Mighty Mary

By Tony Scaringe

Mighty Mary is a fascinating work of fiction, based on real-life events, that encompasses the sport of international yacht racing and the first all-women’s team to vie for the America’s Cup in 1995. The author expertly portrays the obstacles faced by the women who were breaking new ground by competing in a male dominated sport. Reade

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anthony Scaringe
• Release date: Jun 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9780578523323

Book preview

MIGHTY MARY

Prologue

In 1850, England issued a challenge for any nation to try to overtake her dominance of the seas in a yacht race competition. This led the United States of America and the newly formed New York Yacht Club to commission the construction of the schooner America. In 1851, the 90 foot schooner crossed the Atlantic Ocean in record time to meet 15 British challengers in a yacht race. The rest as they say is history. The America beat all competitors easily and for the next 132 years the U.S. held the trophy: the America’s Cup. To this day it is the longest winning streak in sports history. So, it was no wonder that in 1983 the sport, once minded only by the world’s rich and famous, picked up a new audience. That was the year Australia handed the U.S. its first defeat in Cup racing history. I guess it’s a big deal, even in a sport few people care about, to lose for the first time in 132 years. It was reasonable then to expect interest to develop when the U.S. wanted her cup back. Devon Cahill, skipper of the speedy yacht, Stars & Bars, was the logical choice to regain the Cup as he was the skipper onboard that lost it to the Australians. Nothing like a grudge match to spark some interest. He not only won back the Cup in 1987 but successfully defended it in 1988. Devon was a man’s man, the prince of chauvinists with an ego as big as the sea. He fit the yacht racer’s profile for this male dominated sport. He fell easily into his new role as an American hero and elevated the visibility of racing for the America’s Cup to new heights. It was Devon at first that caught my attention; however, a new character came on the scene who challenged the way things were done in the exclusive sport of Cup racing. Enter Dan Cook the man responsible for defeating Devon Cahill and the Stars & Bars in the 92 Cup trials. Cook the scientist, businessman, and non-sailor, went on to win the Cup in 1992 breaking all of the stereotypes for Cup racing success. It was the same Cook who was responsible for fielding the first ever all women’s team to compete for the America’s Cup. Interest was peaking again.

CHAPTER 1

ROMANCING THE CUP

West Palm Beach Florida

Enersys Corporation Headquarters

It was 10am and already 85 degrees and humid as hell. But that was typical for south Florida in June. I pulled up to the guard station at the entrance to Enersys Corporation with plenty of time to spare for my meeting with Dan Cook, CEO and Chair of the company. My heart was beating fast as I wondered what the hell I was doing. Who was I to write a story about the first ever women’s team to compete for the male dominated America’s Cup? I had no real credentials. I had written a number of unpublished fiction stories and sci-fi. Well, in a lot of ways I was like the women’s team: light on experience, but full of desire and enthusiasm. Could this be enough? I would soon find out.

Dan was not all that eager to give the appointment at first, but he agreed to speak with me on the phone when I told the gatekeeper it was regarding Mighty Mary. He wanted to know more about me and my interest in Mighty Mary. During the phone conversation, I explained that I was doing research on a story and needed his insights on the women’s team.

He threw up a roadblock. Dozens of articles have been written about the women’s team, not to mention that this event took place over 15 years ago. What’s your angle and why now?

Well, Mr. Cook, I have been thinking about Mighty Mary and the women’s team for a long time. I think there is a story here to tell that has yet to be told. In my view they beat Stars & Bars in the trials and should have represented the U.S. in the ’95 Cup. And if it were not for the good ole boys network in place, they would have had a great chance to win the cup.

I waited anxiously for Dan’s response which would determine whether he would agree to meet me in person. He didn’t speak but I swear I could hear his thoughts going over the events that led up to the final deciding race: Was there a story here I should have told a long time ago? Who is this guy?

Then he spoke. That prick Devon Cahill should have been disqualified. But he was bigger than the moment when in fact it should have been the women’s team that was bigger. I have some time tomorrow say around 11. Can you make it to my office in West Palm Beach?

I’ll be there, I confirmed quickly, not thinking if there would even be a flight out of Boston Regional Airport in Manchester, New Hampshire. But there was and here I am.

The guard directed me to the visitor’s parking area at the main entrance to the building. I drove past several rows of employee parking noting an unusually high percentage of late model SUVs, Volvos, and a good number of Beamers. It looked like a great place to work. I parked in the front row across from the dark tinted glass main entrance. I let the engine idle for a moment as I fumbled through my brief case checking for my note pad, recorder, and tapes. I was stalling.

As I stepped out of the car into the blazing heat and humidity, I patted down my jacket and proceeded into the reception area.

Hi, my name is Tony Serrano and I— was all I got out before the receptionist interjected.

"Yes, Mr. Serrano, you are meeting with Mr. Cook.

Can you please sign in right here and I’ll let them know you are here."

