So how did Team Glory come together and what is our outlook for the 2007 Med Cup?

Over the last 18 months I started bumping into old friends while on the sailing circuit who wanted to know what was going on with the TP52 Glory and what it was like trying to get a boat and team to the Med Cup. Well, with Tac’s help I hope to consolidate all those mails and just blog a couple times a week, starting today, and ending at the TP 52 Globals in September. Now I am far from an expert on the pro sailing scene but friends have commented that my observations over the last 18 months have provided some good insight for those of us not getting paid to race.

Well preparation for the 2007 MedCup began in November of 2005 when John purchased a 2003 generation TP52 (Yassou) and immediately sent her to be modified to be as competitive as possible with the 2006 fleet at the Global Championships. While Yassou was under the knife, Team Glory chartered the 2005 Med Cup runner-up (2005 Farr TP52) and raced it in howling conditions at Key West Race Week. All I will say about this experience is that this is when the team decided we would never race a Med TP52 off shore without a significant work-up (and led to many protracted discussions on the merit of bow ring-frames). Any future Glory would be built with provisions that would ensure that it would be able to get to Hawaii and back.

After 5 weeks of non-stop work by Goetz Boatworks (www.goetzboats.com) Glory emerged from the shed with a new bow and stern (designed by Bruce Nelson), reworked foil and significantly stiffened spar. After a few days of ticking off critical jobs on the boat we put on the new sail inventory by Quantum and hit the water. As our first class event, we did not find our stride at the Globals until midway through the event, but better late than never. The bright point was that our team gelled and had led the offshore race and last two inshore races of the series.

Based on the promising performance in the Global Championships, we were invited to compete at the Rolex World Team Race Championships in Sardinia, Italy. After rushing Glory back to the Pacific Northwest to compete in the Swiftsure Offshore Classic Yacht Race (which we won overall) we jumped a flight to Europe to represent the United States in the TP52 class. Team Glory sailed a B&C TP52 under sponsorship of WOKITA.com, Gaastra, Balearia and Deporte Galego but unfortunately struggled with acclimating to the boat, the sails and the racecourse after losing 3+ days of practice to weather and broken equipment.

Although we are focused on running a Corinthian effort this year, it absolutely does not mean that we are going to a gunfight unarmed. Our team is primarily NW based with the addition of two sailors from Australia and Spain and includes Olympic sailing medals, World, North American, and US National Championships and Hobart, SORC and Key West winners.

Overall Team Glory expects to contend for individual race and event wins and compete for the season’s overall Corinthian trophy.

Next – Observations and insights from the TP Globals and Sardinia Cup.