But then you knew he would.
Scot has been the ringmaster of Sailing Anarchy for 15 years, ever since he started it in a peak of “I’m not in the club” anger when Scuttlebutt didn’t publish a letter of his. He stirred the SA jambalaya for years until he figured out it would bubble and steam on its own and he could use his time better by attracting advertisers, which he’s done with great success. They may be wary of the tone and temperature of the thing, but he says it’s hard to deny the Google Analytics results, which he claims rank SA as the most popular sailing website by far.
Like most of us, he’s worried about the popularity of our sailing hobby: how do you attract new players, especially young people? How do you keep the kids interested if they can’t win races (they tend to drift away)? What about the whole foiling thing, which demands money, skill, and lots of wind. And here’s an intriguing question: What boat would you buy and what AYC fleet would you join if you’d just joined? Is there a fleet with momentum right now?
Besides sailing and s**t-stirring, Scot’s other career was as a radio talk show host in San Diego and he clearly has the talent for it. He could entertain for hours by himself, but it helps to have a few foils in the crowd—and John Riddell played the part perfectly, trying to defend Etchells against Scot’s attack. Scot is not an Etchells fan, thinking they represent a branch of uncomfortable, slow sailing despite their popularity with some of San Diego’s best sailors.
I clearly heard Scot say that he’d come back and talk with AYC again. Good idea!
