Summer racing is competitive, interesting, and friendly. The wind shifts keep everyone in the game for most of the races. No lead is safe. No mistake makes for certain defeat. In other words, great fun and great competition. The perennial leaders typically find their way to the top of the heap after three or four races in an evening, but not always.
After a summer of watching, I had several observations:
- Good starts make life easier.
- My late friend Joe Duplin had a saying; Point the bow at the mark, babe.
- You get to the mark quicker when you stay away from messy boat-to-boat situations.
The moments that seemed like competitors weren’t having quite as much fun almost always involved boats getting close to one another and the rules.
Here are some perspectives on ways to make these situations easier or less common:
Get familiar with the Part 2 section of the Racing Rules of Sailing. This section defines right-of-way, obligation to avoid contact, and maneuvering rules between boats in the racing area. It’s not long and there are some great resources to help with the racing process.
Sail within the rules and don’t push every advantage to an unpleasant conclusion, particularly at starts, marks, and obstructions. Always leave yourself and other competitors an escape route.
Assume that all competitors think just like you do and are sailing fairly and competitively. We all want to win or we wouldn’t be here.
Most importantly, trust the process. Try to sail your own race. Boats on a race course are like cheerios in milk. If they get close to one another they stick together and everything goes slow. If that doesn’t work, be predictable. If you’re the keep clear boat, keep clear. If you’re the right of way boat, remember that you need to give the keep clear boat room if you want to change course. At marks and obstructions, if there is any doubt that an overlap was established or broken, the default is to assume it has not. It’s usually much better to get a great rounding behind a boat than a lousy one to the weather of her.
If you have an issue with another competitor, protest. Don’t blow it off. Take the time to go through the process. It’s a great learning experience. Perspective is an interesting thing. Many times I’ve heard a sailor that was absolutely certain that an incident occurred in the way they thought, only to see a video that made it clear that it didn’t.
Our sport is self-governing; it only works if we all govern. If you are fouled, protest. If you foul a competitor, take your penalty, even if they don’t protest. It’s not unheard of for both boats in an incident to take a penalty turn and protest, just to find out in the hearing they were both wrong.
In any event, trust the process, go sailing, and have fun.