Thank you, I said and turned to sit down. I noticed the walls were covered in art work. Looking closer it was really extraordinary art, not like the stuff you see in a hotel lobby or regular waiting areas. These were beautiful original oils that even I knew were worth something. Before I had a chance to sit, a rather stuffy older but well-dressed woman came over to me.

Hello, Mr. Serrano, I am Mrs. Kensington, Mr. Cook’s assistant.

How do you do? I stammered through the formality.

Mr. Cook will see you now, she said, at the stroke of 11:00. Please follow me.

I followed her through a carded doorway into a long hallway decorated with more fine works of art.

Is that a ...

Yes it is, please keep up, she answered my half asked question.

‘A Picasso,’ I thought. ‘What am I doing here?’

Mrs. Kensington turned right in the middle of the corridor before taking another left into a small conference room. It was naturally lit through tall rectangular windows that faced out toward the ocean, which flowed along the east side of the building.

Beautiful, I said out loud.

Yes, thank you, she replied, somewhat routinely as though she was expecting the compliment. Mr. Cook will be right with you. Please have a seat.

Thank you. I waited till she left the room before whispering, I would have expected more furniture. There was more art you could walk right up to without cumbersome furniture getting in the way. ‘It’s kind of like a gallery,’ I thought, as I walked about the room checking out the artists’ signatures. I didn’t recognize any of the artists but the paintings were exquisite. Masterfully done seascapes, yachts at sea, and other landscapes with an ocean/beach theme covered the walls. I knew Mr. Cook was a collector. I couldn’t imagine what his personal collection was like if this was just his office stuff.

I sat down at a small conference table. There were only two chairs. I sat to the side leaving the head for Mr. Cook. I set out my pad, pens, and recorder and started jotting down a few notes when Mr. Cook walked in. He was tall but not over powering, and more casual than I expected from my Mrs. Kensington experience. I got kind of a warm and friendly feeling from his boyish grin, his long wavy blonde hair, and warm countenance. He extended his hand as I stood up to greet him.

Hi, Dan Cook, he grasped my hand firmly.

Hello, Mr. Cook, I’m Tony Serrano.

Please call me Dan, even my kids call me Dan. He interjected immediately and laughed.

Sure, thank you, Dan, and thank you again for seeing me.

Well, I was a bit curious when you said you wanted to talk to me about Mighty Mary. It’s been what,15 years since Mighty Mary was news.

Yes it has.

Please have a seat, he gestured as we both sat down.

Dan, do you mind if I record our conversation? I lose a lot of information because I can’t write fast enough.

Sure as long as you don’t ask a lot of embarrassing questions, he laughed.

He could have been serious though as he was a colorful character for a billionaire. He has been married four times and had children with each woman; he also cared for some other children from previous marriages. It was like the United Nations around his house he once joked. He was also in some well-publicized family feuds with his two brothers and one sister over the enormous family fortune left to him and his siblings. His father had been very big in Texas oil and other energy related businesses. Each sibling had their own ideas about how to run the business and how it should grow. At one point Dan was voted out of the business but he fought his way back in; he even forcing his mother to testify in a court battle with his siblings while she was still recovering from a stroke.

I paused briefly to settle in on a starting point. I went through this in my mind a dozen times. But now sitting here face-to-face with Dan Cook, the mastermind and financial backer of the women’s team, I knew saying the right thing at the right time took on more importance than I ever imagined. I thought to start by saying I felt the women’s team was the victim of being the first to compete in the male dominated Cup.

Instead I said, Dan, as I mentioned to you on the phone, I think there is a story here to be told that is long overdue. It’s about a man and his dreams and how they became reality. It’s about a man who goes from sailing his family yacht around Cape Cod to the man who helped design and build United America, winner of the 1992 America’s Cup. But mostly, it’s the story of a vision of an all women’s team and how they could have and should have beaten the highly regarded men’s team to represent America in the 95 Cup. It’s about the struggles women face when they are the first to do something only men had done before. In the case of the women’s team, they tore down male barriers, and challenged and ended male exclusivity of the Cup racing world. The women’s team was competing against more than just the sea and other boats. They were competing against the forces of discrimination, stereotyping, humiliation, and derision. This story needs to be told.

I looked directly at Dan as he gazed right through me. Then, after a brief pause, he said, Excuse me a second, as he pushed the intercom and said, Jill, please clear my calendar for the afternoon and order us some lunch.

Dan stared out toward the sea. For a moment I am sure he was aboard United America with waves pounding and sea spray whipping his face.

I think we need to go back to June 1992 at my home here in West Palm Beach, he said pensively. Dan’s mansion in West Palm Beach was an eclectic mix of down home southern comfort and a high-end big city art gallery.

