Hi Mark
You wrote: Paul U. is absolutly right in recommending the extra boats, and I am sure it's based on his vast experience in just these type of circumstances.
Here's the problem with Paul's position. If for a Hobie sanctioned event the guideline states that 5 patrol boats for 50 cats are recomended for adequate saftey.... Then the fleet that has 4 boats on the course is negligent if the X hits the fan. We should get US Sailing's insurance provider to comment on this standard about just how negligent we are if we only have 1 power boat on the course. My hunch is they recomend to drop the saftey issue. On the flip side of the issue... How do you answer the question... how many patrol boats are enough for a worse case scenario of 50 capsized boats? (conditions which probably took out your powerboat as well)
You wrote "When we compromise safety to avoid liability, we are being cowardly"
This is a false dichotomy. How are more or less crash boats safer? ... What exactly do they provide that makes your sailing safer on the race course? For example:
Racers confuse saftey with convenice. If I drop the rig.. because my 10 year old forestay fails... am I in trouble (saftey) or just inconveniced? This is followed up by... Do I pay Seatow. 150 an hour from the dock to pull my rig back to the beach.... OR....do I expect my entry fee to count as a towing insurance and expect the RC to tow me back... OR.. do I secure the rig and paddle home? (been there done that)
How about if I turtle the boat??? A saftey issue or just damn inconvenient. Once again... I 800 seatow will solve this problem.
If someone is injured and needs immediate hospitialization when you drop the rig... I agree a mark's boat would fit the bill for providing immediate help. From my point of view... this is sort of like having the ambulance stand by in case you need medical assistance. I usually accept the risk that I may have to wait for an ambulance or in this case the coast guard, another sailor, power boater, or a mark boat/Race committe for assistance. Again... I as skipper would be a fault if I had no means to hail them... whistle... radio. flare... whatever.
Should you get seperated from the boat... how does a crash boat provide an additional saftey factor compared to the other 50 sailboats on the water?
This year's Tradewinds regatta saw a boat capsize on the start line at a start and a second boat run over the rig. Was this dangerous... yes. Could a saftey boat have done anything no... Had someone been injured... what would have happened? ... Well... My guess is that Rick White would have pulled anchor .. abandoned racing for the duration and taken the injured sailor to a waiting ambulance. The remaining racers would be greatly inconveniced (no racing until he got back on station)... but saftey would not have been sacrificed.
Bottom line...cat sailors log hundreds of hours just sailing without saftey patrols around. Whats the key difference about a sailboat race that warrants a standard of 1 saftey boat for 10 cats?
In an early post in this thread you wrote:
"I found that there was a waiver if the race team was found to be guiltyof "careless or reckless actions". I have found this to be a kind of a loophole that some insurance co's use to worm
out with"
If PU's standard is on the books... X hits the fan and you have too few Saftey or Patrol boats on the water.... My guess is that the Insurance company will declare that your RC actions are careless and reckless... Sam's comments are other examples of how you make the careless and negligent standard while contributing nothing to real saftey on the water.
Take Care
Mark
