I find myself thinking about the Worrell from two different sides in recent days. One side says, “wouldn’t it be great if the race were open to virtually anyone, with hundreds of boats on the line, in true marathon style?” The other side thinks about how to best ensure a tightly matched field.

As for media interest, it seems that if it were wide open you would certainly have a few top competitors to focus on for the win, but there would also be the human interest stories that surround the “also rans”.

The piece that I’m thinking about more than anything, though, is how could it become a race that is accessible to as many racers as possible? There are those who might argue that sailboat racing will never enjoy widespread spectator popularity, so why not focus the energy on getting as many boats on the line as possible?