'Ringers' competing at the Nationals

The topic of lending boats to individuals to do the Nationals is a current thread in a class forum I'm not going to name.

I've anonomised the posts of the main views and pasted them below.

(You'll just have to trust me that I've not altered the meaning by removing content, but I've no axe to grind. Just want to make sure no one gets upset!)

To be honest, the comments left me gob smacked. Just wondering how deep this feeling is in the wider sailing community?

Please comment and discuss!

 

"> > > Or maybe the Nationals should only be open to those who own and have
> > > insured their own [boat], and are fully paid up members of the
> > > association. [snip]
> > > 
> > > Thats the idea of joining the class association. If I could [snip],
> > > borrow a remarkably new boat with brand spanking new sails
> > > [snip] for a weekend of racing, i'd sell my boat in an instant..
> > > [snip]
> > > I would have been there [nationals] this year, but having just got the new car, i haven't yet got a towbar fitted.
> > >
> > > Anyway, back on topic .. No to Ringers. If you own it, you can race it.
> > > If you own one but don't want to race it, that's up to you (and its the
> > > option im taking)."

"> > Wow! Well done!
> >
> > I do have some sympathy with this view having been beaten
> > last year by two very nice people who were technically not, owners of [the boat]
> >
> > This together with a boat taking on huge amounts of water, in truth I was
> > not a happy bunny....... incidentlly, the problem was later
> > fully corrected by [the builder]
> >
> > It is a view that is shared by many and I think those who are in this
> > position coming into a championship should be required to count two races
> > as discards so they do not enter the final draw for a win.
> > That way they can still show off their prowess but not take the prizes.
> >
> > [snip]
> >
> > Controversial, but then I'm old and can get away with it!!"

">It's not just an issue in the [snip] fleet, it's a sport wide
> issue.  People spend a long hard season slogging it out on the
> circuit and then don't get to challenge for the national title.  I
> absolutely do not have a problem with people borrowing a boat to do
> the nationals as long as they are not going to take the main
> prize.  Maybe [snip] could lend their [boat] to mid-fleet sailors.  I
> know, I know beggers can't be choosers.  Surely no one can deny
> that a world class sailor doing one event and taking all the glory
> is a little frustrating.  It happens in the blaze fleet, the 300
> fleet, streakers, I could go on, but I won't.  Everybody is
> thinking it, but no one will voice it because it looks like sour
> grapes! 
> There are loads of great ideas for championships.  Such as points
> being carried over from opens, (grand prix style) with the nats
> being the season finale. or a seperate personal handicap winner etc
> etc but none will be adopted because of resistance to change.
>  
> It is comparable to michael schumacher borrowing a car for the last
> race of the formula one season and winning the world
> championship!!!" 

I find it very strange that people should try to discourage good sailors from attending their events. Ok it might be because they know they won't win if they do turn up, but shouldnt the best sailor win? Even if he/she doesnt own the boat. If you're not good enough then you need to race against these good guys to get better. If they dont regularly sail the class and hop straight in and win a nationals then that just means they are even better.

I think its great that as a sport we (the weekend warriors who have to pin down 9-5 jobs) can turn up at an event and get pasted by professionals. Ive found they wont be laughing at how easily they beat you but will often take time to help you out if you ask them for about advice. Well thats been my experience anyway....

This is an old chesnut, and one of those topics when you'll never have to try to hard to find a "not on my land" type who'll take time off from moaning about the weather/yoof-today/tv schedules/english football etc.... to provide an opinion on "all these pro's and pot-hunters who are ruining the xxxxxxxx for the rest of us" ...

In many classes you'll get "pros & pot-hunters" turning up to the big events who don't normally sail the travellers series or similar open events (or just cherry pick a few) there are many classes where this is the case - I'd name Solo's, Scorpions, Fireballs, Merlins, i14's, Moths, Lasers among them straigtht away.

I don't however think it's a major 'problem' - after all, winning a nationals/Euro's/Worlds is meant to be difficult, if it wasn't it wouldn't be much of a challenge would it!? 

If people want to lend them boats, why not?  Don't confuse the argument with the "well youth sailors should be encouraged by being the ones lent the boats, not these pot-hunter types" argument - because that's generally a selfish belief that the youth sailors will be easier to beat from these people, rather than a genuine desire to grow the class in many cases.

Many of these "pro's" I have come across at events over many years are actually really nice people who are only too happy to "spread the wealth" by offering advice, tuning etc... Richard Estaugh is a prime, and rightly well respected, example of what I'm talking about here.  I'd defy someone from the GP14 class to say their class was the poorer because a prominent supplier of sails & boats got involved to the level he did.  Likewise, do Graduate or Streaker sailors object to Mr Rooster's recent involvement?  Does the F'ball, 505 or Scorpion class seath with resentment about the involvement of certain people who work for P&B? this will happen, all the time, whatever anyone says unless the reactives & entrenched get their way and put 'banning orders' in place as they exist in lead-mine racing.  IMO they don't help much in lead-mines either and are generally a bone of contention at most regatta weeks I've ever attended ....

Originally posted by chrisg I think its great that as a sport we (the weekend warriors who have to pin down 9-5 jobs) can turn up at an event and get pasted by professionals.

That and the reverse scenario is the greatest facet of sailing and what
attracted me to it in the first place.

Nothing better than the wind filling in on the wrong side of the course and
the back markers taking the last race before the bar opens for a bit of post
race banter...

I reckon it's old git solo sailors...there was quite few 'hired guns' jumping in to that fleet for the nationals.

Personally I think it's fantastic if 'pro's' come and race in your class. A few years back in the 4k we had 3 olympic development boats come in borrowed boats to the nationals and they had a great time and yes it increased the level of competition in the class..