Broad Reach Radio - The Yachting New Zealand Podcast

Ep 32 - Tim Dempsey and Brendan Tourelle

Thousands of people with disabilities go sailing every year and it’s a side of our sport that is growing all the time as people experience a level of freedom and control that can be hard for them to find elsewhere in life. Tim Dempsey and Brendan Tourelle both play major roles in Sailability, the name given to sailing for people with disabilities, and talk in this podcast about who can participate, the technology used, where the sport can take them and what it is even like to get out on the water.

Both Tim and Brendan bring plenty of their own experiences, given both are confined to wheelchairs, and tell their vastly different but powerful stories. They also delve into some of their experiences on the international circuit, including Tim’s journey to the 2012 London Paralympics, what the racing scene is like in this country and the chances of sailing being included again on the programme for the Paralympics.

Tim and Brendan were open and honest in this podcast but mostly enthusiastic about the possibilities for people with disabilities to get involved in sailing. If you haven’t seen Sailability in action, it can be very inspiring and they’re always looking for more people to get involved.

Ep 31 - Peter Montgomery

Peter Montgomery has the most recognisable voice in world sailing and is known colloquially as the Voice of the America’s Cup, having commentated the last 13 editions of the Auld Mug. But he’s much more than that having also been involved in the broadcast of all 13 round the world races and the last 10 Olympic Games, not to mention countless All Blacks tests and weekend sports shows.

Peter delves into some of the highlights of his 51-year broadcasting career, how he stumbled into the industry, how he pioneered many of the approaches to modern broadcasting and his relationship with a mythical little old lady with blue rinse hair from Riverton. He also talks about the story behind one of the most recognisable pieces of New Zealand sporting commentary, the time Dennis Conner labelled Team New Zealand cheats, what made Sir Peter Blake tick and how Team Zealand wouldn’t have won the 1995 America’s Cup without him, and his take on his sometimes frosty relationship with Grant Dalton. On a more personal level, he opens up about one episode in his life he’s not altogether proud about, namely his reaction to being told he had cancer.

Peter is full of stories, and has an incredible recall for details and dates. He's one of the special characters whose influence goes well beyond sailing because he's had an enduring impact on sport in general and New Zealand broadcasting.

Ep 30 - Rosie Chapman

Statistics show the number of females who belong to yachting and boating clubs in this country drops from about 30 percent at youth level to 20 percent at senior level. This is something clubs and Yachting New Zealand are trying to address and leading a lot of the work in this area is Rosie Chapman.

Rosie is the women’s sailing manager and Laser Radial coach at Yachting New Zealand and is focused on attracting more female participants, retaining those already sailing and also advancing equal opportunities. We talk about a range of things in this podcast from quotas and gender equity at the high performance level to pathways and obstacles. But we also discuss important topics like menstruation and body image and what needs to be done to cater more to the needs of female sailors.

Rosie also talks about her journey from high performance sailor to coach and how this has affected her outlook and opens up about some of the struggles she’s faced. This was a really good discussion about some important issues and it would be useful for any young sailors, both female and male, and their parents and coaches to have a listen.

Ep 29 - Max Sirena

Max Sirena is an America’s Cup survivor, having done seven campaigns with various teams, but he has a burning desire to win the America’s Cup with an Italian team. He got close recently, taking Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli to the America’s Cup match, but ultimately came up short against Emirates Team New Zealand.

The team boss dissects Luna Rossa’s campaign in this podcast - the dual helmsman strategy, their top speed, the pivotal race eight when they led by nearly nine minutes only to lose and what happened for his relationship with Emirates Team New Zealand to break down. But we also delve into what happens next, like Max’s future with Luna Rossa and the America’s Cup, his thoughts on where and when the next one will be and the impact some of the new rules will have on other teams.

Ep 28 - Dr Dave Austin

Dave Austin is well known to many in the New Zealand and Australian sailing communities as Dr Dave. He’s sailed more than 40,000 offshore miles, done a number of Sydney Hobart races, a couple of two-handed Round North Island races and raced up to the Pacific Islands multiple times. He’s also one of the pre-eminent intensive care specialists in Australasia and in 2019 was nominated for Australian of the Year despite being a Kiwi.

Dr Dave, who has assisted with a number of medical emergencies at sea and been Yachting New Zealand’s medical officer since 2015, talks about what yachties and boaties should do to make sure they are prepared if the worst happens. He also delves into some of his sailing experiences, like when he had to walk away from Digby Taylor’s Whitbread campaign in 1985, his dramatic experiences during the 2002 Round North Island Race when he was nearly washed onto the rocks at Cape Palliser and the time he was so sleep deprived he thought he saw a flock of sheep on the foredeck.

