[Public-List] Cruisers vs. Racers

[Roger L. Kingsland]

I started racing small boats, then lucked out and got to crew on one of the
better IOR boats, a C&C 41 named Cheetah, for two seasons on Lake Erie.  I
then chartered large boats for several years and I have to say, in terms of
boat handling, sail trim and general sailing knowledge, my 2 years of racing
were like one of those one-year MBA programs: compressed and intense, but
boy, did I learn a lot. 

While racing, I learned that a 10 ton sloop on a beam reach in 20+ knots of
wind carrying a star cut spinnaker can broach if a trimmer decides she would
go a little faster if the main were brought in to loose that bubble in the
leading edge.  I also learned that the price a trimmer pays for causing the
skipper to hang vertically from the life lines is 10 minutes or so of
cursing at said trimmer.  Thank goodness for the brain trust in the library
who, concerned about the skipper’s cardiac health, tell him the trimmer has
probably learned his lesson and won’t ever, ever do that again (hell, it
worked on the Hobie Cat).

On the other hand, while cruising I learned that when the skipper's fiancée
is below making home made hollandaise sauce for eggs Benedict with the boat
heeled 18 degrees, it is less dangerous to run aground than tack away from a
leeward shore and loose "cuisine queen equilibrium".  More importantly I
learned that fiancées actually will undertake to make hollandaise from
scratch while heeled 18 degrees but wives, even though the same person,
would sooner eat dirt.  I kept her, and she me, anyway.

While racing, I learned that the boat doesn't seem so crowded when 8 people
do a spinnaker jibe in perfect sync, but it's a whole different story when
you are tied up to the dock on a hot windless night and the other 7 of those
8 start snoring before you do.  And what's with the crews of 6 boats tied to
yours stumbling home at 3 AM?

While cruising I learned that a thousand miles from land on a clear night,
the sky isn't above you but all around you, an infinite globe bisected by
the finite horizon; the most private place on earth from which God gives you
an unencumbered view of half of his universe.

Cruising, racing; I guess it's all good.

Roger 148

 


-----Original Message-----
From: public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org [
<mailto:public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org>
mailto:public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org] On Behalf Of
laserandy at aol.com
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 1:42 PM
To: public-list at lists.alberg30.org
Subject: [Public-List] Cruisers vs. Racers

I think that cruisers are better sailors than racers.?

At least they get somewhere most of the time.

Andrew


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