It was the first time Dan had opened his home to so many people all at once. Security issues were a concern for his hundred-million-dollar art collection, not to mention his wine cellar valued at two million and shrinking as the hundred or so guests milled about, wine in hand, studying the magnificent hangings and sculptures. It was the place to be if you were anybody in sailing circles or in West Palm Beach. Dan was celebrating his America’s Cup victory over the Italian team aboard Il Moro di Venezia. It was truly a beautiful and elegant racing yacht. You would expect nothing less of the Italians.

The Italians were a passionate and dedicated crew, Dan mused. Very good looking, too. It would have been a real distraction for my women’s team had they participated that year. What a Cup that was though. We were expected to win although I don’t know why given it was my first Cup and all. I guess beating Devon Cahill in the trials had a lot to do with it. We were fast and had a great crew. But those Italians, they were always in it, pushing our boat to its limits. In the second heat they actually beat us in a race still talked about today. We were head-to-head three kilometers out with strong winds pushing us home. Paul Cameron was their English skipper. He decided to ease out the spinnaker boom, which had the effect of floating the spinnaker in front of the bow. Real gutsy, but it gave them just enough of an edge to win at the wire. All of a sudden the Italians looked capable of a real challenge. But in the end, we beat them 4-1, although, they certainly did not disgrace themselves. We never beat them by a lot.

Il Moro, Dan reminisced, What a work of art! The Italians were very gracious in defeat. A few of them even came to our victory celebration. Well, I’m getting a little off task here. Let’s get back to that night. Dan leaned back in his chair to get comfortable as the story unfolded. He started a detailed account of what happened.

There were guests everywhere drinking my wine like soda pop and touching the art. You don’t touch art. You wouldn’t in a gallery would you? Dan asked parenthetically.

I shook my head vigorously, thankful for the moment to be included in the conversation. But I really did feel his anguish, after all he was talking about his collection of Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Remington paintings that adorned the corridors and rooms where the guests gathered to talk of the mundane amongst the extraordinary.

Of course not, he continued. Anyway, no one really gave us a chance to beat Cahill in the trials but as I said when we did we became the team to beat in the Cup, Dan said, with pride sweeping over his countenance.

I didn’t bother to interrupt to ask how or why he became involved in the Cup quest. I chose to believe the lore about his rise to the top of the Cup world. The idea, as it is told, came to him whilst sailing around Cape Cod on the family yacht. This is what three degrees from MIT and a dream can get you. It was his belief that experience alone wasn’t the most important component of a Cup strategy. He said technology, teamwork, and attitude would trump experience as the most important elements for success. Yes, Devon Cahill could be beaten even by a women’s team, the right women’s team.

But to get back to how this all got started, I’m sitting in my home theatre with some of my management team and crew members having drinks with the Cup coverage playing in the background on the big screen. Kirby says to me…

Kirby? I ask.

Yes, Jim Wells, my director of sailing operations. We call him Kirby, don’t know why it’s always been Kirby. So, he asks me if we are going to defend the Cup. Dan paused for the first time barring my interruptions. I don’t think he was stuck on where the story ought to go, he was the story. Dan is a what’s next kind of guy and having to defend the Cup was not even on his radar. He won it, now let’s move on. Not the thing to do in Cup racing. Everyone wants a shot at the winner. Beat the best to be the best and all that stuff.

Well, as soon as Kirby asked the question, Dan continued, everyone turned to me waiting for some kind of signal from me that we would kick ass if anyone wanted a piece of United America. But what came out of my mouth next surprised even me. I said, ‘Yes, we are going to defend the Cup but with an all-women’s team.’ Stunned silence came over the room. I could not have expected what came next, alcohol fueled laughter. I joined in the laughter, after all it was a party. I shouldn’t have brought it up but I had been thinking about a women’s team for awhile. You know women’s teams were not a novel idea. There was a crew from Connecticut, I think, years ago that wanted to race in the Cup. The team came together pretty well but they couldn’t sustain the support and sponsors they needed to compete. Also, I had gotten a call from a group out west interested in sending out a women’s team under the United America banner. They would have provided all the funding but wanted to use all my boats and equipment. I thought about it for a bit, but why would I want to do that for someone else? If I could get the right team together, we could do it for ourselves. I mean that would be historical. All I would need is a fast boat, a dedicated team with a winning attitude, and we could compete, Dan concluded.

So, when Kirby put you on the spot for an answer, you pulled this idea for a women’s team from your subconscious and put it out there, I said.

Yeah, pretty much, but after I said it the idea started to get my juices flowing again for another run at the Cup or more to the point, a piece of history.

But, you were going to let the idea go after the reaction you got at the party, right? I asked, to confirm what I had read in an article somewhere.

Yes, I just had too much going on at the time and wasn’t even thinking about another run at the Cup until Kirby brought it up, Dan answered.

OK, what happened next?

Well, the next day Kirby called me at the office….

CHAPTER 2

IDEA TO REALITY

Enersys Corporation

West Palm Beach, FL

Mr. Cook, Mr. Wells is on line two for you. He said you would know what it is about, Dan’s receptionist informed him.

"Thank you, Jill, I’ll take