Sailing

Herman Melville wrote, speaking about Nantucket-based whaling:

Two thirds of this terraqueous globe are the Nantucketer's. For the sea is his; he owns it, as Emperors own empires.

Nantucket whaling boats sailed for months or years of danger. James Cook led the first European expedition to reach the east of Australia or the Hawaiian Islands, ventured into the Antarctic Ocean (71º 10' S) almost reaching Antarctica, and set up countless milestones of cartography, exploration and sailing. Spanish and Portuguese sailors started to make the world a well-known place, crossing endless oceans in their ships, through storms and risks. Expeditions to the Norht and the South Pole, and specially the Endurance expedition of Ernest Shackleton, are among the most amazing and inspiring achievements of the human race.

America's cup is rooted in the golden age of sailing. The 2007 edition is being held at Valencia, Spain. And there are lots of people who benefit from the competition. We can hear these days public relations personnel speaking about the upcoming events.

Mostly, parties.

Today we have seen in the news the last sensation in America's Cup: a party with Demi Moore, Pipi, Inés Sastre, Fonsi Nieto, and other inspiring, awesome, exemplary personalities.

And I wonder what James Cook, or Elcano, or Shackleton, or Ahab would think about this race.

And I have to conclude (as I did some time ago with olympic games) that this filthy, opportunist and fake celebrity-based business has absolutely nothing to do with sports or nature. With the austerity, humility and smallness that on is bounded to feel in the middle of a gigantic ocean over a small wooden boat. With all the virtues of companionship that an antarctic explorer has to put into practice just in order to overcome a polar winter with his team.

I am not any sailor; fear won't let me go deep into any sea. But I respect sailing way too much to recognize it in what I saw today on TV.

As far as I'm concerned, America's Cup is dead.