Dave wrote
If I'm fouled I'll protest. I've been in this game way too long to expect people to do the right thing so it's on me to protest or not. I've accepted the fact that there is no way you're going to legislate morality.
I have been thinking about this and I have decided that I lost the argument... I have tried over the years to persuade sailors how to read and look at the rules and I nothing seems to be persuasive.
The old system of "Call your own foul on yourself and honor ROW " is now a system... of "let the other guy call foul on me and then deal with it...." (The ...I always do my circle and get out of jail). This is much closer to the other games we play in our culture.
So... in this new culture...
Make your cross and do a circle when the other guy calls foul...
ooching a laser is not a foul unless you are caught.... (do it better the next time and then you won't be caught)...
Soaking your spin sock is a push of the rule at measurement... and no problem if you get away with it... AND you just move to the back of the line if you do get caught.
So, Dave you asked about all of the F18 sail cloth/patch material rule fubar at their worlds a few years ago...
How do you get all of those technical violations with all of those equipment rules at a Worlds?
Well... "In a call the other guys foul world"... You push the rules, and wait for the foul call.... and when half the fleet is basically illegal... you know they will punt and then change the rules. Remember, that fubar only blew up when one faction had a business interest in nailing the other guy and his business interest.
All of the hypocrisy of... a rule is a rule opining at the time ... was too much....Because we are in the "wait for the call of foul" world...... Not a call your own world.
In the Old school world... the sailors would have DSQ'd themselves and asked to have a second fleet and then the owners would reek vengeance on the sail makers who screwed up and screwed them.
I've accepted the fact that there is no way you're going to legislate morality.
Sailboat racing is not about morality... It was just one of call your own foul and honor the ROW.... (a so called game agreed to by gentleman..) I don't think you ever legislate morality.... (the right thing to do ... is the right thing to do.)
Sadly, I accept the fact.... that this era is over.
