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John Dane
and Austin Sperry
The father
and son-in-law team of John Dane and crew Austin Sperry just won the 2006
Bacardi Cup in the star Class. From Gulfport, Mississippi, this is their
first win at the Bacardi, and we felt it worthy of a closer look - enjoy.
 
Congratulation on excellent performance at Bacardi,
in 5 words or less, how did you do it?
JD:
We started conservatively yet generally were able
to pick a side of the course that seemed favorable. Having great
upwind speed also was very critical.
AS:
Consistency, and great boat speed.
Did you imagine before the regatta that your
throwout would be a 17th?
JD:
If you asked us before the regatta, I would have
thought with the fleet and where we were racing with the shifty Biscayne
Bay winds we could have one race in the 20’s and probably one race
in the teens and still have a chance to win.
AS:
With 92 boats its really key to get to that first
weather mark in good order. Mentally it might have been tough to take
a 17th on day one with 5 days left to sail but it happened in the 3rd
race so I wasn’t too worried. We actually rounded the first weather
mark in that race in 42nd place, so a 17th wasn’t that bad.
How did the competition stack up at this regatta,
who surprised you, for whatever reason?
JD:
We had just sailed the OCR a few weeks before so
we had raced against most of the competitors. Definitely Mark Pickel
proved he is very talented.
AS:
As with most star regattas its deep with talent.
This year was no exception, Cayard, Loof, Percy, Grael were not here due
to the Volvo/AC campaigns but all the usual top teams were here. I was
a bit surprised that there were not too many US guys in the top ten. Bromby
was very impressive (he has won this regatta a few times) but he had a
new crew new boat and has not really sailed the boat since the games,
he is always tough to beat. Pickel and his crew Ingo were also going very
well, no big surprises all these guys are very good.
What are the new trends or fads in the Star class
this winter? How did the ruling that the crews can, indeed, stand
up on the runs, affect the racing?
JD:
I think in some waves that a crew standing up is
fast. However when we looked around and saw Rohart’s crew
sitting we knew that standing was not a necessity. Also with so
many judges so close people were sailing very conservatively.
AS:
I am not sure it affected the racing too much but
it certain situations standing up on the run is fast. During the regatta
I did a bit of both standing and sitting. I think there is a fine line
between the two and if a team can figure it out they will be very quick
on the run. Its good to try something different, start thinking out of
the box and try to squeeze that last little bit of boat speed out of the
boat. Sailing is all about winning the battles and winning the game of
inches.
What kind of boat did you sail? What rig
and sails? Can you compare your impressions about this boat compared
to the older boats you raced?
JD:
I have left Austin in charge of all equipment.
Since we have been sailing together we have only used the Folli hulls
and Emmetti masts. However we have ordered a Lilia since the top
three boats at the Olympics used them we thought we ought to check one
out.
AS:
John and I sailed a Folli in this regatta. I am very
happy with the boats Folli has built for me. I usually try to go to Europe
when the boat is nearing completion and help out with the layout of the
boat and make small changes. The past few boats he has built for me have
been fantastic! Watching Folli build my boat at the factory is very impressive,
the way they work and make the smallest changes is very impressive. Folli
is building a very good boat. I use Emmetti Masts, most of the top teams
are using these masts. I have tried several different Emmetti masts and
all have been great! This Folli we are sailing 8230 is not that much different
from boats I have sailed in the past, but like I said before its all about
inches and every little advantage JD and I can get helps.
How did you first meet each other? How
did you decide to sail together?
JD:
See Austin’s comments.
AS:
I first met John Dane in 1999 in Pass Christian Mississippi
at the Spring Championships, I was sailing with Chuck Beek the legend.
I saw his daughter strolling about the club and had to introduce myself…
Well being 20 years old at the time JD kind of scared me… I never
met him but he approached me at the yacht club bar and asked me “Boy
are you dating my daughter”? This guy is 6’4 and weighs 230
and from the south so I said no and kind of avoided talking to his daughter
Sally. Well a few years later I was a bit older and somewhat wiser and
Sally and I started dating in Miami. We got married and moved to Mississippi.
John and I decided to sail the spring championship in Nassau last year,
we finished 2nd in our first regatta and haven’t looked back since.
What kind of on-shore or on-water support did
you have for the Bacardi?
JD:
We had a coach for the week with his own boat as
well as both of our wives on a second boat which towed us in and out each
day and provided us with refreshments and snacks.
AS:
Preparation is key without a capable team our success
would not be possible. We had two tenders for Bacardi. At home in Mississippi
we have two ship yards at our disposal with the world’s best builders
on hand.
Larry Suter is our coach. Larry does a great job with
weather and the overall picture on the race track. Darrell Saunders,
better known as Big D, is our tender captain and he is responsible for
food/drinks towing etc. Big D makes our life very easy. John Difide our
strength coach and trainer while in Miami and is awesome! He trains all
the U. Miami football team and professional athletes, after sailing we
will have a big stretch and small workout with coach. With a team like
this I can focus on my priorities: the rig, making sure its perfect and
making sure were going fast. JD does an amazing job hiking and driving
the boat, he is one of the best I have ever sailed with.
Austin, describe how the in-boat dynamics change
between sailing with Andy MacDonald and with John Dane?
AS:
Andy Mac has been a huge influence in my life on
and off the water. It is great to see him having success he is a fantastic
sailor and has a great attitude on life. The dynamics are a bit different
as John is my father in law so sometimes I have to be careful of what
I say or call him. Its really cool sailing with not your typical professional
sailor, these guys bring so much to the table about life, business &
leadership they have so much knowledge it is great. I am like a sponge
when these guys talk, I hope to be as successful some day.
