Gary Jobson
Gary Jobson is, simply put, many things. He’s a man of the world, a husband, a father and (as of last month) a grandfather. Summarizing his life ain’t easy.
Foremost, to most people, he’s a world-class sailor who’s lived in Annapolis since 1977 when he arrived to coach the U.S. Naval Academy’s sailing crew. From that seed, he grew into an ACE award-winning television commentator, the author of 17 books, a lecturer and a consultant. He’s president of U.S. Sailing, and an editor-at-large of Sailing World and Cruising World magazines.
Jobson has been ESPN’s sailing commentator since 1985. He won another ACE for the network’s coverage of the 1987 America’s Cup; in 1988, he also won an Emmy for his production of sailing for NBC at the summer Olympics in Seoul, and a second for his insights on PBS during the 2006 Volvo Ocean Race.
By the way, he’s covered the Olympics five times for NBC, also winning four Southam Awards and one Telly Award en route.
In his latest literary endeavor, his just-
released autobiography Gary Jobson: An
American Sailing Story, he juxtaposes his life and career against the painful account of his battle against lymphoma that nearly ended his life; it was immediately followed by his first documentary, the self-financed “Energy On Trial” — which has, interestingly, zero to do with sailing.
Want more? Read the book and watch the film.
You’ve operated Jobson Sailing out of Annapolis since November 1978. What exactly does the company do?
Fundamentally, we promote the sport. I produce TV shows, do lots of public speaking and plenty of writing, and consult with companies like Sperry Topsiders, Rolex and Mount Gay Rum.
You’re about to turn 61 and you started working on your new book around the time that you were diagnosed with lymphoma in 2003. You’ve joked that you were “a little young” to start such an endeavor …
When I didn’t know if I was going to survive, I got some of this down on paper. I had writer Roger Vaughn [a long-time ally] come by once a week for about two months. Concurrently, I was also still writing Championship Sailing, which was published in 2004.
But when I got well, I put it on hold. I came back to it in 2008 when I bumped into Cynthia Goss, who had edited Championship Sailing. I found it hard writing about myself, and she helped with that aspect and organized my thoughts and my stories. We didn’t want a chronological approach, so she gave it a logical progression that was more event-oriented.
Then, from September 2010 until last February, I kicked into high gear. I also looked at other memoirs and found that some were too long, so I cut my text from 120,000 to 83,000 words.
This was your third book with Nomad Publishers. What was interesting about this go ’round? Is it selling well? Electronically?
The publisher was initially noncommittal, but he eventually called and said he was “surprised” and that it was “excellent.”
What was different was including tons (118) of photos. And I mention 423 people throughout the text, but there’s no index, so if people are looking for a particular person, they have to look for them. Also, I didn’t get an advance, but that means I started getting royalties immediately, which can take two years otherwise.
The first run was 5,000 copies and 3,000 copies have been sold. I’m confident that, before the end of the year, there will be another 5,000-book print run.
It’s also available electronically, but I won’t have any electronic sales figures for months. But it’s interesting to note that the royalty check from “Sailing Fundamentals” came in recently, and it sold twice as fast electronically during the past six months as the hardcover edition did.
Your latest endeavor, producing the documentary “Energy on Trial,” espouses the virtues of (and the necessity for) nuclear energy. That might surprise the folks on your radar screen. What moved you in this new direction?
I’ve been sailing for so long that I wanted to do some other things. I’ve served on several boards, including Anne Arundel Health System and St. Mary’s College, so that was a start.
Energy was a topic that I could get my arms around, so much so that I read 15 books and interviewed 36 people and spent a little more than $100,000 to produce the effort. To the people who do not support nuclear energy, I’ll say that there are no answers that are without risk, nor is there a quick fix. However, there are answers, notably that energy comes from things that move, like molecules, wind, etc.
After wrapping the production, do you feel more optimistic about the U.S. establishing a national energy policy?
I do, due to outside pressures. For instance, the Chinese, the Europeans and the South Americans are exploding with renewable energies. And the Chinese open a coal plant about every week.
After World War II, the U.S. was progressive about energy, notably when President Eisenhower pioneered the building of a power plant in Shippensburg, Pa., and he opened the pathway for using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. He did a number of brilliant things, and he should get more credit for his energy policy.
Did your work on camera influence you to work behind it and produce the documentary? It sounds like you’re trying to become another King of All Media.
No [laughing], I’m just trying to make high quality, meaningful productions. If you want something quick and dirty, I’m not your guy. I hope the energy film opens some more doors, that’s for sure.
You were a key figure in the Whitbread ’Round the World Race that had successful stopovers in Annapolis/Baltimore in 1997–98, as well as its successor, the Volvo Ocean Race, in 2001–02 and in 2005–06. However, the Volvo people skipped our area during the 2009–10 event. Can we ever lure it back?
That might be very hard because the Volvo people became very demanding. They wanted lots of money to bring the boats here again. Millions. It just wasn’t in the cards last time.
What’s the latest on the National Sailing Hall of Fame?
We have a small lease with the state at the City Dock and acquired acreage to accommodate a 10,000-square-foot building two years ago, so we have the footprint. While we launched the effort when the economy cratered, we’ve still raised about $3 million.
Joe Boggs, our architect, has worked on a couple of models, but we need at least $5 million in the bank before we start building. So, it’ll be a couple of years.
It looks like your friend, media mogul and philanthropist Ted Turner, has been a great influence on your serving on boards.
Yes and it’s been a great way to gain insights into other industries. His feels that it’s better to work from the inside, as opposed to making noise on the outside and not actually do anything. So I’m also on the boards of the U.S. Coast Guard Foundation and OpSail, as well as chairman of the Leukemia Cup for the Leukemia Society.
Aside from your bout with lymphoma, what’s the most harrowing experience you’ve had?
I’ve been through some pretty rough stuff on the ocean, like the FastNet race in 1979 [aboard Ted Turner’s Courageous], when a hurricane blew through the Irish Sea. Fifteen sailors perished.
You seem like a man with a renewed spirit rather than a man with a bucket list. What’s next for you?
Oddly enough, I wrote an article about my bucket list last year. However, I really need to focus on what’s on my plate. I have 18 months to go as president of U.S. Sailing, and I’m promoting my book and my doc. And Janice [his wife] and I are pleased that our oldest daughter, Kristi, just had our first grandchild, so I don’t have to think about that.
