www.sailingmagazine.net
www.sailingmagazine.net
sk any sailor what is one of the most
and calm seas), a carefully maintained yacht
Results Group, Sando specializes in business
no weekend cruise. For packages that start at
and teamwork is bound to come up.
everyone safe, it can be a blast.”
works with entrepreneurs, business owners and
rate executives, businesspeople or any group
crucial aspects of successful sailing There is a reason the sport is often
used in team-building exercises and for corporate fund-raisers—throw a bunch of people on a sail-
boat and they will learn quickly that you have no choice but to work together.
On a familiar-looking boat off the San Diego shore, one company is taking such
team-building exercises to a new level. At
Business executives shed their suits for team-building training aboard S&S Story by Michael Duffy with photography by Bob Grieser
Team USA 11, participants spend a full day
pushing an America’s Cup yacht through its
paces, all the while learning a little something about themselves.
They do it aboard USA 11, formerly
Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes, sailed in
the 1992 America’s Cup. Purchased by Steve
Pattison and Mark Niblack in 2006, the boat, which still bears the familiar S&S logo and paint job, is now a high-level learning plat-
form for businesspeople around the country. Their leader is almost as legendary. Annie 3
Nelson, 1995 America navigator and trial horse
helmsman, is regarded as one of the best female sailors in the world. With dozens of titles and
records to her credit, she has been competing in
and a crew who knows how to teach and keep Nelson perfected the team-building and
their teams, who are looking for accelerated rev-
sailing program working with the Daniels School of Business at the University of
Denver, along with several of her original A
enue growth and improved profitability.
3
teammates, namely Sarah Cavanah, Dianna Klybert and Suzette Smith. Twelve years of
training MBA students about team building on sailboats made Nelson one of the world’s
best at the challenge, a slot she’s comfortable filling. Fortunately, the timing was right, as she met two enterprising businessmen
who had just gotten “wind” that a certain America’s Cup yacht was for sale.
Teamwork and seamanship have gone hand in hand since sailors, well, first pulled in line hand over hand. But there’s been a quantum leap from the sea chanteys designed to keep the men working as one. Workshops con-
ducted by Team USA 11 have raised the bar
compared to team-building events other companies run, Nelson said.
Nelson is joined by a formidable off-the-water counterpart; Don Sando. Founder of Strategic
growth and organizational performance, and
Before groups or individuals get out on the water, Sando leads them through a number
of finely tuned but fun exercises designed to
familiarize the participants, first with themselves, then each other, then crucial team-
building aspects, and only then, with a few fundamentals of sailing.
Formerly a strategic planner and high-
$3,000 and can top $5,000, about 20 corpowilling to learn gets to shed their business
suits and head out on the water for a day away from the office.
“The Defender Package” is a comprehensive short course that guides participants
through each position on the yacht, develops proficiency and communications skills, and
then challenges individuals to work together, and eventually, independently, from their experienced trainers.
performance team builder for Hewlett Packard,
Stations include nearly all of those involved
years experience working with Fortune 1000
foredeck and up-the-mast pursuits, which are
Sando is a senior executive with more than 25
companies, focused on leading teams to increase market share, revenue and profit growth.
After a brief dockside safety introduction,
the on-the-water crew takes the helm of both USA 11 and the “Team Members.” The sailing crew consists of one captain and several
expert instructors. Depending on the group
size, between six and eight coaches guide the workshop. From the very beginning, it’s evi-
dent this isn’t your average daysail, and this is
big boat races for more than 30 years. A mem-
in actual America’s Cup racing, save for the
prohibitively dangerous. The exercise is best described by “Learn, switch, learn, switch.” Team members rotate between general-
purpose grinding, trimming the jib, trimming the main, manning the running backstay
and taking the helm. The idea is to become familiar, not just with each position, but
how each position is affected by the different maneuvers (tacking, jibing, falling off, head-
ing up), and how all the positions must work together seamlessly in order to carry out the maneuvers successfully.
After proficiency is demonstrated in Phase
ber of the 1984 Olympic Sailing Team, Nelson holds five world titles and 17 national and
I, Phase II begins, with mock racing. A brief-
Year by several organizations over the years, she
determines success and victory, buoys are
ing is given on how races are run, and what
international titles. Named Yachtswoman of the
dropped to define a starting line and wind-
brings her organizational skills, winning atti-
ward mark, and the countdown begins. The
tude, and compassion for teaching and empow-
elevation in intensity is palpable. Everything
ering others to the Team USA 11 program.
Along with a very capable crew of yachts-
comes into focus. The general volume of the
men and women, as well as an equally
group drops down, but the sharpness of each
impressive roster of business leaders and
command, direction and observation starts to
motivators, Nelson leads Team USA 11 in a
take on the quality of military precision. The
venture that merges the coordination required
to sail a state-of-the-art racing yacht, with the teamwork involved in running a successful team off the water.
