Get out of my way! I'm racing!

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prv

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Just had my first-ever one of these yesterday. Those very words (and others).

Given the type of boat I assumed a club cruiser race - not surprising really, the big boys know better. There certainly wasn't a closely-packed fleet though - we didn't even realise he was in a race until he yelled angrily at us.

I replied "You are the overtaking boat, sir" and held my course. He sheered away, still yelling his head off about how racing was more important and we had to get out of his way - and in fact continued yelling abuse when he passed close to us again on the other tack.

Thanks to Mr Google, I know who he is, what race, and which club. I have sent them a polite email.

Wonder what will happen next?

Pete
 
Depends on the club.

Similar situation a couple of years back resulted in a protest filed by the committee, and a written apology to the cruising boat. (The written apology was then deemed sufficient by the committee, as it was a first offence.)

If the club try and sweep it under the table, name and shame. No place for that behaviour in racing at all.
 
One of my favourite Peyton cartoons was a laser under the bows of a spritsail barge, yelling " Starboard "

The reply to which is " Twenty tons ! "

If nothing heard from the club in question yes name and shame, such plonkers give a bad impression of sailing in general.
 
I guess it depends upon your view of life. Given that it was a beautiful summers day and no harm was done I'd let it go content in the knowledge that the stressed out boy racer was a tos-ser. After all, sailing (cruising) is a gentleman's sport. If retribution is your thing, I'd follow the comments by flamming and protest to the club / committee.
 
Was a tread on this a while back....I think the general feeling is to keep out of a racing fleets way if possible, ..but no excuse for rudeness on their part..but agree that its sometimes difficult to know if a race is on.

a while back two sunburned youths in a rib sped upto me out at sea and said that they would be racing in this area in 30mins and could i keep clear, which i was happy to do, no problem...they even remembered to thank me a few hours later when i was sailing back to port.
 
davidjackson said:
I guess it depends upon your view of life. Given that it was a beautiful summers day and no harm was done I'd let it go content in the knowledge that the stressed out boy racer was a tos-ser. After all, sailing (cruising) is a gentleman's sport. If retribution is your thing, I'd follow the comments by flamming and protest to the club / committee.
Click to expand...

Whilst I have some sympathy with your approach, a swift disqualification may make him think twice before doing it again. What he is doing and one may suspect regularly does is downright rude, contrary to the racing rules and potentially dangerous.
 
I always tend to give the racing boys a wide berth as they are as unpredictable and have exactly the same attitude as the fishing boats many on here often complain about!

They always assume they have right of way over everybody, their race is far more important tan anything else in world including ColRegs - which most have never heard of; you may have important tide gate to meet but hey-ho!

Name and shame them!!
 
Ariadne said:
I always tend to give the racing boys a wide berth as they are as unpredictable and have exactly the same attitude as the fishing boats many on here often complain about!

They always assume they have right of way over everybody, their race is far more important tan anything else in world including ColRegs - which most have never heard of; you may have important tide gate to meet but hey-ho!

Name and shame them!!
Click to expand...

Nothing like a few sweeping generalisations to liven up your Monday morning!
 
davidjackson said:
I guess it depends upon your view of life. Given that it was a beautiful summers day and no harm was done I'd let it go content in the knowledge that the stressed out boy racer was a tos-ser.
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I am not at all stressed, though I was rather annoyed by his continuing abuse at the time. My main aim is for him to be told, by someone whose opinion matters to him, that this behaviour is not acceptable. Hopefully then he might stop doing it - otherwise the next victim of his bullying may not be so confident that they're doing nothing wrong and he is being a ******. What if it's someone new to sailing who is yelled at and gets terribly stressed that they've unwittingly made some embarrassing mistake? And then afterwards they may go away believing that they are required to identify every scrappy club cruiser race and stay out of their way at all costs?

If someone at the club can have a quiet word with him and be taken seriously, then that's fine and my goal is achieved. However, if the only "someone whose opinion matters to him" is the one with the power to dock him points in the club cruiser series, then so be it.

Pete
 
flaming said:
Nothing like a few sweeping generalisations to liven up your Monday morning!
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Indeed. Sailing in the Solent I regularly encounter racing fleets, and this is the first time I've had this rudeness. Most have been a model of professionalism. I once sailed Kindred Spirit through a serious race fleet (in a tubby shallow-draft gaffer, putting myself as far downwind and downtide as required to go round them would have been day-changingly inconvenient), standing on and giving way exactly as required by the rules. I had nothing but polite nods from the helmsmen and cheery waves from the rail-meat at the funny little boat mixing it up among them.

Pete
 
Has any one else found its normally the idiots that are at or near the back that shout.
Never had it from someone at the front !!!!
Think that says alot ?
 
prv said:
I am not at all stressed, though I was rather annoyed by his continuing abuse at the time. My main aim is for him to be told, by someone whose opinion matters to him, that this behaviour is not acceptable. Hopefully then he might stop doing it - otherwise the next victim of his bullying may not be so confident that they're doing nothing wrong and he is being a ******. What if it's someone new to sailing who is yelled at and gets terribly stressed that they've unwittingly made some embarrassing mistake? And then afterwards they may go away believing that they are required to identify every scrappy club cruiser race and stay out of their way at all costs?

If someone at the club can have a quiet word with him and be taken seriously, then that's fine and my goal is achieved. However, if the only "someone whose opinion matters to him" is the one with the power to dock him points in the club cruiser series, then so be it.

Pete
Click to expand...

I didn't mean to imply that you were stressed. It seemed to me that boy-racer must have been stressed or he would not have claimed to own the water. If he was any good and enjoying his race, I'm sure he would not have resorted to shouting. Doutless the unflappable racers of this parish (Mr Flamming and co), would not dream of shouting abuse at us lesser mortals when we, as stand on vessel, happen to be on his lay line.

Seems like the jury has spoken and it's public execution for this lad, anyway.
 
oldharry said:
I'm racing - get out the way"

Reply

"I am on passage"
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I still prefer mine - "You are the overtaking boat", "you are on port tack", "you are the windward boat", etc as appropriate. Nicely professional, makes clear why you are standing on (and that it's not some sociopathic "they're racing so I'm going to get in their way regardless"), and demonstrates that you know the rules and will not be bullied.

Pete
 
davidjackson said:
Seems like the jury has spoken and it's public execution for this lad, anyway.
Click to expand...

Nope, cos I haven't said where, which boat, which club, or the skipper's name (or at least the one she usually races with, can't guarantee it was him on board yesterday). My hope is that the club will take some appropriate action (quite possibly just a word in his shell-like), they'll reply to my email thanking me for letting them know, and that will be the end of it.

Pete
 
Halcytwo said:
Never had it from someone at the front !!!!
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Exactly. They are at the front because they're looking ahead, anticipating events, wind shifts etc and generally have their head out of the office trying to keep in clear wind. The one's at the front are very rarely in conflict with other racers, cruisers, mobos or obstructions. A little bit of anticipation means you can keep the speed on with virtually no loss of ground.
 
A good trick is to keep a selection of nuts, bolts, shackle pins etc to hand.... then as the rude racer goes past lob one of them into his mainsail so that it lands on the deck.

The look on their faces as they peer upwards with fingers crossed that the missing bit that just fell to deck was not pivotal is really rather funny.
 
I try and give them a bit of room as I wouldn't want to spoil their fun but rudeness has no excuse.

Last time I got a plaintive "I'm racing" the rest of the fleet had gone by and I replied "So am I, and I'm not last". I almost wish I hadn't done it he looked so depressed.
 
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