Why don't you race - honest?

[Interloper]

Originally Posted by Captndave1

Our club has encountered the same issue, very few racers anymore, We still race all our club races on a 45 year old boat and our crew average age is 70 years old and we still fly a spinnaker. Our philosophy is to go out and have a great day of sailing where nobody yells at anyone and if something breaks we accept that as part of racing. By the way, we have won club championship a lot of years and many in the last few years. We race for camaraderie and fun.
We keep trying to get some competition, but hard to do these days, disappointing.

Sounds familiar, my crew averages about 65, and it's getting harder to hold on to them.

Small world, I lived in Lakeland in the early 90's and my first racing experiences were as crew at DIYC in Tampa.

[Training Wheels]

I race quite often. As a live aboard, on an end tie, and being old, mornings are frequently a race to the shore facilities!

[Captndave1]

We race at TSS

[Cheechako]

I used to race, then stepped up to something more exciting with more activity... watching grass grow...

[CoolBeans]

. . .I never understood why people wanted to race I unknowingly bought the sailboat that had a reputation of winning a lot of trophies and for the first year or two always had race invites taped to my life line.

I had no interest then nor do I now. Sailing is a quiet and relaxing activity that allows me to find my "zen" for a little while.

I'm also not a competitive person

[markpierce]

For seven years raced summer and winter series in the SF Bay as first mate/foredeck man on my father's Columbia Defender during the '60s. It was a great way to learn how to sail well and to play the tidal currents.



Then in the eighties mostly day-sailed in my own pocket cutter (Bluewater Blackwatch). This decade I "graduated" to a single-engine, sail-assisted trawler, still drawing on my teenage racing experience.

[Almoagnadna]

Hey, Mark!
Where do you sail in Mo? My hubby & I are in the KC area, and sail Lake Perry. My folks are down in Lamar and they have friends with power boats down at Stockton. We've been interested in engaging with the sailing community down there. Any chance that's your neck of the woods?

[Lou254]

# 8 I have been hit pretty hard the 720 will not fix damage. Now I crew Period.. I enjoy this however it is a good way to learn sailing .Anyone can hit your boat hit his boat but not my boat so much better and I still get to learn. If I could afford to let people hit the only boat I can afford we might give it a try. This is just an opinion racing is who has the most money to buy the latest great innovation and cheat class rules. From NASCAR to a horse race. What is different about sailing. Kind Regards, Lou

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Lou254

# 8 I have been hit pretty hard the 720 will not fix damage. Now I crew Period.. I enjoy this however it is a good way to learn sailing .Anyone can hit your boat hit his boat but not my boat so much better and I still get to learn. If I could afford to let people hit the only boat I can afford we might give it a try. This is just an opinion racing is who has the most money to buy the latest great innovation and cheat class rules. From NASCAR to a horse race. What is different about sailing. Kind Regards, Lou

You won't learn much crewing.

You aren't calling the tacks.

You aren't setting up the boat for the conditions of that particular race day.

You are not selecting the sails for the day.

You aren't selecting the battens

You aren't selecting the proper side of the start line to be on.

You are not selecting which side you should go to if there is a downwind gate

If you want pure racing where money doesn't dictate, race one design.

Some examples: Lightnings, Laser, Flying Scot, Hobie 16's, A Class catamarans, sometimes J30's, and certain Catalinas, and I'm sure there are others

https://www.google.com/search?q=ligh...ailboat+racing+

https://www.google.com/search?q=flyi...cgDF0Q_AUIBigB

[Dirk Williams]

Were racing a Santana 20 this season. We're rebuilding a San Juan 21 for next season. We're on Klamath Lake, with a HUGE SJ 21 fleet. Only 6 or 8 Santana"'s.

Tuning the Santana now refitting all the cam fittings, new sheets and lines throughout the boat. ,

Getting excited,,we race every Wed night, then BBQ and have a cool beverage. KYS, Klamath Yacht Club.,,

Dirk

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by Interloper

I'm a racer-cruiser, trying to help my local club revive it's racing program. I've tried to solicit input, but my reach is mostly limited to established racers - probably not the right audience. Data suggests only about 5% of sailboat owners are avid racers, we want to reach out to the other 95%, (with no expectation or reaching large numbers).

So why don't you like to race regularly? Please be brutally honest, we're mostly anonymous here.

Thanks for your thoughts!

I've put the top ten from our informal poll below, but only if you need prompting, otherwise I hope you'll ignore it. Optional reading (informal poll):

1. We bought a boat for rest & relaxation - competing isn't relaxing!
2. Racers yell at novices, no thanks
3. Racing is expensive
4. Finding/keeping crew is like 'herding cats'
5. Don't know all the rules - they're way too complicated
6. Yacht club culture is too elitist
7. Don't know much about sail racing - and don't know where to find out. No one's ever reached out to us.
8. Why risk a collision with an aggressive racer?
9. Racing organization is a lot more work
10. Racers drink too much

I have absolutely no interest in racing whatsoever. For me it's all about escapism, exploring, relaxing, slowing down, adventure and getting away from it all, hell, I can't even stand crowded anchorages or marinas, and the thought of having a boat load of people on board sends shivers up my spine.....

