"Nav" wrote in message ...
snipped some
Nevertheless, many things on a boat can maim or kill you. The boom is a
common source of injury but a good skipper should take account of the
risks associated with his course in high winds. If nothing else, an
uncrolled gybe in high winds can seriously damage the boat and even lead
to a dismasting. These should be unacceptable outcomes to a good skipper
who will take proper precautions to protect his vessel and crew. It's a
pity that testosterone seesm to get in the way of people retiring from
races when they don't really know how to handle the conditions.


That's what's wrong with racing. Testosterone and money always gets
in the way of common sense. Racing boats always push the envelope of
safety by virtue of their being built to minimal standards to start and
then modifying to skimp here and skimp there to cut weight until
catastrophic failures occur. This is the nature of the game. Never
mind a few people get maimed or killed in the process.

That's why racers cannot be called sailors. They are cowboys.
They ride the bulls. The rest of us sane people who cruise respect
lives and safety. We cannot abide those who would put others
in danger because they don't value their own safety. To us
sailing is more than a game with rules to break.

We don't mind speaking up about it.

Respectfully,
Capt. Neal
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