This well worded write up was in today's Scuttlebutt-for those who don't read it I am posting it for you-it applies as much to cruising as well-I think:
WHY RACE SAILBOATS?
"No more expensive way of going really slowly been invented by man than
sailing." (Chris Caswell, The Quotable Sailor). No less of a quandary to
the land lubber is the idea of racing boats moving at speeds no faster than
a man can run...
But regardless of the outsider's view, there is something about the sport
of Yacht Racing -- the heart pounding pressure of competition, the brain
straining tactics and strategy, the fortune telling of wind events, the
stress of seeing heavy floating masses of fiberglass converge just inches
apart with no brakes, the tension of stop watches clicking the seconds
away, the sounds of grinding winches, crackling sails, hull pounding waves
and the firing start gun, the intense focus on telltales and advancing
waves, and the winning or getting closer to winning -- that just gives us
all a rush and keeps us coming back for more week after week. We just love
the challenge.
Yacht Racing is also known as the most complex sport ever invented by man.
Pick a sport. Any sport. And find that in sailboat racing the venue is not
a fixed football field or basketball court or even a racetrack, but is a
changing surface that is sometimes flat, choppy, confused, peppered with
different sized waves with different periods and heights, coming at the
boat from different directions, with characteristics that differ from
location to location.
A sport where the predominant forces of wind and water are unknown from
moment to moment, where velocity, direction, and consistency may vary by
height from sea level. A sport where the participating vessels can only
move forward and the predominant factor controlling chaos is the
"corinthian spirit" and each participant's understanding of the rules. A
sport driven by teamwork, intellect and sometimes physical and mental
endurance. A sport where sometimes different boats may be used, each
variant having a different speed, different rigging and sails and unceasing
learning. - Excerpt from a story on the Yacht Racers Online website, full
story: http://www.yachtracersonline.com/why_race_sailboats.htm
This is why we do it-thank you very much.
Fair winds to all,
S
WHY RACE SAILBOATS?
"No more expensive way of going really slowly been invented by man than
sailing." (Chris Caswell, The Quotable Sailor). No less of a quandary to
the land lubber is the idea of racing boats moving at speeds no faster than
a man can run...
But regardless of the outsider's view, there is something about the sport
of Yacht Racing -- the heart pounding pressure of competition, the brain
straining tactics and strategy, the fortune telling of wind events, the
stress of seeing heavy floating masses of fiberglass converge just inches
apart with no brakes, the tension of stop watches clicking the seconds
away, the sounds of grinding winches, crackling sails, hull pounding waves
and the firing start gun, the intense focus on telltales and advancing
waves, and the winning or getting closer to winning -- that just gives us
all a rush and keeps us coming back for more week after week. We just love
the challenge.
Yacht Racing is also known as the most complex sport ever invented by man.
Pick a sport. Any sport. And find that in sailboat racing the venue is not
a fixed football field or basketball court or even a racetrack, but is a
changing surface that is sometimes flat, choppy, confused, peppered with
different sized waves with different periods and heights, coming at the
boat from different directions, with characteristics that differ from
location to location.
A sport where the predominant forces of wind and water are unknown from
moment to moment, where velocity, direction, and consistency may vary by
height from sea level. A sport where the participating vessels can only
move forward and the predominant factor controlling chaos is the
"corinthian spirit" and each participant's understanding of the rules. A
sport driven by teamwork, intellect and sometimes physical and mental
endurance. A sport where sometimes different boats may be used, each
variant having a different speed, different rigging and sails and unceasing
learning. - Excerpt from a story on the Yacht Racers Online website, full
story: http://www.yachtracersonline.com/why_race_sailboats.htm
This is why we do it-thank you very much.
Fair winds to all,
S
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