Dilemma

in smaller detail:

Originally posted by Cirrus On the other hand people are also put off by people applying fictitious rules or interpreting them in a fictitious way .... 'You' know when you are screwning with 'natural justice' surely ... If you don't then you are welcome to that dodgy bit of 'trophy hardware'  you are after - it then really means not a lot surely to any with a right mind.  If you really need a written rule to always be your guide on this at all but the very highest level then many of us must simply pity you.    If I, in an extreme hypothetical case, sailed say a junior in an Oppi down the fleet in the last race in a handicap fleet to 'win' overall some local club handicap series that would be OK with you would it ?  ... Really ?  Think about a while it a while before you reply.  Nothing fictitious mind you please  ...

Did you chose an Opi because there is a child involved? Does that change natural justice?

Again where would you cut this off? Topper? Fevas?

I have thought through how I would feel if a faster boat did this to either of my 2 Opi sailors. I’d see it as a compliment to their ability. They might be frustrated but they understand this legitimate tactic.

I've had it done to me. And it wasn't a nice feeling, but it happens and we tried our hardest to get out until we sailed into a hole and the bigger boat messed off. It's nice that someone wants to cover and sail you off to nowhere. Annoying but take it as a compliment to your ability.

But this "tactic" isn't bullying....it's racing in a series. If it was done every race you might have a bullying problem but no one will be getting a good result if that was happening. If someone is getting close enough to the top to be sailed down the pan then they are obviously a pretty good sailor.

Suck it up and carry on.

Originally posted by Gordon 1430 Hi Grf Have you ever watched the last laser race starts of the Olympics before Sydney? I suggest you find out who pushed the only boat over the line that could beat him. What goes around comes around.

Can't say I have Gordon, no, not that it would make any difference to my deep seated opinion which is that ugly tactics should remain where they work in team racing if at all.

If it were down to me that first incident I witnessed back in 1980 where I was absolutely flabbergasted that it could be done legally coming from where I had in powered race sport, where someone hindering your progress like that would be barred from the next event, I would ban it. So I put it down to the eccentric quirks of the sport of sailing that happily didn't happen that often, there being more honour amongst thieves in the windsurfing fraternity. It's also easier to break a cover than I now discover in this lark.

Personally I'd never consider it, I'm option 2 all day long, try and sail the race to win and if I don't make it san fairy ann and well done to the other guy.

I have zero respect for anyone who achieves victory in this manner and no I have no regard for our erstwhile Olympic hero, he's a dick, the end. Was it nature or nurture is the only question, I suspect the former but then with fellows like my squaddie protagonist as National Coach the RYA bears the brunt of the responsibility for the high richard content of the dinghy sailing fraternity.

Edited by iGRF - 31 Jul 19 at 4:17pm