Boring event reports.

Think you're getting a bit obsessed with this now  Don't forget that the association is run by volunteers who also have lives to lead...

Hi everyone,

We had an open meeting at my club last Sunday and after the prizegiving this topic cropped up, I don't know how it was finally resolved but I have noticed that a report has not appeared anywhere yet.  Personally, I think that it is not a good idea that a competitor writes a report.  As has already been said, competitors are too busy getting on with the racing to have to later think back through all the races as to what happened and then write a report.  It's not surprising that the reports tend to concentrate on the top crews in the final results, or what happened immediately in the vicinity of the crew who were tasked with writing the report, just because of their placing (fourth overall??).

As nobody knows what the final results will be and, therefore, who will be tasked to write a report because of their placing, surely it is a better idea to have a previously nominated person, who is not a competitor, to write a report. This person could be on the committee boat, spare RIB, on the shore (depending on the venue) or wherever, who knows what they have been tasked to do beforehand and can make relevant notes throughout the various races, include interesting incidents throughout the whole of the fleet rather than just the people at the front.  Some people would call it 'forward planning'  but it will save people having to try harder to come third or less hard to come fifth just so that they do not have to write a report.

On a personal note, I don't like to see reports that just include sail numbers and no names.  I also feel that crews often get a bad deal as it is often just the helm who gets all of the recognition. Even worse is when the crew is not even mentioned in the final results. Please can we have the full names of the helms, crews and sailing clubs in the results so that we all know who everyone is and where they are from.  I mention 'clubs' because they are often abbreviated to initials and 'B.S.C.' could be a sailing club from Broxbourne, Brightlingsea, Beaver, Bassenthwaite or elsewhere.

We all know that it is not an easy job to write race reports but with a little forethought the standard of the reports should improve and nobody is 'dropped on' just because they were lucky or unlucky enough to come fourth.

Ian  (Yorkshire Dales S.C.)

it could be that the person who finnished (insert prefered position here) in the last open is given the job of writing the report for the next of the classes open meetings. they could sit in a RIB or watch from ashore or whatever and still be given average points for that weekend. this would mean they see the hole picture and seeing as they know the people who race could include a bit of banter in the report. i like the double reports idea too.

far canal it seems your causing a bit of a stir on the hurricane forum. the real reason there is no 5.9 nationals report is that there was no one there to write it

that should stir them into action

ok callum, i agree i would be realy put off if i had to sit in a rib for a report. maybe there isnt realy a perfect way to get a report. unless you have a realy keen person in the fleet perhaps there is no way round it.