I think many of us struggle to describe our sport to non-sailors. I've heard stories of sailors coming home banged up bruised and exhausted. Their roommates, spouses, etc. just don't understand how sailboat racing could take that much out of you, much less beat you up. Dinghy sailors certainly understand it and big boat sailors have experienced it, and so too have cruisers. Simply put, it can be rough out there sometimes, but it is still rewarding.
So how do you describe to someone the magnitude of sailing in a World Championship Regatta with ninety five boats and the worlds top sailors? Ed Holt describes it like this, " Imagine working on the family station wagon all winter, tricking it out. Then one Sunday you take it to the NASCAR track and they let you RACE!"
There are few sports where amateurs can compete at the same time against the best in the sport. Sailboat racing is one of them, where the Corinthian sailors (sailor speak for amateurs) can race against the Pros and the worlds best. It's really a lot of fun, even on the bad days. Then at the end of the day everyone gathers at the dock or somewhere with adult beverages and stories about the day are swapped. Have a question about boat tactics or setup? In most cases you can ask one of the Pro's how they were setup and what they did in a certain situation. Not only can you compete against them, you can learn from them too.
All of us have had moments that we are proud of, races that we are happy with at this regatta. Then there are those moments and races that we would rather forget and we will. Many will remember the chance we had to line it up with the best and see how good we really were. Most will probably remember the fun times we had after the sailing was over with our friends and the new friends we made.
I may be drawn to sailboat racing for the sailing but it is the community that keeps me coming back.
Ernest Freeland is our guest reporter, as well as a competitor at the Etchells World Championships in Newport, RI.
Full results can be found here.
