2000

Wocket has been flipped “wightside up!”

2000-09-06

Wocket fans,

Sorry to be slow on the updates since the Pacific Cup. I guess I’ve had a bit of Wocket writers bwock.

But I wanted to let you know that the Wocket has been flipped “wightside up!” A couple of pics are attached and I’ll send more once the plug material is taken out of the inside of the hull. The “plug” is the male mold structure that was made first, before the hull was formed on the outside of that. Now that the hull is flipped, Steve Rander & crew will remove the plug and weigh the hull structure. It will be nice to see how close the weight is to Tom (Wylie’s) calculations.

The feedback on the Pac Cup updates has been great. I’m glad to have provided a good excuse for folks to daydream about ocean racing, I know I do every day I’m not sailing! But I have to point a few things out: The progress on our Open 60 has been slow. The combined cost of doing the Pac Cup and the sending of the updates from the middle of the ocean was expensive for us. Without the financial support of certain individuals we could not have pulled it off. The idea was that it was an investment to generate more interest and confidence in our team and also increase contributions, which we really need.

I know that everyone thinks “Corporate sponsorship” is the way to go, but we have been hearing that corporate America still has a bit of a sour taste in their mouths from the America’s cup. To them, the AC was ridiculously expensive for the amount of exposure the sponsors received. Aside from Dawn Riley’s “America True” team, the image of the AC to many is still that of a super-rich mans sport. (Which is exactly what it’s turning out to be for the next go-around.) In Europe, real ocean racing has much more appeal to the public, and to sponsors. We are working hard to get American corporate support, but right now NO AMERICAN PROGRAM has landed significant title sponsorship. Not any AC team, not Mark Rudiger’s or Katie Pettibone’s Volvo efforts, not Brad Van Liew, and not me.

So for now, it’s all up to you. Please think about what you can do. Let your friends know about us and put in a good word for me if you can. Let me know if you want me to talk to anyone to let them know about our boat and our dream. I really appreciate your support and we need your help to finish the only American Open 60 that is now under construction. Your very own “Wylie’s Wocket.” Contributions ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! Print out the form on our website, or contact me for details.

In the meantime I’m doing some rigging work to keep myself afloat. When I’m not dredging for donations for the Made in America Foundation, that is. Remeber, all donations go straight to our (your?) project. I don’t get a paycheck from the Foundation. Maybe someday I will, but those who know me know I will sail our boat around the world for free if I have to.

Keeping the faith,

Bruce Schwab, Skipper