Macca, the issue is this event is known as a happy-goodtimes-lets have fun race. Nothing official just a yearly slay ride down and up a river.

Sometimes exceptions can and should be made. If you see a father taking his young child out, that maybe weighs 50lbs wet why are you going to go through the trouble of filing a protest? Even when the day before your boat suffered massive damage and you have NO chance in the world to win or even participate in the event? You tell me why would an individual go through that trouble? Again, sometimes we need to step back and look at the big picture.

Robi, I guess it comes down to where the line is drawn and how matters are handled at the time of the issue arrising rather than afterwards.

I will give an example that is quite recent: At the F18 Worlds in Nigran it was noted that quite a number of boats did not comply with a rule that was introduced after the last Europeans. The rule was safety related and was there for a very good reason. Essentialy a minimum size of window was specified for both mainsail and jib yet many sails did not comply.

Now, would it be fair to tell those boats to either get their sails fixed or dont race?

The sailmakers who made the offending sails were all present at the meeting when the rule was agreed upon.

So how do you deal with it? Stick to the rule and tell them to sit on the beach? or work out a way to keep the event rolling?

In the interests of the event and good sailing a deal was struck that allowed the offending boats to race, but it could have very easily gone the other way and we would have seen a LOT of boats not sailing.

Essentially, it comes down to people being resonable on both sides. If in your example, a request was made and approved then I see very little avenue for someone to make a big deal out of it. But I do see your point about it being an informal fun event.

But I thought the bigger issue here was to do with the potential to change config for an Alter cup qualifier? That would appear to be a much bigger problem.

That is not the main reason behind the gripe here. Someone is trying to make an example out of nothing and has left a sour taste in a good amount of sailors including folks from this individuals class.

Dude!
You- "F18 Worlds".

Us-"happy-goodtimes-lets have fun race".

There's a difference. You don't seem to grasp it.

Ok Pete, then why are F16 entering an Alter cup qualifier? is that a "happy-goodtimes-lets have fun race"?

and is the Alter cup itself a happy, fun regatta like your 2 day cruise up and down the coast? I seem to remember F16's even being used in the Alter cup?

Or maybe I have missed it and F16 is actually just a class for people to simply sail on a social basis with no intention of proper racing at all? If thats the case why even bother with rules? Just have a "run what you brung" class and when the day is over you can all sit around the campfire and swap stories about how great the day was, simple hey!

Or even more to the point, why bother submitting your class rules to the ISAF conference in Madrid next week?

Some people take the weekend club race deadly serious, others go to a Worlds to relax and have some fun. But you can't be the one to judge then for their approach to an event.

If their behaviour is unreasonable to you but within the rules then I guess you just have to suck it up and deal with it. Or go play elsewhere.

Pete,

I think Macca does understand.

Would the protest have happened if the change was not fron single handed to 2 up, but from light crew to heavy crew for the return upwind leg? I'd wager it would have happened.

Did the father ask permission to make the crew change (from none to one)?

Now, this maybe a fun race, but someone (the protestor) was obviously taking it seriously!

If I had been in the same situation I would have done the following:

1, Submitted a request to change setup and crew for the return trip, I'd expect it to be denied.
2, Assuming it was denied, I would still sail the return trip with my son, but either not cross the finish line, or, cross the finish, get a time recorded and then retire and then by the person who was working out the results a beer to calculate where I would have finished.


IT DOES sound like the protestor has taken this race way-to-seriously, but we live in a world where some people take EVERYTHING seriously.


I would put it down to experience, maybe avoid the person involved and move on.

Different events mean different attitudes.

Casual weekend outing- casual weekend rules.

Qualifier for National Championship- much higher degree of rigor.

But you can? I'm done.

Rick! Where's the ignore button?

Actually pete, im not judging them at all. I am simply pointing out their right to approach a regatta in whetever whay they feel appropriate.

It seems that maybe you don't get it...

Simply reading my post will tell you that I'm not condoning the reaction from this mystery person but I am backing their choice to approach the event in their own way as long as it's within the rules.

Now you want to use the "ignore" button to back out of a discussion that's not going your way?

Here's a serious question. Can a sailor who is not even sailing in the race, protest another sailor who is?

In the above scenario, the sailor filing the protest about the dad adding the son was not even out on the course, because 10 minutes into day 1 racing he busted his mast. He then protested the dad sailing Uni for getting help righting his boat, fair enough, we all know you can't get outside assistance. But then, on day 2, from the beach, protested adding the jib and kid, while another boat, left his spinnaker kit on the beach and was -not- protested.

How -fair- is that?

This was a personal vendetta type move, nothing more, and the last I heard, the protester has reconsidered and dropped his protests.

So maybe once he got home and cooled off he realized he was making a big deal out of nothing. Oh, the only reason the kid was not on board on day 1, he had a soccer game, nobody was trying to -go light- downwind and then heavy upwind.

Like I said, it's local, let it go. But, back to my original, serious, question, can a sailor who is not in the race but on the beach, file a protest against other sailors who are racing? And, if you were "flicked" on day 1, can you change your config. and race day 2?

If they are entered in the regatta then they can protest.

Moss is not going to win any sportsmanship awards. I think I could have disqualified them at the RTI for talking trash and literally saying they were someone else. Kind of wish I had tried.

The more I hear about this, the more it sounds like one person has thrown their toys out of the pram and is making a bit of a reputation for them selves and those protested should let it was over them and not worry about it. It's nowt to do with the F16 rules and all to do with one persons personal issues.

Walk away chaps....

I agree ... nothing good is coming of this.