In sport sometimes the best stories aren't the cups held aloft or the opponents defeated — but the personal challenges and the people met along the way.
For Kiwi sailor Rick Dodson, his stories could fill a book.
From the glory years of New Zealand's first win and defence of the America's Cup to being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, there's been plenty to reflect on in his sailing life.
However it was a conversation with his best mate, fellow sailor Matt Mason, that finally prompted Dodson to put it all down in writing — a book released yesterday called Storms Ahead.
"He [Mason] said, 'what now?' I said, 'I'd like to write a book about what I've done'," Dodson told 1News.
"I've got lots of high points and we wrote about all of them!"
Of course, one achievement sticks out the most — the champion sailor playing a key role in the famous 1995 America's Cup campaign where the Auld Mug became New Zealand's cup.
He was also a key member of the 2000 defence, adding to a life dedicated to sailing.
Dodson and his brother Tom grew up on the water, creating mischief wherever they went during New Zealand's golden years of sailing.
Seeing it all written down has be "quite therapeutic" for Tom.
"We were quite free to do what we wanted but we had such a good comradery that they called us the mafia after a while internationally because we would come into an event or a class or a regatta and kind of take it over for a while," Tom recalled.
"It was good to be a Kiwi."
But in 1997 the good times suddenly had a storm cloud form overhead with Dodson diagnosed with multiple sclerosis — an incurable disease in which the immune system eats away at the protective covering of nerves.
The strategist kept it quiet from his crew and was still on the boat for the successful Cup defence in 2000 despite secretly battling the early symptoms of the disease.
"I said, 'right, should I tell everyone I've got MS?' and I thought, coming back and I saw Tom and he said, 'well you should tell Blakey [Sir Peter Blake] and [Sir Russell] Coutts'," Dodson recalled.
"I said, 'no, I won't. I'll carry on doing my job'. Then I said to a good friend of mine Jeremy [Scantlebury] and I said, 'if the boys notice that I'm not doing a good job, tell me and I will step down'.
"They never said a word so I just carried on."
When his symptoms worsened, Dodson still found a way onto the water through disabled sailing, although it did take some persuading.
Still, it led to Paralympics debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 where he and crewmates Chris Sharp and Andrew May finished fourth in the three-man sonar class.
Despite the impressive result — and missing out on the bronze medal by the narrowest of margins — the Games didn't live up to his high standards.
But now at 64, the results don't matter anywhere near as much — as long as he can still get out on the water.
"I've sailed my while life which I've loved," he said.
"I love sailing, I still do."
His brother said other sailors are happy to have him onboard as well.
"There's a few members here [at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron] who are happy to take Rick out on their keel boats and stuff and use his all his experience as long as the balance and the safety thing can happen as well," he said.
Dodson's indomitable spirit means he refuses to let MS get the better of him.
"You never, ever give up," he said.
"Which is the way I look at things — never give up and so if you've got MS, bad luck, but don't give up. If you've got cancer, bad luck but don't give up.
"You just carry on life as normal… get your friends and carry on life."
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