The Slovenian businessman, founder of the only pan-European sailing team, talked to VSail.info about his vision and goals and his team’s past, present and future that could very well include the Volvo Ocean Race and the America’s Cup. For Simčič, next year will be the time to take the strategic decisions, once the future of sailing’s main events is clearer:
VSail.info: Each time I talk to a team owner I want to know what drove him to the sport of sailing. Are you a sailor yourself? What made you choose this sport?
Igor Simčič: I’m a sailor myself but I have never taken part in competitive racing. I sail because I have a passion about this sport that was transmitted to me, when I was younger, by my uncle who was the skipper of Herbert von Karajan’s boat for 17 years. The first time I stepped on a sailing yacht, it was von Karajan’s Helisara, one of the prominent yachts in the Meditteranean 40-50 years ago. That’s where I realized that not only was sailing a very beautiful sport it also allowed you to communicate more efficiently. Onboard von Karajan’s yacht you could have a very diverse mix of guests. There were some of the most famous people such as Agnelli, Gardini or Feruzzi and at the same time others were simple persons that were simply passionate sailors. I saw that a yacht could be a very interesting territory to communicate and transmit certain ideas and initiatives.
VSail.info: You started the Esimit Europa project back in 1995. What were the reasons and goals you had?
Igor Simčič: I used to live in Slovenia, in the city of Nova Gorica, and work in Italy, in the city of Gorizia. I would cross the border twice or three times a day and I would realize how limiting it was both for Italy and Slovenia. So, I called the mayors of the two cities and told them that I was going to buy a sailing yacht and I would like to put on either side of her hull the names of two cities, in addition to the European flag. They didn’t sound overly enthusiastic but agreed since they considered it wouldn’t do any harm. The two mayors were present in the opening dinner of the Barcolana regatta as well during the races on our tender boat. Just their presence and the fact we had a crew half Italian, half Slovenian gave excellent results.
Three years later, we widened the scope of the project to include Slovenia in its entirety as well as the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and in the opening dinner before the Barcolana we had the Slovenian minister of foreign affairs and the president of the region. The following morning, the local newspapers ran stories stating that Esimit had won the regatta before it even started. That was an excellent message for me because it reflected the fact that people were beginning to understand what we were doing.
For me, winning a regatta isn’t just a very nice feeling it also provides substance to our project. Our vision, our message and our ideas are confirmed through our victories in the race course. You can’t win just with talk, you have to go gradually, take all the correct steps and do your homework in order to achieve the results you want.
VSail.info: Today, almost 20 years later, do you feel you have achieved the goals you had set back then?
Igor Simčič: I think we have surpassed, by far, the goals we had set in 1995 but we have new ones for the future. We started by bringing together two cities, then a country and a region, later on the whole of the European Union through the partnership with the President of the European Parliament, Pat Cox, and then the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso. Today, we represent the entire continent, both the European Union and the Russian Federation, and our aim is to be the sailing team of the entire continent.
VSail.info: It’s a bit of an irony though that you have this vision right at the moment Europe is going through tough times.
Igor Simčič: It’s true but I’m convinced that it is precisely during the tough times that the best ideas are born, the ones that will take you forward. When everything goes fine, nobody gives a damn. On the contrary, when the going gets tough, everybody must think about the future and contribute towards a better future. Maybe for that reason it’s the best time. They see that this boat represents the EU and the Russian Federation and they might realize that for their survival, such a partnership is essential. We have to take advantage of all the potential we have on this continent in order to be competitive and strong.
Russia's Gazprom, the world's biggest energy company, is Esimit Europa's main sponsor. Valencia, 2 May 2012. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info
VSail.info: I guess this is reflected through the sponsorship you have through Gazprom, the world’s biggest energy company. Is this also related to the “european energy” logo you have on the mainsail?
Igor Simčič: Gazprom is our main sponsor while “european energy” is a new platform, entirely created by us, that has a double meaning. It, obviously, refers to energy in terms of natural gas or oil, but, principally, to our own energy, the energy each one of us has inside. We want it to become a project for all Europeans, not just the powerful ones or the major corporations, because we feel this is what is missing today in Europe. If you think about it what do we have in common? A flag and the euro but beyond that there is nothing that could sparkle a truly European sentiment. The sport is probably the best vehicle for that and if we sail against a Chinese or US team we would like all of Europe to be our fans. The US has been doing that and they have built a patriotic feeling through sport. If you ask a New Yorker or a Texan where they are from they will tell you they are Americans. If you ask someone here they will tell you they are Spanish, Italian or German.
VSail.info: You have a very broad vision with your team but let’s now focus on the sailing part. What is the schedule for 2012?
Igor Simčič: For this season we have a number of sailing events in our plans in addition to a number of communication events. We start our activity at the end of May, in Portoroz, Slovenia, at the European Business Conference, where more than 200 CEO’s of Europe’s and Russia’s biggest companies will gather. This will give us the opportunity to present our “european energy” project to all these decision-maker and we feel confident it will open new doors.
VSail.info: Your skipper is Jochen Schuemann and your crew lineup includes some big names as well.
Igor Simčič: It’s true that we have always tried to do that. It’s also true we were always a bit over-dimensioned compared to the size of boats we had because we always wanted to anticipate our project’s growth. Jochen Schuemann became our skipper last year and, obviously, under his guidance things changed much faster because he has a vision and a long experience. He’s now recruiting the right people necessary for a yacht such as ours. I can now state that without any doubt we have a multinational crew, representing eight countries, that will grow further, with sailors that possess the necessary skills and experience.
VSail.info: A couple of days ago you talked on Russian TV about the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race. Do these two competitions form part of your future plans?
Igor Simčič: We are already operating on a level similar to the ones required for the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race. We have been prepared so that we can confront the challenge these events represent. However, we are currently observing both the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race with a critical eye and have our doubts.
VSail.info: Why? What doubts?
Igor Simčič: In our opinion, in the America’s Cup, they have changed too many things that used to be important in the past. Countries were seriously represented and the teams were preparing in order to represent their countries the best way possible. What we see today is too much of a show and we feel that what lacks is the will to represent something important and not just take part for publicity reasons. In addition, the choice to opt for multihulls and not monohulls breaks with past tradition. That doesn’t mean I don’t like the catamarans, they are spectacular, fun to sail and their races are exciting. You know well that our mainsail trimmer, Vasilij Zbogar, was helmsman on Green Comm Racing, so we have all the information. However, the America’s Cup is more than that, it’s a tradition, it’s a much bigger responsibility.
VSail.info: You mentioned that countries were “seriously” represented in the past. Wouldn’t that make Esimit Europa impossible since you represent a continent?
Igor Simčič: I think this a step forward where continents or regions could be represented, such Europe, the US or China. One could also envision organizing the “European Cup” with big boats, like ours, very fast and spectacular where these world powers could mount a challenge without any compromises. Whatever road we take, we should always put the sport of sailing as the first priority. It has to be a sports competition that focuses on human and technological development. They shouldn’t put on a show and then try to do everything possible in order to make it interesting.
VSail.info: What time frame have you set?
Igor Simčič: We will have to wait until next year when the situation becomes clearer in the America’s Cup. We have to see who wins and even if we probably know who will win we might wait to see whether there is any surprise or change in the way they do things. We will the have to weigh these factors and see whether it is interesting.