BILL BENNETT: WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN

 


Vince Brun, Bill Bennett, Rick Merriman


Bill, you recently won the Etchells Worlds with Vince Brun and Rick Merriman in San Diego. We know that you three are San Diego Homeboys, but how did you get hooked up with Vince for this effort?

BB
 Vince and I started sailing together in the 80's. We've sailed J-24's, Stars, Melges 24's and Etchells together. We sailed the E-22 together for the first time at the 1997 SORC. When they decided to have the 2000 World Championship in San Diego, we talked about sailing together. When we were looking for a third person on the boat, Rick Merriman was my choice, and Vince agreed. (Rick is, by the way, one of those great sailors that almost every sailing community has, but that few outside the area know who he is - Ed)


Tell us about the lead up program to the Worlds, in terms of practice, sail testing, etc.

BB
 We did a lot of tuning and practicing with Andy Ladow, a local San Diego sailor who is superb in this Class. It was a great learning experience. I have to give credit to Andy and his team for helping us win the worlds.


In a 3 man boat like the Etchells, what are the 3 most important keys to winning?

BB

  • Three guys that get along, are good sailors and are willing to put in maximum effort
  • Tuning and practice--must have a good tuning partner, trade ideas, debriefing after sailing is very important.
  • During the regatta, get into a routine and stick to it. Meet at the boat at the same time everyday, same person gets lunch, packs the spinnakers, checks the notice board, etc. This helps add to the comfort level.


Vince Brun has been so good for so long that it is simply amazing. What are Vince's attributes that make him so successful?

BB
 Vince has the ability to push the crew to perform at a higher level than they might normally perform at. All of the great ones have this ability.


Bennett in action on Bob Hughes' 1D 35 "Heartbreaker"


Tell us about your role sailing with Vince.

BB
 Vince likes to feel comfortable. He likes information in a certain way that you can only learn by sailing with him for years and years. My biggest role with Vince is just being someone he can trust or count on in a tough situation. It's easy when you are winning, but getting out of bad start and salvaging a race, that's how you win regattas.


Let's say you have an idea while going up the beat, how do you present it? And are there rules of communication? For example, no talking or hand signals or just lots of yelling and mayhem?

BB
 Vince knows that if I don't say anything, I have doubt. If I say something like "we need to go left", I'm usually pretty sure of myself. I try not to make a call just for the sake of making a call. Vince makes most of his own calls anyway, I mostly try to help with course management.


A lot of folks outside of Southern Cal don't know you. Yet you've also been a big part of another program that has dominated all over the country, and I'm speaking about the 1D 35 "Heartbreaker". How did you get involved and what did they ask you to do to help them?


1D 35's Off and Running

BB
 I first sailed with Robert Hughes in 1996 in the Melges 24 East Coast Championship. We won, and I've been crewing for him ever since.


Some owners know what it takes to build a winning program. With wins in the 2000 SORC, 2001 SORC, and 2000 Key West Race week, "Heartbreaker"'s owner, Bob Hughes is obviously one of them. What does Bob do that maybe other owners don't?

BB
 Bob is intensely competitive. He believes in preparation. Leave no stone unturned. The sails, boat and crew are always prepared in the Heartbreaker program.


You mentioned that often the boat does better without rock stars on board. How can that be? After all, to quote Homer Simpson "Rock stars, is there anything they don't know?"

BB
 We have had success in the 1d35 with and without rock stars. Bob has some unknown rock stars. One of them is Wally Cross. He is a sailmaker from Detroit. He trims the main. He is excellent at rig tuning and boatspeed.


So after conquering the 1D 35 fleet, Bob is stepping up into the very tough Farr 40 fleet. Not only is that commendable, it is also a huge undertaking. How do you plan on entering that arena at a high level?

BB
 For the Farr 40 Bob has a partner in the boat, Wally Tsuha. We know we have a long way to go to get up to speed so we will be looking for help from Jeff Madrigali and Terry Hutchinson to jump start our program.


Starting line, Etchells 22 Worlds in San Diego


What will your role be on the new boat? BB: Probably trim the spinnaker mostly. If we don't have a rock star Wally and I team up to do tactics. SA: Certainly there will be one rock star - who will it be?

BB
 Again, Madro and Terry will probably be the guys.


Who picks the sailmaker? And is it safest to go with dominant one in the class? And which sailmaker does the best?

BB
 Bob Hughes and Wally Tsuha pick the sailmaker. There was serious consideration given to Quantum, but with Wally's involvement and the fact that North has been the dominant sailmaker in this Class, the decision was to go North.


Much is being made about what it costs to be competitive, especially in a fleet like the Farr 40. Does the entire crew get paid? We hear daily fees commanded by top pros can reach $1,500 per day - any truth to that?

BB
 It is very expensive. On the Farr 40 only 4 crewmembers are allowed to be paid. I think some of the top guys might make even more.


Outside of the most obvious things like a good bottom, new sails, etc. what are the most important elements of a winning boat and a winning team?

BB
 It helps if the crew gets along. One of the best things about winning the 2000 E-22 worlds was that I did it with two of my best friends. It is so much more fun. It is important to remember that sailing is full of ups and downs. It is always fun if you're sailing with the right people, and winning!!


Thanks, Bill. Good luck with the new program. Give us updates as it goes along.

BB
 Will do.