Anyone who would like to keep scores?

This might have been a rant but I recently came back from sailing in the Caribbean so…

I sat down here to write what at first I thought might be a rant on something I found frustrating. After having given it some thought, though, I realized this is not my style and I doubted any tirade would offer an effective solution to the problem. Besides, I am still in such a good head space after a little southern sailing. Instead, and as an educator I know this, it is more effective to help others understand why it would be better to do something one way over another. So what is my complaint you ask. Good of you to be interested, I say. It’s about my low paying summer job. ;>)

Here is the rub. Try keeping score for any of the many race events that occur on Lake St-Louis. Is it different on Lake of Two Mountains…I doubt it, but alas I digress. Scorekeeping involves a bit of black magic, as much the kind you imbibe as what you do with the numbers.  On the course you are bound to encounter one or a few boats that do not display sail numbers, display multiple numbers or display the same number as other boats. Last season I saw all of these combos and more. You will also find crews that race different divisions on a whim without notifying their race committee, or unrated boats whose owners feel they are unfairly scored. The list could easily be expanded.

To be sure there are a number of problems that arise because of insufficiently trained or inexperienced race committees. However, I cannot find too much fault with people who volunteer their time and make a respectable effort to help us many racing buffs enjoy our second favorite pass-time (the first being what we do after the race – drink and B.S.). There is definitely room for improvement on the RC side of things and I do hope we can take positive strides in this direction. However, I do believe the onus is first and foremost on racers to get their act together.

It is often very difficult to get accurate race results when confusion abounds. I can assure you that confusion was in ample abundance last season as I and others tried first to make sense of the numbers we received and second to pin down our results. I will say that the majority of race participants are compliant and do usually make an effort to respect the racing rules, the racing instructions and the exercise of common sense. I can also understand some of the reasons why people might not, but because I can understand them does not mean I accept or condone them. Yes it is a pain to change the numbers on that nice used spinnaker you bought from your racing mentor, but did you give some thought as to which number might be the most obvious as you crossed the finish line ten seconds before your arch rival? It was not the same one the race committee saw as you passed by their stern on a starboard tack prior to the race to announce your sail number and the fleet you were racing in.

Perhaps you were not aware that another boat has the same sail number as yours. News flash! Neither was the race committee. “But,” you retort, “Everyone knows my boat and who I am”. Yeah! They know you as the skipper who switches divisions because the wind is up or you don’t have enough crew to fly the spi, but who forgets to inform the RC and then complains when you were scored in the wrong division or with the wrong handicap. Or were you the one who never bothered to get a handicap even though it was free and someone in your club was willing to help you with that. No, I am not singling any individual or group out here. If you recognize yourself in any of these traits, that is good. That is the first step. I can assure you I will still like you and will enjoy racing with or against you. But we will have even more fun if we can correct these basic issues. And so will the RC’s and the scorekeepers, who, by the way, also enjoy the post race scene.

SLVYRA is undertaking an effort this season to sticker tag all boats who wish to participate in our club and interclub racing activities. This is in part to educate all race participants about the important role SLVYRA plays in handicapping boats, maintaining lake markers & buoys, coordinating lake racing activities between all of our great clubs, awarding trophies and honors, and many other support activities. It is also an opportunity for us to identify and resolve some of the issues we may have been neglecting.

I know I will not convince everyone to get their act together 100%, but I hope you will understand how important these efforts are to help keep our many volunteer participants enthused and appreciated for the efforts they make to support this sport we love so much. Yes we need to improve the knowledge and experience levels of our RC’s but that will come if they enjoy their participation and are appreciated for it. But don’t expect them to move first. By the way, is there anyone out there who would like to keep score for us? The pay is low but I can assure you that I will appreciate you.  I’m serious.

Dan O’Connell,  a.k.a. Dan Fontaine-O’Connell
Fleet Captain, PCYC

* A special thanks to the many great photographers among our clubs for the great photos they make available.