420 winged rudder

but that's not his choice to make.  If you enter and are declared the winner that that doesn't suddenly give you extra rights (e.g to award the prize to the 3rd place boat because say you felt it was a nicer colour than yours)

Edited by r2d2 - 22 Jan 13 at 11:16am

events to be taken seriously at all costs? .....only on this forum it would seem

"Getting worked up?" I'm not worked up, who's worked up?

It's a forum and becoming better, more interesting and more informative by the year, with grown ups discussing the way things are and maybe even some are opening their minds to the possibility that change can come from discussions such as this.

For what it's worth, I was taught by my dinghy peers back in the day that the protest was an essential part of sailing, to do all those things like self police and was part of the game in a chess like manner, so, when I was in full wanting to succeed mode I did indeed protest. I recall reducing one poor young up and coming local hero kid to tears and faced the full wrath of his family for protesting him at one major national series event.
Then if you want to chase your boy around in a rib yelling instructions to him whilst I'm trying to sail him past the mark to break his cover, you're going to get a successful protest for outside assistance, especially if I've wasted a couple of tanks of gas to travel to an event that far away in my quest for glory..

My point, if you want it bad enough you protest, if you don't then don't, same with rule observation, if you want it, it's in your hands, just don't do me for ungentlemanly conduct when I inevitably 'moon' you the very next time you're behind me..

Originally posted by getafix events to be taken seriously at all costs? .....only on this forum it would seem

Did anyone actually say that?  If you read my posts I have said several times that I do them because I enjoy them and find the sailing a challenge.  But I do feel somewhat disheartened that people feel the need to ignore the rules.  I sail them because I get to see friends over the winter months and because they are great publicity for my class.  I am under no illusions that I am going to bother the top 10.

As for other sailors taking them seriously.  I would guess that only a handful of contributors to this thread even bothered to go to the BM, remember only the small minority bother to post here.  So it would be interesting to hear other peoples thoughts.  One of my mates thought it was out of order, he attended but doesn’t post here. 

It leads on to Jimbos point, about sailing being in a supposed decline.  Could this be one of the reasons why?  Poor rule observance?

I sat in the safety boat on Sunday morning and saw at least two boats hit marks without doing turns, even though the nearer boats must have seen it, and then I watched the club superstar do a Ben all the way down a run, again unchallenged.  The week before I followed the race round in my contender (didn't sign on, wasn't racing, but they didn't know that) the boat behind me (some way off, I was careful not to impede anyone) must have seen me clunk a couple of marks but said nothing, even though they will have assumed I was racing.

This is club level.  There is no policing of any kind.  I can't remember having heard of a single protest the whole of last year, yet there must have been incidents.  The thing is, nowadays it is considered 'bad form' to protest, and certainly no one wants to upset the club pecking order.  The only ones to complain are the spectators and the newbies, who quickly learn the only way to survive is to join in...

I'd be interested to know if any of the clubs that have adopted the arbitration % penalty system have seen any improvement in rule observance.