Historically, it was predominantly an A1 sized piece of paper, with a four-colour printed image of a sports hero, favourite band, model, movie or legend on it. You had to go to a specialist shop to get one, too, although some smaller ones were in more mundane publications that you got at the newsagency (they’re Tatt’s outlets nowadays). Sometimes there’d be a caption, but not always. 

Today, it might be more like your screen saver, Insta profile, NFT, or digital art. Reality is, no matter what medium it’s on/in, or what generation you come from, it’s the subject that reigns supreme. And on that one, this week sees a heavy weight title fight between two kids, now special sailors, take place. 

Yet there’ll be no Don King, no ropes, and no Las Vegas glitz. What there will be, however, are two of the fastest waterborne craft going around, warriors in battle gear, including helmets, and as much telemetry as you get in F1 car racing. And two of the leaders in their respective teams are Australian. They are both famous, quite possibly genuinely inimitable, and will carry the mantle of sailing in Australia forward like no other of our legends.

Glenn Ashby and Jimmy Spithill have each won the America’s Cup twice beforehand. Spithill was the youngest ever AC Skipper, and has offshore credits to his name to boot. Spithill said, “My message to all the young sailors is that if you want to compete in the America’s Cup, you can. Like anything rewarding, it won’t be easy, will take a lot of work, there are no shortcuts, and along the way people may say you won’t make it.”

“I looked up to Colin Beashel and Rob Brown, partly because they were neighbours when I was growing up in Pittwater, Elvina Bay/Scotland Island. I worked at Beashel's (yard) on weekends running the tender when I was a kid. I still believe Colin is probably the best sailor Australia’s ever produced. The stories from the Australia II guys during that series of what Colin did are legendary. He was definitely an idol. Torben Grael and I raced together in 2007, and I distinctly remember how much respect he had for Colin, too.”

Above: Reigning Etchells World Champions – Havoc – Iain Murray, Colin Beashel and Richie Allanson. - photo © David Mandelberg

“In the case of Rob it was not only Australia II, but also watching him on TV in the 18-footers when he was dominating.”

Above: Rob Brown (left) poses with Australia II - photo © Rob Brown

Spithill’s pathway comprised of training at RPAYC, Match Racing, Young Australia in the AC, Prada’s win at Valencia, and then for the second time in San Francisco from the most unlikely of positions. It’s dotted with marks of courage, determination, and resilience. “You get a fair bit of resilience doing an apprenticeship with Syd Fischer… I think the fact I lasted the longest with him proved I wasn’t afraid of some character building!” 

Above: Despite the sophistication of the AC75 and shore simulators - sailing karate still is a basic performance conversation tool - Jimmy Spithill, Luna Rossa. - photo © Carlo Borlenghi / Luna Rossa

“The match racing path worked as you controlled your own destiny, didn’t have to own a boat, and it was how you got noticed, joined the America’s Cup, and subsequently go up against the best in the world: Coutts, Gilmour, Dickson, Ainslie etc. I also really enjoyed the team environment and bond that formed between the four of you when you would be on the road, living out of a suitcase. You had to learn how to make the different boats you sailed go fast, and in a short amount of time. No one could go on an arms race, as everyone had the same boats and gear. It came down to the best team/sailors.”

In closing, Spithill said, “Something I had going for me from a very young age was I was always surrounded by great people/team mates, and they were often better than me, which forced me to work harder to get to their level.”

Now this missive is not entirely about our two heroes of the article. You see the whole Spithill family are pretty handy sailors. Katie Spithill is the middle of three children, and she holds 15 major championship wins, along with Silver and Bronze Medals from the Women’s Match Racing World Championships. Katie is a recognised and celebrated helmer for sure, but also a sought after crewmember in many classes, and works in the industry, as well.

“I was extremely blessed to grow up in a sailing family and have the support of both my mum and my dad who assisted with getting us around to training and racing every weekend. Being a parent now, I can really appreciate how much they did for myself, James and Tommy.”

“Looking forward I would love to get back onto the competitive Match Racing scene when COVID-19 settles and allows us to travel again. Until then I am incredibly lucky to be foiling around Pittwater on either my Waszp or Wing Foil. Whist many regattas are up in the air at the moment, I am excited to be a part of Marcus Blackmore’s team onboard the Southernwind 96‘, Ámmonite, for the upcoming Pittwater to Coffs Harbour Yacht Race in late March.”

Glenn Ashby is on board Emirates Team New Zealand and in addition to the two AC wins with them over the last 11 years, during his career he has amassed a stunning 17 World Championships, and won an Olympic Silver Medal at Beijing in 2008 with the incredible Darren Bundock in the Tornado.

Somebody who’s no stranger to the America’s Cup, and winning it too, is John Bertrand AO. Bertrand said of Ashby with whom he has sailed in the Etchells, “The man is a genius. He lives, breaths and eats high performance sailboats, particularly foiling. He has shown extraordinary capacity to continually think outside the box. This shows up in his added value within ETNZ. That beautiful Kiwi AC mainsail appears to me as another Ashby A-Class designed sail… beautiful twist profile and depth distribution.”

