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IT'S NOT JUST EQUIPMENT THAT'S AT STAKE IN CONFLICTS ON THE RACE COURSE. EMOTIONS AND EGOS PLAY A ROLE IN COURSE POLITICS.
RACING SAILBOATS CAN BE an emotional experience, for better or worse. There are so many dynamics happening on the racecourse that can it be difficult to keep focused on the simple goal of sailing fast in the right direction. If that doesn't make it stressful enough, the level of competition is on the rise because of better junior sailing instruction, easy to find information on technique, the use of coaches, readily available tuning guides, and even our society's increased expectation to excel in everything we do at work or play. The result is tight racing, and when everyone's close, skirmishes happen.
The worst moment in any race is when some hails "protest." Whether you're shouting it out or hearing it, strong emotions get stirred. In some disciplines, such as match racing or team racing, on-the-water umpires issue instant justice with a field-of-play call. The judicial authority quickly answers the question of which boat is right and which boat is wrong, and emotions dissipate as the race continues. Justice in most fleet-racing situations, however, is decided by a jury long after the race, and even with a fair and proper decision someone's blood will continue to boil. I was reminded of this three times recently, and with each one there's been a lesson about managing my emotions as well as my expectations.
The first incident happened in January during a weekend Etchells regatta in Florida. There were more than 70 boats on the starting line, and as we lined up for the start of a race and accelerated for speed, a boat to windward came swooping down as they attempted to stay behind the line. The windward boat banged into our windward side, stopping us dead in the water, and then took off up the...