RECENT COVERAGE : June 5, 2008
 

Also published in Seahorse International Sailing Magazine

If “you don’t really meet the good guys until you beat them,” as Bill Hardesty put it, then his list of good guys gets shorter with each series that he sails.  Hardesty has proven himself as a skilled tactician and helmsman and his consistency is stunning, especially when you consider the multiple regatta series that he has won; most recently, the Etchells Jaguar Series in Miami, a 90-boat, four-regatta series held over three months.  This past year alone, Hardesty has been atop the podium at the Melges 24 Worlds, the World Match Racing Tour and Etchells Jaguar Series and a number of rock stars have extended him a congratulatory hand.

Hardesty, a native of San Diego, counts his blessings.  “It’s amazing.  San Diego has sun everyday.  It has decent wind, and I get to sail as much as I want to.”  As he recounts his Etchells history, Hardesty rattles off a list on internationally renowned sailors, with San Diego roots.  After crewing in the Etchells in high school, Hardesty was asked to step in for Vince Brun when Brun had other North Sails commitments.  For several years he sailed borrowed boats when he wasn’t standing in for Brun and proved himself against the likes of Bruce Nelson and Peter Isler.  While Brun may have been his uncle in San Diego and included him in Etchells and Farr 40 programs, he had another fabulous mentor just up the coast.  Dave Ullman brought Hardesty along through the Pegasus Racing program and Hardesty teamed with Ullman to take third and first at the most recent Melges 24 World championships.   

With impressive finishes as a tactician throughout the 2007 Jaguar Series, Hardesty approached the owner of a San Diego fleet boat that he had borrowed quite a bit.   The 15-year old boat with an old design keel shape “was a little beat up, and it took some fiberglass and elbow grease to get it up to standard,” said Hardesty.  After sailing a couple of regattas, checking the mast bend and sail testing with Brun, Hardesty and his team decided to work with the mast that they had and to stay with North Sails’ current sail designs.  Hardesty and his team made a concerted effort to learn how to sail better and implemented a training regimen.  With Ed Adams as their coach, the team scheduled one or two days of intense practice before each regatta.  “We leave the dock when Ed tells us to and we go right into practice mode.  It’s much more effective than going out without a sparing partner and informally matching up with people.”

Hardesty sailed four up with a combination of Steve Hunt and Erik Shampain, San Diego buddies with whom he has been sailing for five to ten years, and Mary Anne Ward and Jennifer Wilson.  Hardesty drew from his experience in winning Melges 24 and Farr 40 campaigns and his observation of the 2006 Etchells World Championship crew of four.  “In the Melges, we found it better to have five, and most of the Farr 40 teams go with ten rather than nine (sailors).”  Hardesty went on to explain his proven theory, “Small people hike harder and they move faster.  The combination benefits boat handling.   It requires a lot of team work to make up for what we lack in muscle, so we practice a lot and make sure that we work well together.”  The recipe worked.  They had top five finishes in the ninety-boat fleet over 80% of the time and won three out of the four regattas including the “must count” Etchells Mid-Winters. 

Hardesty’s Etchells season started as soon as he returned from Malaysia where Team Pindar, with Hardesty as tactician, won Monsoon Cup and was crowned the winner of the 2006-2007 World Match Racing Tour.   The World Match Racing Tour has taken a temporary back seat to his Etchells, Megles 24 and Farr 40 programs.  His eyes are set on the Etchells World Championships in June, but he has a busy spring schedule as tactician aboard Helmut Jahn’s Flash Gordon at the Farr 40 Worlds and Simon Strauss’ Yoga at the Melges 24 Worlds.   

Hardesty is skilled at making transitions from one position to another.  He transitioned from main trimmer to tactician a few years ago and his first breakthrough came as tactician on Bob Hughes’ Farr 40, Heartbreaker, when they won Boat of the Week during Miami Race Week.  It took a little while for Hardesty, the tactician, who enjoys looking around and processing information, to turn helmsman and focus on telltales and keeping the boat in the groove.  “As it becomes more natural, I can start looking around coming into the weather mark and can help more.”

Does Hardesty have America’s Cup aspirations?  “I can’t ay that ‘I want to be an America’s Cup helmsman’, because there are only eight in the world, there are a lot of people trying to fill a few spots.  It is realistic to say ‘I want to be a helmsman or a tactician,” said a cautious Hardesty who has already met a many of the AC helmsmen and tacticians.