8:22 AM Tue 31 Mar 2009 GMT
 | | 'The Glory Days - Geoff Stagg drives Ceramco with the rest of his watch back in the Members Stand.'
Ceramco NZ
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As one of the hard men of New Zealand sailing, and a top offshore and trans-oceanic racer, Geoff Stagg was associated with Farr Yacht Design from late 1981, eventually becoming President of Farr International. In June 2005 he completed the purchase of Farr International, which is now known as Stagg Yachts Inc., based in Annapolis MD. USA. Jim Bollandof published this interview with one of the icons of sailing in the April issue of 'A Brush with Sail'
A Brush with Sail:Geoff, your association with the Farr brand goes back to New Zealand, pre 1980, ocean racing and chasing around the cans in the one-tonners Granny Apple, Pacific Sundance and then of course, the defining moment came when you were selected as a watch captain in the crew of the late Sir Peter Blake's Farr designed, Whitbread Round the World racer, Ceramco New Zealand.
How did that experience lead to you joining Farr Yacht Design and what was your designated area of operation in your early years with #Farr?
Geoff Stagg:Actually Pacific Sundance came after the Whitbread race and was my first major project with Bruce Farr and Associates, as it was called in those days and Farr International, but more on that latter perhaps. My initial experience with Farr designs was firstly, Allan Martins quarter tonner, then Granny Apple, which we chartered from Graham Wall in Christchurch.
I got to know Bruce well when I flew to Auckland on many occasions to inspect Ceramco NZ with Peter Blake during the yacht's construction and stayed with Bruce on several occasions. Peter Walker was Bruce's right hand man in those days but Russ Bowler came along shortly thereafter. I knew Russ well, from my Cherub Class days. Once the race got under way I was approached by Russ and Bruce to join them and help set up a selling, marketing company in the US, where they were relocating to, in I think, early 1981.
As the race went on I had several jobs offered to me including one from Chris Bouzaid, who wanted me to go to work for Hood Sails in Marblehead. I had full intentions of returning to NZ and my old job, but Bruce gave it one more shot in Southhampton, at race end. But I was still not convinced. Some how 'Chappy' (the late Keith Chapman) and I landed up racing the 1981 Pan Am Clipper Cup on a Japanese boat, Big Apple. There was another meeting with Bruce in Hawaii after the race and I said lets give it a go, based on the condition that I would be a partner in the new company if it looked like it would fly. And the rest of course, is history.
 | Farr International’s Geoff Stagg looks on_Rosemount Farr 40 Nationals - Crosbie Lorimer |
I turned up in Annapolis in I think, late 1981 and Russ threw a phone book at me and said, 'go sell some boats!' They were really tough days as my arrival coincided with a big down turn in the US economy and Bruce and Russ had not long been in the US. First years salary was $12k, but I travelled a lot to sell boats and gradually we made headway. My job was to sell boats and perhaps most importantly get feed back to the design team after sailing on the boats, which I got to be really good at and in looking back I take pride in what I achieved to help put Bruce and Russ on the map. In summary, sales, project management and getting the early boats to perform well was the job function.
ABWS:During the majority of your time with Farr, you were President of Farr International, which was the sales engine behind the design brand. In that capacity you must have had a fair bit of input into the initial ideas of what were to become, the Mumm 30 and Farr 40 classes. I guess you would have been looking at the development from a flat out-racing man's perspective and I would think that your experience would have been of great assistance to the designers. Give us some idea how the two boats developed into world benchmark classes.
G.S:I would say that my contribution to the success of the F40 and M30 was insisting that the boats had enough sail area, looked proportionally pleasing to the eye, had a big rudder so they were easy to control and were fast and strong. I was also responsible for making sure we had a good written concept to start with, that Bruce could design too and of course, which he is so brilliant at. Of course it was a combined effort amongst all of us but I had some pretty fixed ideas of what I wanted to see, based primarily on my experience with the M36 and Platu 24.
 | Kokomo - Farr 40 Sprint Series - Sam Crichton © |
 | 2009 Hamilton Island Farr 40 Australian Championship fleet - Sam Crichton © |
Actually it all started with the M36, which started life as a production IMS 36 when Barry Carroll and Tink Chambers came up with the idea at the US sailing meetings and Airport bar at New Orleans in 1992, which resulted in Barry missing his plane. I knew very little about O/D at this time, however I was on the 4 person selection committee appointed by the RORC to choose the 3 boats for the 95 Admirals cup and it was a requirement to have an entry level 36 foot O/D boat on each team and it would be called the Mumm 36, in recognition of the long term sponsor Champagne Mumm.
