A little philosophy

If you will allow, I want to share some thoughts on sailing and racing.  Jerry Maguire got into a lot of trouble with his ethical high-road "mission statement" in the movie.  But I'll take the risk; I think it's worth it!

I believe in honor, integrity, and respect in every aspect of work, sport, friendship, and love.  I say this so you know you can count on me to uphold personal ethics with you and with competitors in sailboat racing.  Another area without compromise is my responsibility for crewmate personal safety.  Consciousness about and promoting safety must always be the highest priority on board, no matter what the action or how much adrenaline is involved!  After those two preconditions, the other desiderata apply: experience fun, enjoy camaraderie, sail well and fast, compete to win, keep the "stick" up, avoid losing expensive stuff overboard, sample excellent adult beverages, witness stunning sunsets and sunrises, visit exotic ports :)

I was proud to campaign my CS-30 "Aria" in Lake Ontario for 9 racing seasons.  We started out modestly.  But after 3 years of equipment upgrades to reach boat speed potential, learning tactics, and cross-training a steady crew who absolutely loved to sail, "Aria" came to be a consistent, regular winner.  Her name is engraved on many of the trophies at Genesee Yacht Club, Rochester Yacht Club, and other yacht clubs around the lake.  On race nights, we were often the first out to the course to study the conditions, and, after the race, enjoying all the extra sailing time we could and a gourmet 3-course dinner aboard, we were always the last to pull in! 

I miss that feeling of pride in collaborative accomplishment, and I'd love to recapture it sailing our Thomas 35 "Mercedes"!  How to get there?  To me, sailboat racing achievement and success depends on three elements: boat speed, strategy and tactics, and teamwork. 

Boat speed is affected by shape of the hull, faired foils, smooth clean bottom, rigging, equipment and its condition, sails and sail trim, accurate instruments, weight on board and its placement, and lots of other small things that add up.  I am very pleased with the Thomas 35 so far.  She's a thoroughbred, and born to race.  I commit to the outfitting and preparation that it takes to make the boat as fast as she can be, right out of the gate.  We will have no excuses for boat speed necessary to sail to her rating! 

Strategy and tactics involves being in the right place and time, knowing the race course and planning, knowing and applying the racing rules, keenly observing and acting on conditions in the environment, exploiting the competition's weaknesses, and focusing on our goals.  We all have a role in this, and I have a lot of confidence in our mastering this element.

Finally, there is teamwork in sailboat racing, and this is the true differentiator, in my opinion.  A competent, efficient, confident crew is a powerful tactical weapon.  It involves dedication to learning (my lifelong goal!), knowing how to execute the maneuvers, practice, proactive recognition for what the other crewmates need to do their job (and help you do yours), adaptive creative troubleshooting to recover from the inevitable surprises, more practice, and, truly important - commitment to reliably show up and participate.

So... thanks for reading this far!  What now?  At this point in my life, I'm pretty sure I don't have the patience to mature a 3-year skill growth campaign before realizing success racing "Mercedes".  My goal is to find a way to be competitive at the highest level before the time the first season wraps up.  With some shared dedication, commitment, focus, and effort, we can do this!  Let's go for a ride! 

Chris

Ethics notwithstanding, show me the money! :)