Why race? If you consider the benefits of racing; learning to sail better, getting a boat to perform at it's highest efficiency, learning how to trim sails properly, learning to use the tide and currents, learning a few racing rules and signal flags, learning how to develop and manage crew members, building a team, etc. I enjoyed the challenge and personal growth that came with it and I'm grateful for all the people I met along the journey.
Racing has a stigma about it that diehard cruisers avoid at all costs. Cost being the most important. Risk of collision and risk of breakage is another. Next is prep time. Next is learning new skills associated with learning the start sequence, flag signals, racing rules, etc. I followed the cautious route learning to race my boat. I crewed on some racing boats and learned the start sequence and how to get round the course and then had some experienced racers coach me aboard my boat on a couple races. It made the greatest difference to have their experience and skills to make the races safe and I would encourage any yachtclub to foster that program of coaching cruisers in a few races. I was lucky and found some really good guys to help me learn. My mentors were soft spoken experts who were firm but never raised their voices, so all my pickup crew members had total respect for their wisdom and we prepped the bottom and I had good sails and we did very well. Why do others race? How did you learn? Chuck Scheaffer Resolute 1989 C&C 34R Pasadena Md
Thanks to all of the subscribers that contributed to the list to help with the costs involved. If you want to show your support to the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray Thanks - Stu
