Larry wrote:
"Dennis Pogson" wrote in
news:TXPxj.2486 :

just curious to know if such
training and examination facilities exist in the US

Not in Charleston. They make you install a manual bilge pump if you
don't have one, but noone inspects it to see if it's there.

The qualifications to race here are to have a boat that has at least
one sail that's not ripped to shreds and some kind of tiller so you
can turn it 'round towards the start line without running over the
race committee's bouys.

When it comes to racing, I think most of us were self-taught!

I cannot recall my first race as an owner/skipper, it's too long ago, but I
do remember being scared ****less by the size of the fleet, and trying to
keep well out of the way of the 3 maxis which dominated the class 1 fleet in
those days.

I have always held that you learn more in an hour's racing than you do in a
season's cruising. Perhaps that is the way forward? No lengthy tuition
courses, just stick 'em on a racing machine and give 'em something to do,
like make the sandwiches and pass up the beer!

Dennis.