What a way to spend a day at work: on board an America’s Cup yacht. Team-building was never so fun.
“There’s nothing better than taking folks
out on sailboats on calm San Diego Bay, and
especially an America’s Cup yacht, and showing them how to feel the power of the wind,”
Nelson said. “Bill Koch, who set up the wom3
en’s America team in 1994, had a mission to prove that anyone can sail these yachts. And
it’s true. With the right venue (modest winds Reprinted from Sailing Magazine, 125 E. Main St., Port Washington, WI 53074 Phone: 800-236-7444 64 November 2008
Reprinted from Sailing Magazine, 125 E. Main St., Port Washington, WI 53074 Phone: 800-236-7444 SAILING 65
www.sailingmagazine.net
www.sailingmagazine.net
sk any sailor what is one of the most
and calm seas), a carefully maintained yacht
Results Group, Sando specializes in business
no weekend cruise. For packages that start at
and teamwork is bound to come up.
everyone safe, it can be a blast.”
works with entrepreneurs, business owners and
rate executives, businesspeople or any group
crucial aspects of successful sailing There is a reason the sport is often
used in team-building exercises and for corporate fund-raisers—throw a bunch of people on a sail-
boat and they will learn quickly that you have no choice but to work together.
On a familiar-looking boat off the San Diego shore, one company is taking such
team-building exercises to a new level. At
Business executives shed their suits for team-building training aboard S&S Story by Michael Duffy with photography by Bob Grieser
Team USA 11, participants spend a full day
pushing an America’s Cup yacht through its
paces, all the while learning a little something about themselves.
They do it aboard USA 11, formerly
Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes, sailed in
the 1992 America’s Cup. Purchased by Steve
Pattison and Mark Niblack in 2006, the boat, which still bears the familiar S&S logo and paint job, is now a high-level learning plat-
form for businesspeople around the country. Their leader is almost as legendary. Annie 3
Nelson, 1995 America navigator and trial horse
helmsman, is regarded as one of the best female sailors in the world. With dozens of titles and
records to her credit, she has been competing in
and a crew who knows how to teach and keep Nelson perfected the team-building and
their teams, who are looking for accelerated rev-
sailing program working with the Daniels School of Business at the University of
Denver, along with several of her original A
enue growth and improved profitability.
3
teammates, namely Sarah Cavanah, Dianna Klybert and Suzette Smith. Twelve years of
training MBA students about team building on sailboats made Nelson one of the world’s
best at the challenge, a slot she’s comfortable filling. Fortunately, the timing was right, as she met two enterprising businessmen
who had just gotten “wind” that a certain America’s Cup yacht was for sale.
Teamwork and seamanship have gone hand in hand since sailors, well, first pulled in line hand over hand. But there’s been a quantum leap from the sea chanteys designed to keep the men working as one. Workshops con-
ducted by Team USA 11 have raised the bar
compared to team-building events other companies run, Nelson said.
Nelson is joined by a formidable off-the-water counterpart; Don Sando. Founder of Strategic
growth and organizational performance, and
Before groups or individuals get out on the water, Sando leads them through a number
of finely tuned but fun exercises designed to
familiarize the participants, first with themselves, then each other, then crucial team-
building aspects, and only then, with a few fundamentals of sailing.
Formerly a strategic planner and high-
$3,000 and can top $5,000, about 20 corpowilling to learn gets to shed their business
suits and head out on the water for a day away from the office.
“The Defender Package” is a comprehensive short course that guides participants
through each position on the yacht, develops proficiency and communications skills, and
then challenges individuals to work together, and eventually, independently, from their experienced trainers.
performance team builder for Hewlett Packard,
Stations include nearly all of those involved
years experience working with Fortune 1000
foredeck and up-the-mast pursuits, which are
Sando is a senior executive with more than 25
companies, focused on leading teams to increase market share, revenue and profit growth.
After a brief dockside safety introduction,
the on-the-water crew takes the helm of both USA 11 and the “Team Members.” The sailing crew consists of one captain and several
expert instructors. Depending on the group
size, between six and eight coaches guide the workshop. From the very beginning, it’s evi-
dent this isn’t your average daysail, and this is
big boat races for more than 30 years. A mem-
in actual America’s Cup racing, save for the
prohibitively dangerous. The exercise is best described by “Learn, switch, learn, switch.” Team members rotate between general-
purpose grinding, trimming the jib, trimming the main, manning the running backstay
and taking the helm. The idea is to become familiar, not just with each position, but
how each position is affected by the different maneuvers (tacking, jibing, falling off, head-
ing up), and how all the positions must work together seamlessly in order to carry out the maneuvers successfully.