Ep 27 - Elana Connor

Elana Connor’s story is a remarkable and powerful one. Born into a violent family where she feared for her life, she ran away from home as a teenager and bounced around foster homes until she reached 18 and was told to fend for herself. By accident, she discovered sailing and it’s given her purpose and direction.

Elana arrived in New Zealand at the end of 2019 as she circumnavigated the globe and has been here ever since. She’s now close to finishing a figure eight of New Zealand and along the way has been casting light on the 6000 children in care and raising money for them to participate in a Spirit of New Zealand adventure. It’s a programme that is gaining traction and momentum and Elana would love nothing more than to see this develop into something much broader.

Elana tells her amazing story on this podcast, from the trauma of her childhood and seemingly hopeless situation she found herself in, to suddenly sailing solo around the world. She talks about the challenges she’s faced along the way, including being in New Zealand when Covid-19 hit, the impact her journey around the country has had so far, what Kiwis, including yacht clubs, can do to make sailing more inclusive and how she’s been able to rebuild her own life.

Ep 26 - Simon van Velthooven

Simon van Velthooven has made an art form out of turning pedals. In a past life he was a world-class track cyclist, winning Olympic, world championship and Commonwealth Games medals. Now he’s a sailor with Emirates Team New Zealand and next week will help them defend the America’s Cup against Luna Rossa.

The 32-year-old made a name for himself as a top cyclist, highlighted by the bronze medal he won in the keirin at the 2012 London Olympics. He was involved during the emergence of the highly-successful New Zealand track cycling programme and he delves into that but also the weird and wonderful world of professional keirin racing in Japan where cyclists were essentially seen as colourful greyhounds riding on steel-frame bikes complete with padding and oversized helmets. It was all done among the backdrop of a monk-like existence and the spectre of big-money betting and the Japanese mafia.

It was Simon’s achievements on the bike which landed him an invitation to work with Team New Zealand in 2016 as they explored putting bikes on boats. He liked what he saw, hung around and found himself on the boat in Bermuda as they won the America’s Cup. Incredibly, his first sailing race was and America’s Cup race. Simon is still with the team but has had to reinvent himself as a traditional grinder, turning handles with his arms rather than his legs. Simon, though, has fallen in love with sailing and can often be found in his spare time racing keelboats, and he’s also worked in the industry beyond the America’s Cup.

Ep 25 - Shirley Robertson

Shirley Robertson is one of the most recognisable voices in the sailing world, as a commentator for anything from the Olympics and America’s Cup to magazine shows and SailGP. She’s also one of the most successful female sailors of all time, having won two Olympic titles and been named female world sailor of the year. There are so many layers to her story, and she talks about her work as a broadcaster, including her present role as part of the commentary team for the America’s Cup in Auckland, and delves into her experiences as a sailor which featured heartbreak before success. We also explore gender inequality in the sport, talk about her plans to chase a third Olympic gold medal in Paris in 2024 and, like all guests, Shirley details her worst wipeout ever.

Ep 24 - Jim Turner

Jim Turner was a leading figure in American Magic's challenge for the America’s Cup, which ended last week when they were eliminated from the Prada Cup. Jim talks about his experiences and observations with the team, including the dramatic capsize that almost saw their boat sink, the impact it had on the team and their incredible recovery to get back on the start line.

Jim has been involved in three America’s Cup campaigns, starting with the British challenge in 2003, and he talks about how the competition has changed over that time and where he sees it going. He also gives his thoughts on how the role of the grinder has evolved and what it was like for many in the engine room while on board the AC75s.

There’s a lot more to Jim’s career than the America’s Cup and he’s accumulated 15 world titles in various classes and has sailed on a number of different professional circuits. He also competed for New Zealand at the 2012 Olympics, which were sailed only 30km from where he grew up. Jim is also an Opti dad and explains what it’s like now to help his kids as they begin their journey in the sport.

Ep 23 - Nigel Blackbourn

Nigel Blackbourn has been involved in the superyacht industry for a large part of his 40 years at sea. He’s worked for some of the wealthiest people in the world, including the Qatari royal family, overseeing the running of 19 superyachts and hundreds of staff. He was also team boss of the German America’s Cup team in 2007 and more latterly has been captain of the famous schooner Altair, which is often seen as the vessel that set the standard for classic yacht restorations.

Nigel talks about what got him into the industry, what it was like to work for the Qatari royal family, some of the demands owners place on their staff and how often he really spends on land each year. He also talks about how people can get into the industry and the similarities of running superyachts and running an America’s Cup campaign.