Mark Reynolds: Gold Medal Guy

Last year, I interviewed a legendary sailor three times in six months—and I still came up with questions I forgot to ask. Mark Reynolds won three Olympic medals (two gold, one silver) in the Star class, and he also holds an impressive record; he’s competed in more Olympics in a row in the same discipline than any other American. All this while also building the sails used by most of his competitors! No wonder this particular profile suggestion met with an unusually enthusiastic response from Seahorse editor Andrew Hurst: “Outstanding idea. Wonderful guy and huge supporter of sailing.”

When I asked Mark for yet another interview, he graciously chatted with me (again) about how he got started in sailing and sailmaking. One of the best pieces of synergy was hearing about Mark from Augie Diaz and then hearing about Augie from Mark; together, they were the favorites to win the 1980 Flying Dutchman Trials. (Who knows what they would’ve won without that boycott?) Though that was a full decade before I met either of them, their memories of sailing together made it easy to picture the combined power of such youthful energy—and Mark’s glare from the wire whenever he didn’t agree with Augie.

Before I stop gushing and just let you read the piece, here’s another comment from Andrew Hurst that sums up Mark’s ability to be a regatta park friend, even to archrivals; “After Sydney 2000, Ian Walker told me he was glad it was Mark/Magnus that beat them, because without Mark they would not have known which end the jib went.”

Thanks, Mark, for making time to chat once again—and I look forward to hearing your answers to my unasked questions! For everyone else: don’t forget to subscribe to Seahorse, so you can enjoy Rod Davis and Blue Robinson and so many other fantastic writers who bring perspective to our sport from around the globe.

Mark Reynolds: Hard Chines and Unasked Questions