We choose the ILC 46, ILC 40 and the M36, which was to go out to bid. Once we realized that our new F36 fit the criteria I advised the committee I would be tendering a bid and would therefore excuse myself from that decision. The first 3 boats did Block Island race week and were very successful. Shortly after that the RORC choose the F36 and we were flat out developing O/D rules and the boat for O/D production and basically set the blue print for O/D big boat classes going forward. The production systems and standards established by CML, Russ Bowler and Graham Williams, are still the benchmark to this day. Female moulded, vacuum bagged, cored, epoxy resin, heat cured production boats were unheard of in those days and are still today, very high tech.
Brian Fishback who worked with Farr Int. at this stage along with Russ, Bruce, Barry, Jim Anderson, Tink and my self worked extremely hard to develop the class rules which to this day I take tremendous pride in. The M30 and F40 have been a work in progress from these original rules since. From there we developed the M30, which was originally the idea of Dave Irish. This boat incorporated what was learnt from the M36 and Platu/Beneteau 25 and was designed with no consideration given to any rule influence of the time. Hence the M30 has high stability, generous sail area, a large rudder for its size, a bullet proof swept back carbon rig which has become the industry standard and a strong yet light structure in the hull and deck. As a consequence it is still in production today with 220 boats in 18 countries and to many sailors it is their favourite boat of all time.
One of the most defining items in the rule is the concept of real Corinthian owners having to drive their boats and adopting the then US Sailing sailor classification code, again the brain child of Dave Irish.
This I take particular pride in and to this day it gives me huge satisfaction to see the enjoyment real owners have in helming their boats and the very high skill levels they have achieved combined with the great results they have achieved sailing against the pros in other classes. Next to follow in 1996 was the Corel 45, when I managed to get Corel to buy the naming rights. Close to 30 of these great boats were built and have a strong following to this day in the UK.
In 1997, along came the F40. Peter Morton who at that time was doing a great job as Farr Int. Europe, had suggested we do a 38 but Barry and I felt that 40 was the magic size and off we went. The F40 was designed with IMS in mind without compromising the boat (as was the C45) when that rule was in a good place early on, by producing fast, high stability boats but boy did that change quickly and the rule quickly became stereo typed by producing slow, ugly, tippy boats with their bilges full of lead reminiscent of the IOR days!
In 2008 we introduced masthead spinnakers and longer poles to the boats, which really have turned out well and it amazes me that the boat still looks so modern twelve years later and still out-performs any modern boat of similar size. The strength of the class is two fold: 1/ obviously a good design extremely well built around a set of very tight O/D rules which are administrated by my company and the strong commitment the owners have for their class under the great leadership of class President Jim Richardson and a passionate class Executive committee and a great sponsor in Rolex.
 | Vincenzo Onorato, winning helmsman on MASCALZONE LATINO - 2008 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship - © Rolex- KurtArrigo |
ABWS:In June 2005, you purchased the Farr International shareholding previously held by Bruce Farr and Russell Bowler and renamed the company Stagg Yachts Inc. It was apparently a totally mutual arrangement, as you took with you the class management and sales of Farr 30, Farr 36, Farr 395 and Farr 40. Apart from the fact that you have always been the sort of guy who would want full control of what you were doing, what other drive was there to get shoulder deep in the sales of these particular classes?
G.S:I haven't had any prior experience with dissolving and restructuring a company but I think that we did as good a job as any body could. Mind you we had been mates for a long time and at the end of the day there was tremendous respect for each other and what we had achieved together over the years. After 25 years I wanted to do my own thing and I was so heavily committed and involved with the F40 and F30 classes I could not walk away from them and that was the main reason I set up Stagg Yachts.
I had vested so much of myself in these two classes and believed that they still had a great future. Bruce and Russ understandably wanted Farr International to focus more on new sales and less on class management but understood my position, so we came to an agreement that suited us all. I was extremely lucky to have Renee and Tink stick with me in what looked like a risky move particularly so soon after my kidney surgery.
