Sailing is fun until it isn’t

With the beer can racing season upon us, Don Finkle with RCR Yachts reminds us to keep it fun:

Beer can racing, which has come to mean less serious, local, mostly weeknight racing, has become the most common form for the majority of sailors, especially crew.

The term originally referred to PHRF type boats, but it can apply to any fleets that have less formal competition, such as Lightnings, Thistles, Lasers, J/22s, you name it that come out after work. Usually, these races are short and take place on a weeknight with some social activity to follow.

The point is that these races are distinct from serious competition, regattas, championships, etc.

The emphasis is normally intended to be on fun, bringing in new sailors, family, non-sailors, etc. Because of the more laid-back nature, there tend to be fewer “incidents” and less discord, at least that is what is supposed to happen and usually does. Problems arise when some view this as serious stuff, and along with that come battles of ego and unpleasantness that turn off others who are just having fun.

In most cases, the local fleets are not large enough to divide the contestants into serious and casual, so they end up together. The way to minimize conflict is for both camps to respect the other.

Serious sailors need to go easy on the casual boats, not bullying them and understanding they may need more space to maneuver as they may be less experienced or with fewer crew. Yelling at them may result in you having one less boat in the fleet. The casual sailors likewise need to understand that this is important to the serious folks, and it may be what they have put a lot of effort into.

Like anything else, managing expectations and behavior are key to the success of the program.