The incredible rudeness of RORC

doris

doris

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Isn't it extraordinary how the supposed elite of our yachting fraternity can be such a bunch of arrogant tossers. Weekend before last our start line turned out to be rather close to the RORC class 1 start. There was lots of waffle on the VHF whereupon our start line was moved a short way. Just after our 5 minute gun, engines off etc., Bear of Somewhere plus 2 other class 1 boats with mains up but no gennies motor straight through the fleet and up our line. Had we done this to a RORC start the abuse we would have received from the assembled rail meat on said class 1 boats would have put a crowd of Millwall supporters to shame!
Still it is said that the scum and the cream rise to the surface doesn't it.

Reminds me of the opening w/e of Cowes week last year when that brand new Swan 70 reached straight into the buoys/chains around the Mary Rose despite them (the chains that is) being visible from at least a mile away. Difficult to see in front when you have your collective heads up your collective fundamental orifices!
 
I agree with you. Too many times i have been abused by the racing type on the water.

Now let me get one point out first before you all start having a go at me.

I have raced my own boat. Not all boats that race are the same.

The problem seems to be with the large boats with crews who race and nothing else. I am sure you know the type. They all arrive friday night from London for a days racing on saturday.
You can spot them a mile away.

Just spend some time on the hamble on a saturday am and you will se plenty of them motoring as fast as they can.

I put this down to the desire to race and win. Most of us sail for the love of it but some just care about winning.
 
Can I second that view - it does seem to be the dedicated "race to win at all costs" types who are insufferable, unpleasant people. I guess there are exceptions, but they would seem to be few and far between.

Just try not to tar all racers with the same brush .. there'll be 1600 out there next weekend /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Jeff.
 
[ QUOTE ]
it does seem to be the dedicated "race to win at all costs" types who are insufferable, unpleasant people.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, and so are the cruising fraternity if the language and behaviour of a group of lagered-up idiots off a big fat Jeanneau on the next table to our group on Saturday evening in the Hamble was anything to go by. Fact is, as in life, there are all sorts on the water, and its not particularly helpful to go tarring any group with a particular brush because of the behaviour of a minority.

Yes, the behaviour described was very poor if they forced any of the boats in the pre-start to change course to avoid them (you didn't say that they did, only that they'd sailed though the fleet and the line), but I don't see how you can tar the whole of RORC with that brush?

And if a certain minority takes their sport very, very seriously, where's the harm in that? Isn't that how Olympic medals are won?
 
Protest

Assumes they did something wrong as per the Col Regs (in which case, absolutely report them), or were just being 'rude' by motoring through another race's line.
 
I agree with Bedouin if the Committee does not know that some members have been behaving inconsiderately or being downright rude they cannot take it up with the owner. Having been a member of RORC for over 30 years I find it sad and embarrassing that other boat users have cause to post such a topic on the forum especially when his Start line had been moved.

For any boat racing to think that it has some special right of way over other water users is arrogance in the extreme, but for a RORC boat to plough through another clubs start is unbelievably rude.

PLease give their names to the committee, you make me embarrassed to fly the club burgee and be associated with them.

James
 
Crikey James, 'embarassed to fly the club burgee'? Why? I can think of a hundred examples of exemplary RORC behaviour over the years, and if in 30 years this is the first time you've seen a complaint and it makes you wring your hands in shame, then that sounds a bit pathetic to me. All you have here is Doris's claim that a couple of RORC boats went through his fleet and start line. You've got no comment on whether these boats did anything to inconvenience the other fleet, or even what their line was whether it would have been obvious to the RORC boats etc. In my experience of racing, Uncle Tom Cobbly and all will come sailing through your start if you set it up on a sunny Solent weekend. Just part of the joys of sailing in these busy waters. So Doris's club moved its start line? In my opinion, so it bloody well should have done - RORC were organising the IRC Championships that weekend, hardly a bit of Saturday afternoon club racing, and the senior event should take priority (if I decided to stage a fun run the same day as the London Marathon, and starting from the same place, would I expect to be able to go ahead, or would it be more likely that I were politely invited to move it?)

Yes, if Bear of Britain and the other boats committed some breach of Col Regs then certainly report them, otherwise lets see some proportion!

Sorry if I sound heated, but as an ex-racer and now cruiser I get really fed up with all the anti-racer stuff I hear all the damned time, when in practice the guys I used to sail with were some of the best yachtsmen (and women) I've had the priviledge to know and sail with.
 
I doubt very much they breached colregs, but maybe RRS....

The rules very clearly state that non racing boats must avoid interfering with a racing boat, and if you were in your start sequence, then the rules say that you are racing.... as to whether they interfered is a matter of interpretation, and from my knowledge of the circumstances, impossible to say....

Furthermore, although in this case it didn't happen, Rule 69, unsportsmanlike conduct would definitely include the use of foul language..... its recently been revised to allow lesser penalties.... such as thrown out of an individual race... previously it was a bit of a blunt weapon whose penalties didn't neccessarily correlate with the infingements so wasn't used often....

I however, agree with some of the comments above..... racing brings out the competitive beast in all (most?) of us... and often we get overly heated about the littlest things!... but it wasn't the smartest move for such a high profile boat to sail through/along somone else start line during the sequence.....
 
Re: Protest

There is a catch-all regulation in RRS that covers "Ungentlemanly conduct" or some such that does relate to behaviour towards other boats not involved with racing.

Unfortunately under the current rules, a non-competitor can't directly protest a competitor, but the race committee (relating to the offending boat) can.
 
Olympic medals??

I thought that we won medals in dinghies. When big boats get involved I was not aware that GB sailing was on the world’s radar. Volvo, ACC, AC(whenever that was last run)???
 
I have to say that when I got B of B's way last year while she was racing, she behaved with exepliary seamanship. They overtook me at about 13kts, while I was close hauled at 3. I would have got out of their way, but didn't know which way to go, so preferred to be predictable.

An indication of which side they would pass (no, it wasn't 2 fingers!), then they luffed up and shot past me a treat. They were so close that one of the rail ballast reached his foot out to fend of the dinghy we were towing, but I'd put money on the helm knowing the gap to the inch!
 
Must admit I was more than a bit irked by the report of a RORC race in PBO (July 05). Conditions were a bit fruity (NE 7). The tally was 12 yachts assisted by Portland CG, with the additional assistance of 1 cruise ship at least 2 lifeboats and 1 helicopter + several hospital visits. Accroding to the article 'the race committee deliberately chose the longest and most challenging course' which apparently 'proved to be invaluable training'.
In the article at least, there is no acknowlegement of the assistance provided by the professionals or volunteers who dealt with the mess, neither is ther any comment about the size of donation that they were making to the RNLI in recognition of the assistance given, or am I being a little naive /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif.
 
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