to use for the