{"id":69205,"date":"2019-09-24T19:20:36","date_gmt":"2019-09-24T23:20:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/?p=69205"},"modified":"2023-05-06T22:49:36","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T02:49:36","slug":"greg-gendell-on-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/racing\/greg-gendell-on-point\/","title":{"rendered":"Greg Gendell, On Point"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Greg <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Greg Gendell, a pro bowman with 13 grand-prix world \u00adchampionships under his harness, happily balances family and \u00adsailing.<\/span>\n Pedro Martinez<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

In late July, Greg Gendell, 49, is driving to the airport. Again. He\u2019s outbound for another regatta, but this time he\u2019s headed to little ol\u2018 Traverse Bay, Michigan, rather than Palma, Portugal, Sweden or the many other exotic racing locales he frequents. So far this summer he\u2019s been to Europe a half-dozen times to command the\u00a0bow of Quantum Racing in\u00a0the 52 Super Series and Aleph in the 44\u00a0Cup regattas, the two top-tier pro-sailing circuits. Not long ago he was a solo traveler to his sailing gigs, but on this particular airport run, his 11-year-old son is riding shotgun as he navigates the airport parking garage. This weekend, Gendell 2.0 will be watching his pops do his thing on the bow of the 52-footer Interlodge, just as the elder has done for nearly two decades as one of the best in the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Are you one of the younger bowmen on the pro-sailing \u00adcircuits these days? Because you sure look it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know about that. It\u2019s funny because growing up, it was always the youngest guy that got sent forward. But the teams I sail with have lots of veterans, and I\u2019m no longer one of the youngest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

How do you stay so fit?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

I still prefer swimming and \u00adriding the bike, and I do a bit of yoga before sailing each day\u2014a 10-minute routine to loosen up. In the gym, I do a lot of upper-body and core-stability stuff. I\u00a0spend a lot of time on the Swiss ball. Fitness for me has always been important, but as I age, especially, it\u2019s one of the things I\u2019m known for, arriving ready to go, which I take\u00a0seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

You still fit the mold for a bowman, physically, but as raceboats get bigger, do they need bigger guys?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

For the 52 Super Series weigh-in I\u2019m at 172 pounds. A lot of the other bowmen are built like me: wiry and tall and thin, and it seems like that\u2019s still the form. I\u2019ve sailed on some bigger boats, such as Comanche, and to be honest, I wasn\u2019t quite big enough for plugging in the big furlers and wrestling the zeros and stuff. I got it done, but it\u2019s much more physical for sure with the big gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Are you a card-carrying member of the Facebook Foredeck Union group?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not\u2026no. I don\u2019t do social media. About nine years ago I\u00a0sailed a Mumm 30 regatta with a bunch of college kids and I\u00a0was thinking to myself then that\u00a0I should do the Facebook thing. I\u00a0felt the generation gap at that point, but still haven\u2019t done it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

How many days of sailing so far this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll probably do about 160 days total. I turn stuff down because my wife works. She has the real job. A lot of guys chase every possible day they can, but fortunately I don\u2019t have to. The 52s and the 44s work well together in that I can do both. The 52 has been my priority for the past 12 years and I\u2019ve been in the 44 class for five years. Those are my two priority teams, and I come and go on a few other programs. I do some superyacht stuff as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

With all the precision \u00adelectronics in the hands of those at the back of the boat, is there less pressure on you for the start?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

It depends. You\u2019ve got the \u00adnavigator with the computer, my input from the bow, and their own gut feel. They have to take all three and decide what to do. A lot of times they still look to me for the start. I guess it\u2019s probably gotten easier, but there is still a lot of pressure because you\u2019re so close to the starting line; I\u2019m talking one-tenth of a second of accuracy whether you\u2019re bang on or called over. When the computer isn\u2019t working\u2014which happens sometimes\u2014they\u2019ll tell me there are no electronics and it\u2019s all on me. When I know that, I\u00a0actually take total control and I like it. I get my inputs and talk with confidence and fuel off the\u00a0adrenaline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Greg <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Greg Gendell doublechecks the spinnaker hookup with assistance from his son Ben on the Interlodge TP52 in Harbor Springs, Michigan.<\/span>\n Courtesy Dave Armitage<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

