Reality check - Part I

Player-turned-manager is a concept well tested throughout modern sport. However, those who make the transition most successfully usually do so early, well before they have exhausted their own competitive careers. Former shorthanded offshore racer Mark Turner made just such an early decision back in 1997, when he decided to work with Ellen MacArthur as a first step in a new management career

SH: Post-Mini Transat 1997 your decision to take a back-seat in sailing and move to focusing on supporting Ellen was pivotal. Were you already looking for a way to develop on your previous marketing experience, or did Ellen just strike you as an exceptional talent with which to work?

MT: I did manage to beat her in that race so thought I should quit while I was ahead! No, seriously, after the Whitbread in 1989 [on Defender] I had managed to do one big race project each year, and progressively leant towards the French shorthanded scene after my work with Spinlock [as marketing director] had opened my eyes to this Œotherš world. But to compete in these events, the Mini, the Figaro, it takes total focus ­ and the Mini nearly killed me, trying to balance a job and the sailing and the project management.

To read the remainder of this article please go to the October 2002 edition of Seahorse, available at selected newsstands or by calling: + 44 (0) 1590 671899 or by email at: info@seahorse.co.uk

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Next month Mark Turner expands on the longer-term plans for Offshore Challenges and offers guidance for sailors looking for sponsorship in general and management by his team in particular