As far as I am concerned, anybody who is a pro is somebody who was a great enough amateur for people to pay him or her now.

And if nobody was paying him/her that person would still be a winning sailor.

As I have said over and over, you don't become a great sailor by being a "professional," you become a professional because you are a great sailor.

So by saying that you don't want to compete with "professionals," you are just saying that you don't want to compete against great sailors.