Gary Jobson Featured Speaker at Yacht Club Fundraiser

The name may not have been officially bestowed on him, but Gary Jobson is the ambassador of sailing.

Since January 2005 when he was declared cancer-free after being diagnosed with the blood cancer lymphoma in 2003, Jobson has spoken to hundreds of groups about sailing. When he presents a one-hour program as a fundraiser for the Ephraim Yacht Club (EYC) on July 13, it will be his 941st speaking engagement since beating cancer.

Now, for a guy who has been an award-winning sailing commentator on television since 1987, a winner of the 1977 America’s Cup with skipper Ted Turner (one of five Cups Jobson has participated in), winner of the notorious 1979 Fastnet race in which a freak storm took the lives of 15 yachtsmen and three rescuers, 2011 inductee into the Sailing Hall of Fame and author of 18 sailing books, what do you think is the most often-asked question he gets?

Gary Jobson

“What’s it like to sail with Ted Turner is a question that I’ve gotten for 35 years. Everybody asks me that, so it’s okay,” Jobson said in a telephone interview to preview his first visit to Door County.

“I look forward to being out there in a couple of weeks. I’ve never been up in that part of the world,” he said.

“Gary Jobson is a dynamic speaker and lifelong ambassador of the sport of sailing,” said EYC board member John Welch. “Most of Gary’s summer will be spent broadcasting the America’s Cup in San Francisco, so the EYC is doubly fortunate that Gary is able to visit us.”

Later this summer, Jobson will again be the lead commentator for the America’s Cup.

“As it turned out, I had to get the shoehorn between all the stuff going on in San Francisco, but it worked out,” Jobson said. “My role in all this is to be one of three commentators covering the race, most of which will be on one of the NBC networks. We start our coverage with the semi-finals because that’s when boats start getting eliminated, that’s in early August.”

So, how does one prepare to cover the America’s Cup?

“What I do, I go to lots of events in advance. I’ve gone to six America’s Cup World Series events now, three in Europe and three here in the USA. Two in San Francisco and one here in Newport, Rhode Island,” he said. “From there you get to know who all the competitors and players are. You spend a little time sailing on the boats, which in the past has been easy because I’ve got a long history on the boats, but not these, so that was important. I’ve been a student of the game for a long time. I’ve sailed in five different teams. This is my ninth covering it. I’ve written an awful lot about it. I’ve got a pretty good basis of what the Cup is all about, dating back to the beginning.

“I don’t know who the top in the world is on America Cup trivia, but I’m probably one of them anyway,” he continued. “I don’t know if that’s anything to brag about, knowing America’s Cup minutiae or trivia, but you can’t spend 35 years doing it and not know a lot of the players. The America’s Cup is interesting. It’s kind of like most sports where, in the end, it gets beyond technique and ability. It’s almost emotions that make a difference in the end.”

The fundraising dinner will be held in conjunction with the EYC’s annual Rich Hall Junior Regatta, which will take place on Ephraim’s Eagle Harbor on July 13 – 14. The two-day regatta is open to youth ages 12 to 17 and features sailboat racing in two classes.

“The EYC’s mission is to enable people to go sailing, including sailboat racing,” said EYC Commodore Jay Lott. “The EYC is unusual among yacht clubs in that our junior regatta has dedicated funding, which enables us to make it free to participants. And in 2013 we are giving each regatta participant a copy of one of Gary Jobson’s books.”

The Rich Hall Junior Regatta is named in honor of the EYC’s first sailing instructor, who taught generations of EYC members how to sail. For more information visit the EYC’s website at eyc.org or e-mail the EYC at [email protected].

The Ephraim Yacht Club Fundraiser with champion sailor Gary Jobson will be held July 13, 6 – 10 pm, at Alexander’s Contemporary Cuisine & Fine Spirits in Fish Creek. For more information visit eycgaryjobson.eventbrite.com.