It's been a very satisfying, soon to be 4 years, thanks to Bunny, Tink and Susanne along with some special people/clients who supported me and made it happen. Developing these classes with Bruce, Russ, Barry, Morty, Jim Anderson, Brian Fishback, Tink and Renee was quite amazing when I look back - which I seldom do in life. I know it sounds strange but I have got immense satisfaction out of watching real owners pay the bills, drive their own boats and improve, to be outstanding helmsmen and helmswomen, in their own right.
ABWS:The Farr 40 one design was a big hit, right from the start (over a decade ago) and still attracts good fleets of dedicated amateur owner/helmspersons, in the USA, Europe and Australia. The recent Hamilton Island Farr 40 Australian Championship, showed the class in good heart there and the standard of competition was fierce and this appears to be the case at most Farr 40 regattas - fiercely fought series, competed for by dedicated groups of seriously competitive sailors!
This years Rolex Farr 40 World Championship will be sailed on the waters of Porto Cervo, in Sardinia, Italy in June. Do you have any idea at this stage of the number of entries you may have for the Worlds? I guess I'm taking a roundabout way of asking; is the class in good International heart, as it appears to be in Australia. Are the numbers worldwide rising, static or falling?
G.S:The world economy is very bad, but the F40 is well positioned in this environment. The F40 is in great shape and although numbers at events are down by 30-40% it is becoming a haven for those who want top flight racing, in absolutely identical, cost controlled boats, at great locations. They represent great value in these difficult times. We have strong pockets of boats in Australia, the US and Europe. We have built 160 plus boats and delivered the last one just before Xmas last year to Helmut Jahn. I have a completed hull built with the builder US Watercraft who is committed to building both the F40 and F30 and when that is sold I will order 3 more boats. US Watercraft are still in business with their core people in place, ready to go when the economy picks up.
 | Fleet sailing downwind with Fisher’s Island in the background - 2008 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship - © Rolex-Daniel Forster |
We currently have 17 boats registered for the Rolex Capri regatta in May, which makes up close to half the fleet and we expect 25-30 boats in Porto Cervo for the Rolex F40 Worlds in June, which is remarkable in these economic times. I am very upbeat about the position the class is in. We have great owners who are fully vested in their class, the class is in excellent financial health and we have a great Title Sponsor partnership with Rolex. The key for the near future is to not schedule too many events and at those events focus on putting on a great event for the owners.
ABWS:The loss of the #Mumm' Champagne naming sponsorship left the Farr 30 slightly #in irons' regarding title recognition for a short time, but the new #Farr 30 International Class' branding has given the class new recognition and I'm sure you are pleased that the new logo will soon be seen everywhere that there are fleets of these great race yachts. I'm looking from a fair distance, but do I correctly perceive a drop in numbers in the class over the past three to five seasons? I'm aware that the Farr 30 International Class sits in a more vulnerable market space than the Farr 40, with the risk of some owners being lured away to the newer sport boat classes, of which there is a growing number. If this is the case, how do you, as a commercial business, counter this
situation?
G.S:Loosing a long term great naming sponsor such as Champagne Mumm was a blow to not only the M30 class but sailing in general. However, after surviving several buy-outs of the company the current owners of Champagne Mumm had a change of marketing strategy and sailing got the axe. We reached a satisfactory termination agreement, which will keep the class association funded through to at least the end of 2011.
The F30 has gone through a lengthy name change and a new class constitution, was recently approved by the owners. A nominating committee is currently at work on a new slate of officers. This boat will survive, we have built over 220 and they are based in 18 Countries around the world. The boat is just to damn good to disappear!
It is the favourite boat of many sailors around the world. The F30 is a proper yacht that you can take offshore with a high degree of confidence unlike many of the new trendy sport boats which will have a short shelf life in conditions over 25 knots let alone a nasty sea condition. Of course it just depends what type of sailing you are looking for.
Yes, the current economic conditions do impact F30 owners more than a F40 owner but this too will pass, just as the lower attendance at regattas will, but believe me we are not alone in that and at least they are still racing. The F30 class is going through significant change and I believe by this time next year we will see a class going through its second lease on life and I am fully committed along with some key caring people in the class, to making that happen.
ABWS:Are there plans to add another Farr Yacht Design class to your stable? If so, what size and type of yacht would it be?
G.S:I would love to do another O/D project but in these very bad economic times it's very difficult and what to do is also a problem. FYD would be at the top of my list as a design team but I would explore my options depending on the product under consideration. For sure I will not drop new product on top of existing product and to be honest I have no idea on a new boat size at this point in time.
