We Can All Race Together

What a variety of experience and ambitions show up for club race days.

There are the skippers who get to the club twenty minutes before the harbor start and disrupt the flow of others’ preparations by asking for last minute help getting their Laser off the racks and maybe even straightening out the pattern of control lines that they haven’t yet memorized. And there are the guys who get there early to chat and fail to notice that some of the racers want to get into their race-day mind set.

On the other tack, some more experienced sailors may show up late because they feel they can fly through their prep. These and other “serious” racers may put their head down and forget that unless they help the less experienced people they will soon end up stagnating with no real competition. And the need to help the newer sailors doesn’t stop at the water’s edge. Improving the experience of each racer is the responsibility of all club members.

A few hints for less experienced sailors:

*Leave plenty of time for preparing. It is a multi-step process including:

• Rigging the boat
• Confirming the race details for the day
• Preparing your gear and physical body
• Getting on the water with plenty of time to warm up and get comfortable
•  Getting observations on what the wind is doing
• Making a plan for your first race

*Get to the club early so that you can get any minor help you need before it is disruptive for other racers. An hour before the harbor start time is reasonable, but more will give you time for prep on the water.

*Don’t plan on getting lessons on rigging your Laser unless you’ve arranged ahead of time. Schedule a practice session for this level of instruction. A request for a quick eyeball check may be fine.

*Don’t plan on getting help with too many of your boat handling or racing questions on race days. Arrange a practice session for this level of instruction. A quick question may be fine.

*Be ready to help others launch. Don’t keep others waiting to help you get under way while you make your last pit stop or find your watch. Plan to be on the water before 50% of the fleet. This is good for you and good for those helping you.

*If you have never dumped and righted your Laser, don’t plan on racing. It isn’t fair to keep the rescue boat tied up while you learn something you should have practiced before racing. Schedule a practice time.

*A good approach is to make a checklist of equipment you will be bringing from home. A staggering number of people leave critical pieces of sailing gear behind and miss a race or a day of racing. Borrowing equipment is not a substitute for good planning.

Few people invest the time to be fully prepared to race on the first few race days of the season. The competition will be more interesting and the time will offer more rewards if you schedule times to practice both rigging and boat handling skills. I have raced Lasers for over six years now and I still rig my Laser at least once at home before I ever take it to the club. This forces me to inventory my equipment and make repairs. It also gets my head back into the process of rigging so I waste less time when I get to the club for my early season practice times.

There is real value in racing every chance you get. Your racing and your sailing in general will improve the more you do. Racing in a fleet with a mix of experience requires an increase awareness of other’s needs, but we all benefit from increased fleet size and the tactics and strategy that that demands.

Jay Livingston