With string take-down \u00adsystems and no spinnaker pole to deal with, is it much easier for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Things happen quickly on the 52 and the kite drops in five seconds, so that\u2019s definitely easier. We only have one jib halyard and a single luff foil and a lot of times we\u2019ll only take one jib on the boat at a time. The boats, on deck at least, are very simple with super-clean layouts, but down below it\u2019s incredibly\u00a0complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Is this your department as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Jared Henderson is the guy that knows all the systems down below, and he\u2019s usually the guy that jumps down there if something goes wrong. I don\u2019t know all the systems well. Six years ago I knew every system, but I haven\u2019t always stayed up with it. I should keep up with it, but at the same time, I know the systems better than the other guys on the boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Least favorite part of the job these days?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Time away from the family. But I\u2019m involved with great teams, so it doesn\u2019t ever feel as though I\u2019m punching the clock. We\u2019ve had a lot of success, and when we go sailing I know we have a chance of doing well and winning the regatta, so I\u2019m lucky that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Does it ever get old?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

I still really enjoy competing at the top level and being in the zone, of having a single purpose with teams and boats I know well. The races are intense, 45\u00a0minutes, and while I\u2019m doing that I have such purpose. I like that. Doing it at such a high level is just so much fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n

When the computer isn\u2019t working\u2014which happens sometimes\u2014they\u2019ll tell me there are no electronics and it\u2019s all on me. When I know that, I actually take total control and I like it.<\/p>\n\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n

As you go from boat to boat, how do you adapt to the different afterguard styles?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve sailed a lot with Terry [Hutchinson]. He is such a loud communicator. There is no gray area with him. Everybody on the boat, and on the racecourse sometimes, knows what we\u2019re doing. I like that everyone\u2019s on the same page. Coming into a leeward gate, for example, if\u00a0he doesn\u2019t know which gate, he\u2019ll\u00a0say, \u201coptions open here.\u201d You have no idea which gate you\u2019re going to round, but I like that. On boats where the afterguard goes quiet, you just don\u2019t know and that\u2019s where the team\u00a0suffers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your mental checklist in the prestart?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

I check the tackline, halyard and the spinnaker hook up. Check, double check and recheck so that I know exactly what it\u2019s going to look like when the hatch opens. There are a lot of little things I\u2019ll cast my eyes over, like how the spin sheet sits on the forestay\u2014and even with two minutes to go, I\u2019ll keep looking at things as I start focusing on the starting line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Is there anything that catches you off guard these days?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Not much; on the Quantum 52 everything is done quickly and without discussion. We have long offset legs, and we can be one boat length from the offset, and then change our minds about whether it\u2019s a jibe-set or straight set. Coming into the bottom mark, too, we can leave everything until we\u2019re basically at the mark. The string takedown has changed that dramatically. But it can still go bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

How so?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

It comes down to communications coming into the mark. In 25 knots of wind, it\u2019s easy to get behind and out of sync. For example, the grinders have to sheet the jib on a bit, and if the tack of the jib lands outside the bow pulpit, I have to run up and skirt; then we have the jibing hobble, which has to come off\u2014 then the guys have to trim the kite in because it\u2019s flapping and load up the string\u2026If it doesn\u2019t happen in a normal rhythm and you drop the kite when it\u2019s collapsed, bad things happen. There\u2019s a lot going on and it\u2019s happening quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your go-to bowman gear these days?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

I still like the Ronstan ClearStart watch. It has big numbers and it\u2019s easy to scroll through the functions. I still have a Lirakis harness; in fact, I have three of them. Steve Lirakis hasn\u2019t made harnesses since the early 2000s. I like the way it picks me up, more by the legs and up a bit higher. White sunglasses are definitely my thing. I\u2019m thinking about letting them go, though. The ones I have now are a little obnoxious. I might stick with white, but I have to tone it down a bit. Zhik\u2019s leggings, with the knee pads and sun protection, is what I\u2019ve used about every day and every time I sail. For my knife, I prefer the Leatherman Wave. For 100 bucks, it\u2019s still the best.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the best bowmen in the grand-prix sailing game keeps a low profile, but when the starting signals begin, he’s on center stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Dave Reed","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"20190924","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"159","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"With a career made on the pointy end, at the top of the grand-prix game for more than two decades, not much fazes one of the best bowmen in the business.","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Greg Gendell, On Point %%sep%% %%sitename%%","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"CBWJQKB6ZDEPFHBRPLLU23EYVE","arc_website_url":"greg-gendell-on-point\/","custom_permalink":"","arc_subtype":"right-sidebar","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":0,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[593,178,194],"class_list":["post-69205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-racing","tag-quantum-racing","tag-sailboat-racing","tag-tp52"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sailingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}