Scot a new site, and Sail GPs Sydney sacking.
Image-Cynthia Sinclair.
Some of you may know of Scot Tempesta as one of the original punk rockers of the sailing internet.
Scot founded Sailing Anarchy in 2002 on the USA west coast, and it went on to hit a cultural high-water mark around the time of the 33rd America's Cup, At that time the site had 400,000 unique visitors each month. I thought little old SWS was going ok with 20,000 visitors each month.
It has always been a refreshingly, irreverent alternative to buttoned-up sailing media and even if you didn’t embrace Scot’s tone, you still had to take on board his opinions if you wanted to be a serious player.
SA was always community-oriented, (a thing we often bang on about in these pages). It covered global and local regattas with irreverent, sometimes profane commentary but always with an edge of truth, and often a truth that those high up in sailing’s heiracy didn’t want to hear. I loved it and It was part of my digital news intake every morning.
Over the last few months there has been a major upheaval at the site.
I not privy the details but the story seems to be that in March 2026, Scot was fired from the site he'd founded by the current owners, VerticalScope, a Toronto-based, publicly traded company. In April 2025 He announced it himself on Facebook, saying he'd been let go with no explanation given, and that the company had cut off his longtime scot@sailinganarchy.com email address — the one he'd used as his primary email for 27 years. SailingAnarchy's only official comment was that he was fired "for cause." Tempesta has said he doesn't know the real reason, but suspects it relates to political friction — he described himself as politically progressive and openly critical of the current U.S. administration's environmental policies, and figures that clashed with VerticalScope's more corporate, "buttoned-down" culture.
Anyway… enough of these shenanigans. The good news is that Scot has been reborn… on a great new site called RULE 69 …a typically Scot like play on words….
In case you don’t know…
From the racing rules of sailing- 69 MISCONDUCT
A competitor, boat owner or support person shall not commit an act of misconduct.
Misconduct is:
conduct that is a breach of good manners, a breach of good sportsmanship, or unethical behaviour; or
conduct that may bring, or has brought, the sport into disrepute.
Scot has kindly let us reprocuce this recent article from Rule 69, to give you the vibe of the new site. And its an issue that regular readers of SWS know is close to my heart!
sail gp dumps sydney
We have just had proof, if it were ever needed, that SailGP is much more of a business, than it is a sporting event. Without any public explanation, the Coutts/Ellison circus has dropped Sydney as a venue for the 2027 season.
Sydney Harbour was where the first SailGP race was held back in February 2019. It has hosted a round of the series every year since. Imagery of the F50 cats with the spectacular Harbour and Opera House as backgrounds has been a prominent part of the event’s image and promotional campaigns.
Not every local sailor welcomed the disruptions SailGP caused to their normal weekend racing. There were some close calls when the foiling cats did warm-up runs before the afternoon exclusion zones came into effect (see pic,left). Nevertheless, the event enjoyed reasonable support.
But apparently, not enough.
Unlike the Formula 1 motor racing circuit, where the tracks are locked in for a set span of years, SailGP can change its locations at whim. There is little stability as venues come and go. The reasons for these changes are overwhelmingly commercial. If Coutts & Co can’t make a location pay, then it will soon be dumped.
Ticket sales and spectator boat access are key components of the SailGP business model.
In the case of Sydney, the unique geography of the Harbour means that there is nowhere to erect shoreline grandstands where fans can buy a close-up view of the racing. The best vantage opportunity is Shark Island, a small rocky outcrop with limited space. The logistics of providing transport, food, drink and shelter are complex, and expensive.
Crowds for the last few years were disappointing and local sponsorship support lackluster. Too few boat owners were prepared to pay the big bucks demanded for a privilege flag. Even with the Australian team leading the series, it was time for SailGP to cut its losses and look elsewhere.
So, the next event ‘Down Under’ will be in Perth, 2,600 miles away on the other side of the continent. But for how much longer can SailGP keep wandering around the world chasing after a dollar?