On Feb 29, 7:13 am, "Dennis Pogson"
wrote:
... I have always held that you learn more in an hour's racing than you do in a
season's cruising. ...

But, what you learn isn't all that helpful in cruising...

I grew up racing on boats. My folks stowed me aboard our old IOD
while racing within weeks of my birth (or so I'm told). I love to
race and I cherish the time I've spend racing. But, when I took up
full time cruising I came to realize that while sail trim and boat
handling are useful they aren't critical and they are only a tiny part
of what a competent cruiser needs to know. Actually, unlearning to
race has proven one of the biggest challenges to cruising for me.

-- Tom.