SAILING THROUGH LIFE

This is in response to those who asked:”Who are you?” It is a least a dimension.Boats have always been a part of my life. Naturally interwoven with the story of Newport.

IT’S NOT HOW FAST YOU ARE GOING


You have to be as clever and alert as any match race; no different than match racing all you have to do is be faster than the other boat. Team racing is about being clever, and good boat handling. Boat speed is always important, but it is not about being really fast. There are times you might want the race to last longer. And you are all sailing the same boat, you bring the skill not the gear.

Team Racing

I have long been a proponent of Team Racing, particularly at the interscholastic and intercollegiate levels. It is a team sport, which involves more participation. I feel that the emphasis placed on the A & B skippers is gone too far and diminishes the sense of team.

   I still keep many fond memories of college sailing. We thought of it as competitive, but pales by today’s standards. Still I liked what we did and the fun we had.

  In little less than a month I am looking forward to sailing a team racing event. Short courses, lots of starts, no ratings, teamwork on the boat as important as that of the team.
  
The Chicago Mackinac Race starts tomorrow, wind at the start diminishing over the next 24-30 hours and filling for the small boats; as it looks now. A great race.

TEAM RACING

Team racing is something I have always enjoyed. In secondary school most of our sailing was team racing. In college, we did less, but it was still part of the program. Our college team stayed together for a short time after graduation, but soon the requirements of life broke up the team.

I did not team race again until 2003. It re-awakened in me many fond memories. Of course the rules had changed substantially, so I was faced with a new challenge, one I embraced with pleasure.
I have not team raced as much as I would like, but the New York Yacht Club owns a fleet of Sonars making it accessible.It is so much fun. It is not about going fast, it is about being smart.