Jobson Resigns When Koch Delays Assigning America’s Cup Positions

Co-skipper Gary Jobson said he had resigned from Bill Koch’s America-3 America’s Cup syndicate and will return to his former position as a sailing commentator for ESPN.

Jobson, who followed 1988 Olympic silver medalist John Kostecki in leaving the team, said he had grown impatient with Koch’s delay in deciding permanent assignments for the afterguard, such as helmsman, tactician and navigator. Koch, a multimillionaire industrialist, has done much of the steering himself but has little background in the match-racing format used in the America’s Cup.

“My feeling was we should be putting the best people in the best spots, and I thought we should make a decision on those things soon,” Jobson said. “They’ll have to get somebody that’s been around the Cup and knows something about match racing.”

Jobson qualifies on both counts, as does Peter Isler, who replaced him at ESPN after folding his own America’s Cup campaign last year.

Jobson said his departure was “amicable” and he will continue to sail on Koch’s maxi-boat, Matador-2.