Place me firmly in category #1.

[Lou254]

I think you are correct on ever point except the one design. It is still about money and how to skirt the rules. That is just the way it is. From the super bowl to soccer and Fifa. Amateur athletes use doping to win. Not everyone is a poor sport and skirts rules. Some of the very best traits in humans come out in competition. I am in this discussion to give honest feed back why I do not race. The prime reason is how hard my boat was hit. I would have had more head way on I would not have been hit at the mark. Bad things can happen with people that I just don't understand what spell they come under. If I had my old FJ racing might be affordable and a crunch might be less trauma to me. I enjoyed racing the FJ. For now it is one boat at a time. I like camping on my boat and spending a weekend out. The FJ is not a camper. Anyway I will not be the quickest boat or the with the most effective sailplan. My hat is off to the skippers of a lot of race boats. The vast majority of them are extremely good sailors. I am happy enough to crew. Kind Regards, Lou

[hafa]

Given that the first post was over a month ago, and that our situation here is quite different, I'm not sure that this feedback will contribute to the OP's goal, but here goes nonetheless:

Disclaimer: our region is very, very different from more populated areas of the planet. Racing here is less acrimonious, with far smaller fields and less stress. For Hobies, we are a registered fleet and follow the Racing Rules of Sailing. For monohulls, the rules are much more loosely followed. That said:

I've been racing (and regularly placing) regionally as skipper on Hobie 16s and in inter-island races for large (30-50-ft.) monohulls both as crew and skipper of my own boat for about 17 years. During this time, the following challenges have been the most common:

1. Finding/keeping crew
2. Finding sufficient organizers and volunteers
3. And more recently: Finding enough interested participants

The last is a function of demographics; competing water sports such as kite boarding are easier to get into, are far less expensive and have a greater thrill factor, which reduces the number of young people getting into racing sailboats.

One factor that may change this trend is the inception of a new program here, 500 sails. We're hopeful that the program will take off and reinvigorate the sport across the board, in addition to its stated goals.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by thomm225

You won't learn much crewing.

You aren't calling the tacks.

You aren't setting up the boat for the conditions of that particular race day.

You are not selecting the sails for the day.

You aren't selecting the battens

You aren't selecting the proper side of the start line to be on.

You are not selecting which side you should go to if there is a downwind gate

If you want pure racing where money doesn't dictate, race one design.

Some examples: Lightnings, Laser, Flying Scot, Hobie 16's, A Class catamarans, sometimes J30's, and certain Catalinas, and I'm sure there are others

https://www.google.com/search?q=ligh...ailboat+racing+

https://www.google.com/search?q=flyi...cgDF0Q_AUIBigB

I'm sorry, all your "you won't"s and "you aren't"s are all unmitigated bull#&$%.

If you crew on a boat with an experienced and well tempered skipper, and/or a personable and loquacious tactician, if you don't learn anything you're an idiot.

I grew up racing one design up on Long Island Sound, and have continued to race PHRF in Annapolis, crewing with some very good skippers in W/Ls, distance, and offshore. And a lot of them bring inexperienced crew at times, both as rail meat and because those inexperienced crew want to learn to sail and to race. It's rare that I've been on a boat where people are unwilling to explain what is going on, why, and the reasoning behind their decision making. I know A LOT of very good crew who didn't know anything at all about sailing the first time I was out with them.

Yes, of course one design is the pinnacle of racing, where it all comes down to skill and luck instead of skill and luck and machine. But to say you don't learn anything unless you race one design is ridiculous.

[giant]

Started sailing through racing and learned heaps.

I am a reliable type and rarely missed races, I arrived well before the start and stuck around to pack and clean after the race and post race social too.

Spent eight years on the first boat, skipper had policy of no yelling which worked well. The boat had a stable crew and was no difficulty organizing. People were a bit elitist and even after all those years at the yacht club I still felt like an outsider. The boat turned into a nightmare when the owners spoiled brat 22 year old kid was put in charge of crew. The son took on a series of arrogant hot shot wannabes. I left that crew because of that kid and his fly by night arrogant hot shot wannabes.

Moved to another boat at a different yacht club spent one and a half years on that boat. Skipper seemed ok but he was weak willed and the crew ran the boat. The crew were a bunch of yelling, rude, arrogant, aggressive, alcoholic, nut jobs. They waved the carrot of Sydney to Hobart so I stuck around gritted my teeth and put up with all the ******** then a month before the Sydney to Hobart they canned me and hired professional sailors from New Zealand... that was after I bought a PLB, a life jacket, brand new wet weather gear, wool thermals etc etc.

I spent a year and a half with the biggest jerks I ever had to deal with for a reward Sydney to Hobart and spent over $2000 on gear I don't need.

That happened over a year ago and I have not been on a race boat since. If I ever race again it won't be with the aggressive ego maniac type.

Still love cruising...