What kind of fitness regiment do you two maintain?
How do you mix anaerobic and aerobic activities?
AS:
I have to tell you John Dane has more energy at 55
years old than I do at 27. I meet him every morning at the gym at 4:55am
it sucks.
JD’s work ethic is contagious, I warm up on the
treadmill for about 30 minutes while JD rides the bike and does the stair
master for 45 minutes while reading his paper. We will do a lot of core
training and we usually lift some weights together. At 55 JD isn’t
squatting 400lbs but he hikes so hard I can’t believe it. JD concentrates
on legs and abs to help him hike He also seems to love throwing the medicine
ball at me as hard as he can, not sure why but he gets this look in his
eyes like he wants to throw it down my throat?
Did you bulk up the weight for the Bacardi at
all?
AS:
No- during the regatta we were at weight, and a little
light by the last day.
Tell us about the Friday night’s party,
where was it, how bad did it get this year?
JD:
The party actually started with the bottle of 151
Rum we were handed just past the finish line from Mr. Tito Bacardi.
Then we went to the hotel, changed and were pretty mellow by the time
we went back for the trophy presentation. When we arrived it was
apparent Austin and his buddies were pretty wound up and fortunately they
did not throw the old man in like they did Austin. Needless to say
it was a great night.
AS:
By Friday night I was mentally spent, but I did manage
to drink a few bottles of rum with my pal Darrell Hiatt. The party was
held pool side at the Coral Reef YC. It was an unforgettable night, my
wife was there my dad was there and I won this thing with my father in
law, this was a very special regatta. Wining this regatta after all the
stuff we have gone trough the past 7 months with hurricane Katrina losing
all our homes and everything we owned, living in a trailer to put this
out of my head for a week and win something like this with my father in
law, words can’t explain how I feel.
Austin, what are the three most important revelations
you had when working with Paul Cayard & Co in Athens preparing for
the Olympics regatta? What did you transfer into your sailing?
AS:
Paul Cayard is my mentor. Working with him at the
Olympics and training with him leading up to the Olympics really opened
my eyes to a lot of things. A lot of people ask me how do you coach Paul
Cayard? It’s a really good question, Paul is a student of
the game and is constantly thinking outside the box. He leaves no stone
unturned, for example he saw Percy, Loof, Rohart take this hiking thing
to a new level. What Paul did physically was impressive, he was very fit.
At the Olympics he was more if not the most fit of any sailor. We had
some long days in Athens but we had a great team. Phil Triniter
Paul’s crew is a veteran and knows what it takes to get things done,
Mark Reynolds, the godfather of star sailing, was there as a coach and
designing new sails, Andy Lovell and I were sailing the B boat.
It was like a mini Americas cup campaign with the two boats and all the
coaches. I learned more about star boats in those 7 weeks than I have
in a long while.
What do you feel are the differences, if any,
between the Quantum and the North sails for the Star nowadays?
AS:
I have been sailing with Quantum sails for most of
my star career and I am very happy. Mark Reynolds and George Szabo have
helped my tremendously coming up the ranks in the star class. While we
were in Greece before the games we designed a new sail called the Z6 and
its great. These days I use the Z4 model and the new heavy air Z6 sail.
This is the first campaign JD has used Quantum sails. Generally
he used North in the past while tuning with Eric Doyle and Vince Brun.
I think North is doing a great job testing and building new sails, its
great to see the design and evolution in the star class.
What keeps you two in the class?
JD:
The competition, the Olympic tradition and the Boat.
AS:
The people, competition, and I love the boat!
My best friends are all star sailors. I think I would have like 3 friends
if I didn’t sail star boats.
What other boats do you enjoy racing?
JD:
We race a Melges 30 on the Gulf Coast a few times
a year and believe it or not, I sail a sunfish occasionally while following
my wife Leslie to regattas. She’s generally in the top of
the fleet and unless it is really blowing I am way back in the pack.
AS:
Well my ageless skipper John Dane just purchased
3 new Finns from Devoti.
JD said he wants to do the gym(4:55am) then work all
day and sail Finns after work.. He has already thrown down a challenge
about who will beat who.
Will there be another Tiburon boat outside the
Stars?
JD:
There is only one Tiburon….
You are involved in the marine industry in Louisiana,
what are your comments or impressions about the recovery in this area
after the hurricane damage?
JD:
Things in New Orleans are improving very slowly.
We still only have limited power at our yacht building facility and the
city can only promise phone service in six months. Due to the infrastructure
problems in New Orleans we were forced move our operations including
500 employees to Gulfport Mississippi. While the Gulf Coast was
truly devastated the facility we acquired had limited damage and was able
to open in 30 days.
What is happening in the sailing community down
there, how do they rebuild the fleets and racing activities? What
if anything is needed now to bring the activities back up to last year's
level?
JD:
I believe twelve yacht clubs on the Gulf Coast were
totally destroyed by Katrina and probably 30-40% of the PHRF boats were
either damaged or destroyed. To date many clubs have double wide
trailers on site and are formulating rebuilding plans while fighting with
insurers. Most clubs are starting to have regattas and the racing should
be back up to 50% by the end of summer culminating with the interclub
Lipton Cup competition in flying Scots. I believe once people have
a plan with their home and business rebuilding they will refocus on their
weekend racing enjoyment.
Thank you, gentlemen and good luck this season.
04/04/06
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