The Loss

We occasionally run a feature called The Win, where we share
a story about how a particular race or regatta was won. Today we give
you the other side of the coin. Antony Barran, who has chronicled the
build of his new Antrim
40 XL on these pages, just completed the 2200 mile Pacific Cup to
Hawaii, their first offshore venture with the new boat. They had a very
disappointing race, finishing a dismal 6th in class and 33rd overall.
Antony steps up here and tells the tale. Not an easy thing to do when
the expectations were high.

Losing
isn’t fun. Period. And what makes matters worse, as an owner,
is the tremendous feeling of disappointment one experiences of having
let your crew and team down.

I’m sure, that if I thought about it long and hard enough, I
could come up with a plethora of excuses for our results in this year’s
Pacific Cup. Picked to win our class, we did not. But looking for excuses
would only demean two significant accomplishments. The first is the
great job our competitors did in beating us. The second is the tremendous
job our entire team did, from design and build through to crew work,
and their valiant efforts to overcome the hurdles I put in their way.