benjenbav
Well-known member
When I used to race (almost back in the days of Sir Thomas Lipton ) I think we were briefed in a general way to avoid cruisers. But I’m quite certain that none of us took any notice of that if it meant losing a marginal advantage over our competitors.At the risk of drifting the thread, does anyone know how the misconception arose that when a boat is racing it becomes the stand on vessel in almost any circumstance when it meets a boat that's not racing?
Sometimes it's just arrogance ('I know the rules but I'm going to ignore them because I'm a superior being') but I get the feeling that sometimes a racing crew genuinely believes it's written in some regulation or code and that I'm just an ignorant cruising sailor who's never been taught it.
Of course, competent racing crews know the rules and follow them, more or less.