An Interview with 2007 Yachtsman of the Year, Jeff Linton

On February 29, 2008, Jeff Linton will stand in the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan, and receive the 2007 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year award from U. S. Sailing. In so doing, his name will join the list that includes the likes of Melges, Turner, Conner, North, and Cayard.

To win the YOY award, Jeff compiled an impressive record across several one-design classes. The Lightning victories: the Worlds in Athens, the St. Petersburg Winter Championship, runner-up at the Southern Circuit, and 1st place at the South Americans. He took the NA’s and Midwinters in his home-built Classic Moth. He was runner-up at the Championship of Champions, and won two North American titles in the Flying Scot class (Wife-Husband NA’s and NA’s). But we all know the journey is much more interesting than the destination. Last year’s success was the result of more than three decades of experience, losses, wins, and lessons learned. What follows is about Linton’s journey, and his perspective on sailing as a sport.

Jeff Linton - Rolex Yachtsman of the YearJeff grew up in Florida, where he still lives. He describes his junior sailing career as non-existent. That claim is a bit of a stretch, but his early sailing was limited to PHRF racing, cruising, and some windsurf racing. As a kid, he played more soccer than he sailed. A skilled defender, Jeff eventually played semi-pro before committing more of his time to sailing.

Jeff was introduced to dinghy sailing in college. He was a member of the sailing team at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg for all four years. He graduated in 1985. He says that he sailed pretty much every day and by the time he was done “he could get around the course pretty good.”

In 1989, Jeff and a bunch of his buddies decided to buy Sunfish. Most of the group, including Jeff, had never been on one of the these 14-foot boats. They trained against one another for a year, “beating up on each other” on Tampa Bay, and then decided to see how they would stack up at the nationals. Three of the group –– Mark Taylor, Rod Taylor, and Jeff –– finished in the top ten. Still, Linton did not win his first championship until 1993, when he was 30. That victory, however, opened the flood-gates of success for Jeff in the Sunfish class.

He went on to win the North Americans five times in the next decade. Maybe more significantly, he had become a recognized expert, doing things his own way. He was sailing with his rig completely different than other Sunfish sailors from other parts of the country and had essentially taught himself how to win. His way worked pretty well for the Sunfish – soon he would give it a try in the Lightning.

Linton first sailed a Lightning in 1995. He borrowed a boat from Mike Carroll (now a Melges 32 owner), and found he enjoyed the team aspect of the class. In 1997, he met Tom Allen, Sr., at a regatta. The two talked about boats and soon thereafter, Jeff placed an order for a new Lightning with the Allen Boat Company. He says that his plan was “to learn the boat and see what he could do.” A pretty good plan.

While Jeff’s background is important, it doesn’t give that many clues about how he earned the YOY nod. His success in the Sunfish was impressive, but his background doesn’t scream “superstar potential.” There are a lot of sailors who get good in a one-design class, but few of them progress to the level Linton has achieved.

After talking to Jeff, I have my opinion about why he has excelled. It’s a given that he has mastered the necessary skills and developed superior tactical knowledge through years of racing. However, many sailors have done that. What sets Linton apart is that not only has he mastered the game, he has also mastered himself. He has figured out what is important to his success and that is what he does. He says, matter-of-factly, “Sailing is like playing Risk. You have to figure out what you have to do to win.” He is underspoken, but completely confident. Most of us think the game is very complicated; to him it is simple.

Our conversation follows:

Sailing Smarter: What role does your background in competitive sports play in your sailing?
Jeff: Everything you have done determines what kind of sailor you are going to be. For me the competition in sailing and other sports is similar. I play games the same way – to win. In order to win you have to figure out what it takes to get across the line first.

Sailing Smarter: What does it take to get across the line first?
Jeff: It means getting to the next mark the fastest. That may seem obvious but it is not easy to do, in some cases that means tacking a lot, hitting the shifts, in other cases, it means not tacking at all and conserving your speed.

Sailing Smarter: What do you look for in a teammate?
Jeff: Three things: 1) someone who has the ability to look around and know what is going on 2) someone who wants to be involved 3) someone I get along with well, because that makes me more comfortable and I sail better,
For example, Mark Taylor, is a good friend of mine and a pleasure to sail with.

Sailing Smarter: Why have you been successful, unlike many, sailing with your spouse?
Jeff: Because we try to have fun.

Sailing Smarter: Why have you been successful racing sailboats?
Jeff: 1) I practiced enough to get all the skills – tacking, gibing, starting, steering etc.
2) I can usually apply the right rules to the given conditions. That comes from experience, but you have to know what is controlling the result in a race –– is it the velocity of the wind, or the shifts, or the current.

Sailing Smarter: You seem to stay more relaxed than most, why?
Jeff: I try to, because I focus better that way and make less mistakes.

Sailing Smarter: What do you think about the Lightning Class Boat Grant Program?
Jeff: Kids make the class better and this is a great way to get them.

Sailing Smarter: What do you think about sailing in the Lightning Class?
Jeff: First, it is a great class with great people. Second, it is very competitive and very deep. I know I can win and I know there are at least 15 guys who can beat me.

Sailing Smarter: What allowed you to have the year you did in 2007?
Jeff: I got pretty lucky. But, the way I sail allows me to get lucky. I am a little more conservative than most of the top guys because you really do have to take some risks to win. My approach is to try to sail in the top 5, which, over the course of a year makes you more successful. However, it also means that I can be beat, if somebody can have 5 perfect starts in a row and go all the right places they will beat me because I am more conservative and don’t go for the perfect start or go all the way to the corner even if I think it is right. The depth of the class makes my approach more effective.

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For more information regarding the Sunfish class, go to http://www.sunfishclass.org
For more information about the Lightning class, go to http://www.lightningclass.org
For more information regarding the classic moth, visit http://www.mothboat.com
For more information about the Flying Scot Class, go to http://www.fssa.com
(he sails in many other classes too....but we're getting tired of listing them all!)

and finally, for the Rolex Yachtsman of the Year official press release, visit http://www.ussailing.org