Too many power players in a team does not seem to be conducive to crew and performance. The sacking of John Kostecki at BMW Oracle smells like a sacking.
He should be responsible for the tactics on board and the crew. He proved that he can very well fulfil such a position by winning the last Volvo Ocean Race on the "illbruck". For the time being, however, he is no longer allowed to decide anything within the Americas Cup circus.
BMW Oracle announced today that John Kostecki will remain with the team in the future, but only in an "advisory capacity and no longer at the Valencia site". The press release continues: "The team can continue to draw on Kostecki's wealth of experience during the course of the campaign. It is envisaged that the American will sail with the team from time to time." The "mutually agreed decision" leaves Kostecki free to "pursue other sailing projects outside of the Americas Cup".
Readers of the press release can hardly avoid the impression that the agreement between the contractual partners is ultimately a sacking. It is not known who is responsible for the ousting, team owner Larry Ellison or his representative in the sailing team Chris Dickson.
"There is definitely a new spirit in the team," Chris Dickson said in an interview with YACHT (issue 16, on newsstands at the end of July). By this he meant that the kind of back-and-forth between personnel that occurred at the last Cup before Auckland would no longer happen in his team, or rather Ellison's team. Back then, the 18 billion dollar software entrepreneur Larry Ellison first fired the American sailing star Paul Cayard and then the helmsman Peter Holmberg (BVI, now with Alinghi). He then hired New Zealander Chris Dickson, who had been dismissed from the team two years earlier. He in turn reactivated Holmberg.
Now the relapse into the old days. Of course, it is difficult for BMW Oracle to get rid of the image of the rich, arrogant American team. The team can afford such personnel capers. After all, the syndicate budget is estimated at well over 100 million dollars.
It is now questionable whether Dickson will take on the position of skipper permanently or whether he will look for a Kostecki replacement, which will certainly not be easy due to the advanced time within the team formations (twelve syndicates have applied for the battle for the sailing crown). The future of the current helmsman, Gavin Brady, who has not been able to sail any good results under Kostecki's leadership, is also questionable.
