“Why do others race? How did you learn?” For me it’s like any other pursuit - skiing, bicycling, golf, tennis, whatever - if you go out with people who are better than you, you’ll learn and improve.
That’s why I started out crewing on other people’s boats. Besides rehearsing basic blocking and tackling, I got to see different techniques and leadership styles. To quote Jimmy Buffett, “and I learned much from both of their styles.” The main reason I race now is because it gets me out sailing regularly with good friends. April through October it’s a big part of the general rhythm of life. A highlight of the week, to go out on Wednesday night with my buddies and have a good time and try to win. Cheers, Randy S/V Grenadine C&C 30 MK I #79 Ken Caryl, CO > On Jan 30, 2021, at 10:51 AM, CHARLES SCHEAFFER via CnC-List > <[email protected]> wrote: > > 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
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
