ESPN Classic To Air 25 Years of Sailing


May 17, 2004
By The Editors More articles by this author


A quarter century ago, most sailing yachts were built of fiberglass or aluminum, Ted Turner was at the top of the sport of sailing, and a fledgling cable television network named ESPN was just beginning. A quarter century later ESPN Classic will premiere 25 Years of Sailing, presented by Rolex on May 19 at 9 p.m.

The one-hour program celebrates 25 years of history in the sport of sailing and ESPN's coverage of it. Gary Jobson, the face of sailing on ESPN since 1986 and himself a member of the 1977 America's Cup-winning team, produced the program and serves as host.

This special will examine how the sport of sailing has seen dramatic technological advances, a host of larger-than-life personalities, historic races, and shifts in power. The America's Cup has seen the likes of Ted Turner, Dennis Conner, and others; America, Australia, New Zealand, and most recently, Switzerland have traded power over 25 years--each having periods of dominance; sailing boats are faster as new materials such as carbon fiber propel craft to unprecedented speeds. Twenty Five Years of Sailing will look at these and other developments in the sport, while looking back at races and historic moments such as: the powerful frontal system over the Irish Sea during the 1979 Fastnet Race, preventing all but 87 of the 303 boats involved from finishing, and tragically taking 15 lives; Race 7 of the 1983 America's Cup, when Australia II defeated Liberty; the San Diego Yacht Club's successful defense of the Cup in 1992 and its loss to New Zealand in 1995; the victory in 2003 by Switzerland's Alinghi, piloted by the same core crew that led New Zealand to victory in 2000.

More progress has been made in the last 25 years in the development of sailing than the previous 200," said Jobson. "Is it the sailor, the equipment, or both? This look back on 25 year's of sailing history will try and answer that big question." In addition, the program will examine other aspects in the past 25 years of sailing, including: around-the-world racing; sailing records; the disasters that have affected competitive sailing; grand-prix racing; and polar exploring.

The show, presented by Rolex, will be re-aired on ESPN Classic at 9 p.m. PT (midnight ET).