From my experience with the F36, which was a lift keel, all carbon, cool, fast yacht, generally speaking the market is pretty conservative and very leery of cant keels and extreme ideas, which is not to say that one day some body will get the formula right. It is extremely difficult to bring a successful new product to market and it takes a lot of capital and all the right players to make it work, which is what we had with the team of Barry Carroll, FYD and Farr Int. We created product that was trend setting and produced (and indeed still produce) over 550 One Design big boats to a very high standard with class support and administration to back it up.
ABWS: What do you think will be the major movement in class development during the next decade? In what direction is sailing headed?
G.S:Until the world economy picks up I think that the existing successful big boat classes such as the M24, F30, M32 and the F40 will be safe havens, as they all offer such great racing for the $, you know what you are getting and the costs are contained and with the TP 52 for the top end players with unlimited budgets. To tool up for a new production O/D is extremely expensive and very much at the high end of risk investing and believe me I know, having done the M36, F30, F36, F40, C45 and the F52. I think we are in for a period of retrenchment, which will favour the established, successful classes.
It comes as no surprise to those that know me I have little faith in IRC which is flawed in two areas, namely it heavily favours boats above 50 feet and particularly those of the TP 52 pedigree, and at the small boat end, designing slow heavy boats with electric winches goes against my religion. There is little scientific logic about the rule with its completely arbitrary hull correction factor and lack of transparency.
The sport does need a quality viable rule that produces fast strong boats and does a reasonable job of handicapping across the size range. It's ironic to me that the rule that did the best in my experience to date was IOR. It just produced slow distorted lead mines. IMS started of with promise but soon got lost and landed up where IOR finished off.
It would be great to have a rule that favoured fast strong exciting boats, getting there is the hard part, as the politics and personnel agendas make for a difficult task. IMS got pretty close but they went of track by favouring slow ugly boats and not simplifying the scoring system until it was far too late. The brainpower to upgrade and rename IMS is out there, it's just the leadership that's lacking to make the correct calls.
ABWS:What are your thoughts on the America's Cup situation at the moment?
G.S:'Pathetic' and 'sad' are words that come immediately to mind. It's amazing what money and egos can do to wreck a great tradition and event. It's incredible to see how far the event has degenerated after such a brilliant event in Valencia. However there are too many people enamoured in the event to let it die, but this current situation for sure, has done a lot of damage to the design and boat building industry, and sailor's lively hoods. At this time I have lost all interest in it and it looks like the sponsors have too.
ABWS: With spring well on the way in your part of the world, you'll be looking forward to another sailing season and apart from the obvious business connection for you, I guess you'll be looking forward to watching the progress of your son's in the sport and perhaps, if you've any spare time after that, doing some sailing yourself?
G.S:I am pretty committed to supporting my two sons in their sailing ambitions, which has been an interesting ride. All I want is that they become sailors for life and do it for the sport, challenge, friendship and fun of it. Brady has turned into quite a handy C420 sailor getting third as helm at last years US Sailing Championships and making the top nine as a crew this year to compete for a place on the US Team for the youth I420 Worlds which, in the end he did not do, but they were one of the youngest teams and learnt heaps. I am taking Sammy to Holland early next month as a member of the US Opti Team.
It was incredibly difficult for me in the beginning, as I am such a competitive individual that I almost lost them both, but Brady who loves his sailing at the cost of home work now has his license and a car and once he recovers from his hip surgery, he is off and running, apart from needing money!
I am proud of both my boys. They have represented the US on 7 official teams between them and on the National Team for I think five years between them.
Best thing I did last year was to purchase Peter De Ridder's F30 Mean Machine and sail Wednesday nights with the boys. Their learning curve was unbelievable and their helming skills very good by the time I sold the boat. One of my original goals when being involved with the F30 concept, was to produce a boat that kids would love to sail on and it was great to see that brief exceed my expectations and with my own boys.
One of the few downsides of my kidney transplant is that I really have to watch my sun exposure, which of course for any sailor is a huge issue so that tends to slow me down some what. However my company owns a new F30, finished just before Xmas and unsold so if the finances allow I will ship it too Annapolis this spring and race it again with my boys as I am not getting any younger and you only pass this way once.
ABWS:Many thanks for your time Geoff.
Sail-World: Our thanks once again to Jim Bollandfor his permission to publish this interview in full.
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