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davidyacht
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345 |
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Topic: Solo Nationals Posted: 03 Sep 21 at 5:38pm |
As previously stated, the background to the event was the forecast of 15 to 25mph ENE winds all week, competitors did not appreciate that the North Cornwall coast sea breeze would cancel out the ENE, which is why the PRO was desperate to get ahead of schedule. IMO £13,000 or £130/boat does not seem unreasonable, the boatpark facility was great, the club welcoming, the beach team raised the bar, the setting beautiful, plus drinks on the Mount. Had the wind blown SW all week there would have been few complaints. Facilities like Hayling, WPNSA, Pwhelli may be able to offer perfect courses, but don’t have the soul of sailors clubs like Tenby, Abersoch, Tynemouth, Pevensey or Mounts Bay which are the ones I hope to return to.
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Happily living in the past
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Grumpycat
Far too distracted from work Joined: 29 Sep 20 Online Status: Offline Posts: 497 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 03 Sep 21 at 6:39pm |
Re clubs v nationals enjoyment .
I am a very average sailer . I have had races at nationals and at my club that’s had me tearing my hair out and saying I will never get in a boat again . But I have never regretted going to a nationals or going to my sailing club. Some people need to lighten up a little and look at these things in the whole . Sometimes s##t happens but you don’t have to let it spoil your fun . And I for one really appreciate the fact people volunteer to run events so we can have fun .
Edited by Grumpycat - 03 Sep 21 at 6:51pm |
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Brass
Really should get out more Joined: 24 Mar 08 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1146 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 21 at 1:03am |
No one's hiding behind the word volunteer, and I dislike that word. Nearly all race officials are unpaid. I'm a race officer and a judge. I have put a lot of time and effort into obtaining qualifications and experience in those roles. I don't get paid. That doesn't stop me aspiring to do a thoroughly professional job of race management. I think you can say the same for just about any practicing race official (with the possible exception of racers that are press-ganged into officiating on a club roster, and even then, they are probably doing the best they can). There are a myriad of factors that can conspire to prevent a race officer doing a perfect job in any one race. As one of my mentors is fond of saying every time we come ashore, "that's another one we got away with". It takes very little for the holes in the swiss cheese to line up and, if you'll pardon me mixing my gastronomic metaphors, for things to turn to custard fast. Sometimes if you're old and crafty and have a good team you can get the holes unaligned. Sometimes not.
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JimC
Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6649 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 21 at 6:20am |
Its one of the interesting linguistic confusions of our day that we tend to conflate professional with competent, when they ought to mean very different things.
The mess is at its worst, of course, in leadmine sailing, where you've got a horrendous mix including cutting costs, former olympic sailors wanting careers and in some circles a fair chunk of the old nonsense about the upper middle class not wanting to mix socially with the paid hands. Edited by JimC - 04 Sep 21 at 8:08am |
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Paramedic
Really should get out more Joined: 27 Jan 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 929 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 21 at 6:55am |
I think any race officer who has run a nationals in the last few weeks given the weather pattern deserves a medal. Its easy to criticise with hindsight, I come away from every race I run with a huge list of what I could have done better. Thats part of the learning process, but competitors criticising often should have just sailed better - Its easier to blame someone else!
Edited by Paramedic - 04 Sep 21 at 7:19am |
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Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 21 at 7:57am |
Amen to that!
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Sussex Lad
Far too distracted from work Joined: 08 Jun 18 Online Status: Offline Posts: 359 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 21 at 4:43pm |
Think it pays to look at the bigger picture SailerF.
Instead of blaming an individual volunteer or being prejudical against volunteer RO's think about what's going on. Class racing up to National level is a minority amateur sport. It is currently hemorrhaging skill and experience as numbers decline, Old experienced sailors disappearing at the top and fewer new participants to make up the numbers at the bottom. So many smaller clubs that used to be able to put on a good class event no longer have the depth of experience to do so. I'm fortunate in that my club can still do it although the number of members that can run a major race is in rapid decline. Some that can do it will not do it because understandably the RO is nobodies friend and some of the participants are just plain rude. I think in this declining sport you have either got to adjust your expectations or get on the class committee and make sure your Nationals are held at Hayling, Weymouth or the like. Blaming volunteers, regardless of their skill levels, who are trying their best is not constructive in any way whatsoever. Respect is always a mutual arrangement, if you want the respect of the volunteers then you have got to respect them......otherwise why should they do it? And sometimes things go wrong. |
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eric_c
Far too distracted from work Joined: 21 Jan 18 Online Status: Offline Posts: 382 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 21 at 7:54pm |
It's a lor easier to accept the shortvomings of amateur/volunteer RO's if you're being charged amateur entry fees. I think I'm a reasonably competentt RO, made all the mistakes already, understand what competitors want etc, but NO BLOOODY WAY do I want to take responsibility for an event where the entrants have paid top dollar in return for s free ticket to a (cheap)wine and snacks evening. I used to get a salary with higher rate tax in return fot that kind of responsibility. So for nuppence, you get people who don't place the same value on their responsibility to competitors. I'd rather do the grunt work of flags, buoys, anchors, typing etc. There's a conversation needing to be had, what each person expects from the others in the ecosystem.
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eric_c
Far too distracted from work Joined: 21 Jan 18 Online Status: Offline Posts: 382 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 21 at 7:58pm |
Are you from Worthing? Did you mean WPNSa as distinct from Weymouth? As for Hayling, vastly over-rated IMHO, have the Merlins forgiven them yet? Terrible place, you might get a decent start line one day in a week when the tide happens to be slack.
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Paramedic
Really should get out more Joined: 27 Jan 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 929 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Sep 21 at 9:05pm |
How much do you think its costs to run a championships?
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