Shore manager landed with all the best jobs

By JULIE ASH

Ask any sailor up and down syndicate row who they consider their most valuable team member and most will reply their shore manager.

From yacht repairs, to ordering pizzas, to cleaning cars to unblocking toilets - you name it, the shore manager has to organise it.

"I sort of describe myself as a firefighter - basically there are always fires no matter how big or small, and it is my job to figure out how to put them out," says GBR Challenge shore manager Ed Danby.

"I look after everything from the moment you walk in the gate to the moment the boat leaves the dock.

"I am always the last one off the base.

"I mentally have to 'put the beast to bed' before I can truly relax at home."

A professional sailor, Danby's CV includes three Whitbread round-the-world races and three America's Cups. He was also part of Grant Dalton's Club Med team, which won The Race, and Sir Peter Blake's Enza, which broke the record for the fastest time around the world.

"I had just finished with Club Med and I basically joined GBR straight away," says Danby, who lives in Southampton.

"I have done three cups as a sailor but this time around I decided I didn't want to sail on the boat. I don't have an interest in sailing these boats. I'm more interested in multihulls."

It's the variety Danby likes most.

"Every day is different. A fitting doesn't fit, something isn't right. You just have to shoot from the hip the whole time.

"As soon as you come through the gate all your planning can go out the door due to too much wind, not enough wind or a problem on the boat.

"I don't do a lot of hands-on work, I just go around the yard and tell people what to do, ask them how they are going fix it, how long it is going to take and then report back to the sailing manager or the skipper and say we need this much time to carry out this job.

"I am not afraid to yell and bark and tell people to get off their butts and do something."

A typical day for GBR's 16-strong shore crew begins at dawn.

"Race days are actually quite nice, they're relatively easy days.

"We generally get down here at 6am, pull the race boat out of the shed, wash the bottom down, give it another check and then launch it and the tune-up boat.

"Then at 8.45am the boats dock out then we have other work that's carrying on. We have another boat to work on or we might be building another spinnaker pole, changing a rudder or preparing battens.

"Our hardest days are when we are in training because they are gagging to get out on the water and there's lots of work to be done on the boats, preparing stuff overnight to get the boats ready for the next day.

"Those days are long and you can do 90 hours plus a week. No weekends, you just have to keep working until the job is done. I make sure they have all the materials and that they are given coffee and pizza is delivered if they are working through until midnight.

"We have to make the job as easy as possible for the sailing team."

Further down the road, Oracle BMW Racing's boat building manager is New Zealander Mark Turner.

A boat-builder by trade, Turner was a member of New Zealand Challenge in 1992, Tag Heuer Challenge in 1995 and was a shore crew member for Team New Zealand in 2000.

Turner's sailing resume includes winning the 1997 and 1998 Maxi Worlds, the 1998 Sydney to Hobart race, sailing on Larry Ellison's Sayonara, and the Kenwood Cup in 1992 and 1996.

As part of Oracle's 25-plus shore crew, it's Turner's job to make sure USA71 and USA76 are reliable and look after any changes and modifications that are required and ensure they comply with the rules.

"On a race day I arrive at the sailing base at 6.30am and check the boats are race ready," Turner says.

"The rest of the day is spent on the water as a precaution and to assess the condition of the boat. The end of the day is mainly consumed with debrief meetings.

"The shore team are a dedicated group who work long hours and are the nucleus for ensuring a smooth ride for the sailing team."

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