After proficiency is demonstrated in Phase
ber of the 1984 Olympic Sailing Team, Nelson holds five world titles and 17 national and
I, Phase II begins, with mock racing. A brief-
Year by several organizations over the years, she
determines success and victory, buoys are
ing is given on how races are run, and what
international titles. Named Yachtswoman of the
dropped to define a starting line and wind-
brings her organizational skills, winning atti-
ward mark, and the countdown begins. The
tude, and compassion for teaching and empow-
elevation in intensity is palpable. Everything
ering others to the Team USA 11 program.
Along with a very capable crew of yachts-
comes into focus. The general volume of the
men and women, as well as an equally
group drops down, but the sharpness of each
impressive roster of business leaders and
command, direction and observation starts to
motivators, Nelson leads Team USA 11 in a
take on the quality of military precision. The
venture that merges the coordination required
to sail a state-of-the-art racing yacht, with the teamwork involved in running a successful team off the water.
What a way to spend a day at work: on board an America’s Cup yacht. Team-building was never so fun.
“There’s nothing better than taking folks
out on sailboats on calm San Diego Bay, and
especially an America’s Cup yacht, and showing them how to feel the power of the wind,”
Nelson said. “Bill Koch, who set up the wom3
en’s America team in 1994, had a mission to prove that anyone can sail these yachts. And
it’s true. With the right venue (modest winds Reprinted from Sailing Magazine, 125 E. Main St., Port Washington, WI 53074 Phone: 800-236-7444 64 November 2008
Reprinted from Sailing Magazine, 125 E. Main St., Port Washington, WI 53074 Phone: 800-236-7444 SAILING 65
www.sailingmagazine.net
The group is split into three “challeng-
creating a rush not unlike that of a freight
race course and compete against the clock. At
is a barometer of the boat’s performance, one
ers,” each of whom complete the prescribed this point the seasoned trainers are primar-
ily hands-off, merely coaching and advising. Koch’s vision has come to fruition; anyone
can sail these racing machines. And everyone is getting better and better at it as the day goes on. A crew of businesspeople-turned-sailors celebrates their day on the water, top. The crew takes turns doing different jobs on the boat, upper right. Annie Nelson provides direction to the day’s skipper, above.
speed of the boat has been nothing short of
incredible, all day, but now it snaps-to more smartly than ever, accelerating out of each
maneuver in response to the crew’s ratchetedup attention and execution.
Owner Steve Pattison described the esca-
lation that transpires during just one day. “Running a 78-foot-long, 115-foot high,
state-of-the-art carbon fiber and kevlar racing machine is an amazing challenge, and is perfectly suited for our team-building program,” he said. “Sailing requires high levels of communication, cooperation and precise execu-
tion from many individuals working together
toward a common goal. And when it all comes together, it’s symphony.”
Just about every sailor will tell you that one of the most inspiring aspects of the pursuit is the thrill of speed and motion under the
natural power of the wind, and the freedom from internal combustion distraction. This
takes on a whole new level when Phase III of the series is underway: The Silent Sail Drill. The symbolism is powerful: When a team is
really working well together, you just “know” what’s going on in your mates’ minds, even without speaking. Visual cues, boat move-
ment, and heightened awareness of the sur-
roundings guides crewmembers at this stage.
Annie drives the boat through tacks, jibes and all points of sail, and the team responds without the help of the trainers.
Not to say the experience is completely
silent. Stars & Stripes is a high-strung guitar,
whose rig sings with each adjustment, and the boat slices through tons of water in seconds,
Reprinted from Sailing Magazine, 125 E. Main St., Port Washington, WI 53074 Phone: 800-236-7444 66 November 2008
train. And, of course, each of these telltales
of the primary reasons why race crews remain silent when in high gear, save perhaps for tactical communications.
The massive kevlar sails are down, the
engine (added per Coast Guard regulations) is purring, and the group gets a chance to
catch their breath and do a little re-cap on
the business and sailing skills acquired. But
there’s one final test. The “bag up the mast” drill symbolizes hoisting a crewmember to the top of the 115-foot mast to address an
emergency rigging issue. Used by America’s Cup teams as a competition to decide the
strongest grinders, and just for fun, it also has
significant symbolism in shared responsibility, accountability and dependence. In the actual situation, the hoisted crewmember liter-
ally puts his or her life in the hands of other
crewmembers. The drill is run, both by team
members and trainers, both are spent, and the celebration begins. A version of the America’s Cup trophy, awarded to the time trials and the bag hoist, caps the day.
“When people get off the boat they just
have the biggest grins,” Nelson said. “They just say, ‘Wow, that was so cool.’”