Above: America's Cup heroes John Bertrand and Glenn Ashby at RGYC ahead of the Etchells State Championships - photo © Ollie Manton

“He is held in such high esteem as a team member that he is the captain of ETNZ! To put it in context, this is the same as an Australian being Captain of the All Blacks…incredible!”

Now just like the Spithills, the Ashby family sailed near their home, which was in Bendigo. Talking about everyone at home watching him, Ashby said, “I hope everyone is enjoying their own sailing, as it has to be enjoyable to have a chance at being successful. Success in our sport and life is not always measured by regatta wins. It is far greater than that. I feel these days looking back over the years that largely I have just simply been racing myself for satisfaction; the rest has just seemed to fall into place as a by-product of that. This is both in an individual and a team environment.”

“Personally, I feel that I have learned the most when I was having fun, and the long hours of training and hard yards don’t seem so taxing when you have a positive mindset to continual learning. In life, and in sailing, the internal fire and hunger needs to be self-driven, and these are essential for getting better and faster. We all aspire to have that feeling of satisfaction within.”

“Foremost, I make a conscious effort to enjoying whatever I am doing. My grandfather used to call me ‘little what and why’. I guess that was a fitting nickname, as I probably have not changed in the 40 years since. You never stop learning, and there are always new things to try, and different ways to tackle the same problems. To this day, I’m still actively asking questions and seeking out answers and information of ‘how, what and why’…”

As for who Ashby looked up to, he said, “I rode motorbikes as well as going sailing when I was young, and looked up at some of Australia’s motorcycling greats, such as Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan for inspiration. I could relate to the hard work they must have done to be able to make it to the top of their game. They came from small country towns like I did and I thought it was pretty amazing that they could grow up in the bush and be able to compete at top world level.”

“When I was 16, Greg Goodall, was my first sailmaking employer, and a great mentor. He encouraged me to push myself and learn about what attributes made for a fast rig. Also, Olympian and World A-Class and catamaran legend, Scott Anderson, took me under his wing as an 18 year old, and I really looked up to him for experience and knowledge - things he still has an abundance of.”

Above: Davies, Glenn Ashby and Louis Sinclair chat during an Auckland training session - photo © Emirates Team New Zealand

“I feel very fortunate to have grown up in country Victoria with my mum, dad and younger brother and sister. Although it was far away from Melbourne, and the vast majority of coaching camps and bigger fleets, growing up in the bush and learning to sail on Lake Eppalock gave me opportunities that in looking back I think some of the city kids did not get to experience. You learned to deal with harsh weather and environments, with shifty and unpredictable wind conditions, often training alone and racing yourself. You learned to use the equipment you have and get the best out of it.”

“Travelling to new places and meeting new people, then listening and learning from those more experienced than I fast tracked my development curve, and gave me a huge amount of gratification of being able to perform well in a new class in a short period of time. It created an intensity and a hunger for better performance within myself that drove the motivation to do more, push harder and be happy living comfortably on the edge of control, both on and off the water.”
In closing, Ashby said, “Understanding and being comfortable with yourself and what makes you who you are is especially important to reach your sailing goals, no matter what they. As long as it’s fun, every time on the water is special and great life lessons are learned, even if we don’t realise them at the time.”

Iain Murray AM, is the holder of 12 world titles, including six in the 18-footers. If you think about sailing having a long lifespan as a sport, then the fact that his two World Championships in the Etchells are 35 years apart is pretty much a testament to that. “You can potentially find a working life in the industry too - sailing, PRO, rigger, shipwright – it’s a long runway, and a positive place for young kids to sort out what they want to do, if they apply themselves. The disciplines learned in racing apply across life, and you get rewarded for them as well.”

Above: Iain Murray (Regatta Director) - Media Conference - Prada Cup - Auckland - January 14, 2021 - 36th America's Cup presented by Prada - photo © Carlo Borlenghi / Luna Rossa

“Australian Sailing supports sailors along the pathway with its initiatives, such as youth squads, the Australian Sailing Squad, and then the Australian Sailing Team. There is strong and talented coaching, sport science, sport medicine, and looking after them holistically. There is even help with transitioning to full time roles, just look at Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin.”

Looking at the system as it stands now, Murray said, “Many thanks to all the parents who provide so much for their children. If you consider the full loop, first there was Alf and Ken Beashel, then Colin and Adam. Adam’s son Joel has already shown just how good he is, so perhaps if he keep on enjoying it, then maybe the dynasty will continue.”

In the end it perhaps really doesn’t matter what medium it is on or in, but rather that in Glenn Ashby and Jimmy Spithill you truly have the defining moment for what a poster should symbolise. Heroes. Then when you look at all of our male and female sailors competing in Olympic Classes, keelboats, foilers and offshore boats all around the globe, you cannot help but appreciate just how well placed Australian sailing is. So tell us - who’s your poster of, and possibly even more importantly, what is it about them that inspires you?
 

Story Credit: John Curnow, Sail-World