Friday 14 December 2012


STARTING RULES

I was using the time on the airplane to fresh up my knowledge on the regatta rules. They might look confusing and complicated (actually they are) but nevertheless it is interesting to think about some of the possible scenarios. 

My favorite rules are the ones dealing with the start.


An extremely dynamic situation with adrenalin levels on the limits. All the boats are at the same spot at the same time. Sometimes the boats are so close together that you could step from boat to boat. Sailors are hailing and shouting to each other for room or rights. We face rapidly changing situations and positions.



 How wonderful confusing



You might think that on a long offshore race where you are talking about days of racing the fighting for a good start position is not worth it since we are talking about  1, maybe 2 minutes we would loose and we would have the big advantage of staying  out of trouble and out of  the risk of penalty, disqualification or damage to our or any other boat. This surely could ruin our race. And yes, this is a very valid point. Why risking the regatta for screwing up on the start? There are probably quite a few skippers using this conservative approach.



But a regatta start is sooooo terrific  and exciting. And aren’t we there for the excitement?


I hope I find agreement with our skippers and crew to jump into the battle on the start.



The same applies to rounding a mark. Again, many boats are moving into a small room      (like a bottleneck) at the same time and they are fighting for an advantage or trying to squeeze a competitor into  a less favorable position and to make it even more challenging, the rules are changing again as we move into the  “zone “ ( 3 boat length around the mark).      


      

                                   These are the unforgettable moments 
                               that make you feel 
                                      “ALIVE”



                                    ALIVE here as well




No comments:

Post a Comment