INTERVIEW OF BRUNO TROUBLE
(Originally Posted on Scuttlebutt)
Bruno Troublé's name is intimately linked with the business of yacht racing. Founder of the Louis Vuitton Cup and organiser of the event for many years, Troublé tells us what he expects from the World Yacht Racing Forum and why people involved in the industry can’t miss the event.
Bruno, what are the main assets of sailing as a top level sport?
For me, sailing means freedom (no yellow lines), elegance, purity (by opposition to pollution), travels (that’s why Louis Vuitton is there), responsibility and team work. You need to understand that just five generations back, the only link between the continents – to deliver love letters or a declaration of war – was a sailing boat. We all have this somehow in our soul, whether we are sailors or not.
How do you consider the current state of our favorite sport?
Our sport suffers from its huge complexity and variety. There are as many world champions as participants! The public just can’t understand it, and the abundance of trophies increases year after year.
We need to bring some order back; otherwise the media will just get tired of sailing.
What should be done to help promote our sport?
There should only be one world championship per discipline:
- Men’s dinghies / keelboats
- Women’s dinghies / keelboats
- Multihull
- Cruise-racers
- Offshore
And perhaps a yearly Nations Cup with one boat per country in each discipline. And an America’s Cup every 3-4 years.
Do you think the actors of the yacht racing industry need a platform to meet and discuss their key issues?
I think that the concept of a yearly meeting between all the actors of the yacht racing scene is a great idea, as long as all the world leaders of the industry are there, together with the participants, the organizers and the media.
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