June 10, 2003

• Racing with the Wind
  
  Being mostly Chinese, I'm naturally very stingy. So, every now and then I grumble about how much money I end up spending to keep our sailing club alive. But then, I see how far we've come from just a few years ago, and I feel better. From a handful of broken boats, we now have a fleet of 10. From immoveable heavy boats, we now have 5 boat trailers and a car that members can use to tow club boats to different lakes. A cute little Sunfish that wouldn't otherwise have been sailed was donated to us and will now be used to help more people learn to sail.
  
  Aside from seeing a group come together and grow, I still get a thrill out of attending a regatta or a race. There's a feeling of camaraderie among sailors which cannot be matched in any group I've been in -- skydivers, rockclimbers, SCUBA divers, astronomers, windsurfers. Sailors are competitive, but they also enjoy each other's company, and there are rough times when we will need that friendship to help us get through things. We all need a place to belong.
  
  When I was in Berkeley, and got really grumpy studying for final exams, my roomie who was from Singapore laughed at me and called me "kiasu". That's a Chinese word for someone who has a Type A personality, to put it nicely. She's kind of right. At first I was a little offended, but in truth, to be successful in this world, sometimes you have to push the limits and not be satisfied with people telling you that things can't be done.
  
  So, if "kiasu" is what helped me build the sailing club, that's precisely what I am.
  
  
  

  A Post About Sailboat Racing By Someone On My Mailing List I could just imagine the moment oh those many moons ago. Two fishermen on some part of the Arabian Sea spot each other heading back into port to unload fish. First in gets the best price at market and one of the Sheiks younger wives. The captains, beat from sandals to ghutra call out some sail trim, tweak the stearingboard on the Dhow and start looking for puffs. The First race is on. Racing is not about the boat. Men and women will take cardboard boxes with plastic paddles and race them across a river. Shipping companies raced Clippers, Schooners, and steamships for profit and honor. Today on any given Wednesday night during the summer you will see thoroughbreds racing next to plugs around the cans, and sometimes the plugs win. Racing is not about the boat, but about the challenge, the desire to get those fish in just ahead of the next skipper and get the prize. Forget about the boat, and look at what makes us race. Perhaps the first question is why race? Why take a collection of floating parts and push it around the water in a circle? One answer may not seem to be the most obvious, but it carries the most weight. Racing improves the art, the skill of sailing and makes a better captain. Racing teaches a sailor how to make the boat move, really move in all conditions. Light air, near gales, gusts, shifts, holes; all are ultimately experienced and with enough practice, handled without much thought. It forces you to sail, and keep sailing even as the conditions change. Look about on a light air day and watch the boats on the water. It will not be hard to pick out those boats with racing experience. Spend a year racing, attempting to cross the line first and after one year your sailing skills will have increased hundredfold over a sailor who just waits for the perfect day. Let us not forget the prize. Racing is also about the prize. Not the trophy, not even the money (if there was any), but the true prize is the recognition of accomplishment by peers. Fellow sailors saying, "This guy is good!" The camaraderie found in common battle. A trophy just sits on a wall or shelf, static and unseen most of the time. But start making a mark on the water and it is the name, the reputation that becomes the ultimate trophy. We are a competitive society. For good or bad we measure how well we do in almost any task. Racing is just another way for us to get those 15 minutes of fame, even it is with the local club. It is not just about being first, but about being the best. There are people who have come from dead last at the beginning of the year to top third at the end. Yes, the top gun won the trophy, but it was the new skipper who really won the season. Racing is about finding out where the bar is set within yourself and trying to raise the bar. This sport is not for everyone. If it were [for everyone] then the waters would be a sea of white on the weekends and more couples would be arguing over who's [sic] activity comes first. This is not an activity to be entered into lightly because it carries a responsibility and a curse. The responsibility is to act with and treat others with respect. Racing is not a solo sport. Boats duck and cross, working within inches of other boats at times. Skippers not only need to understand what they are doing but try to anticipate actions of those around. One disrespectful sailor and the dance falls a part. Racers have to learn respect and taking responsibility when they fail or it become anarchy on the course. The curse is really a blessing. An acquired taste, getting started can be like the first time learning to drive. Scary, overwhelming, but tinged with excitement of what can be. Each time you go, the excitement builds, the comfort builds, and confidence builds. One day, realization occurs that the hook is set and racing is in the blood. Everyone has their own level of commitment, of intensity, but make no doubt, even on a day cruise with the family, a sailor with the bug will sail just that little bit better because they want to win. It is not about the boat, but the spirit, the desire to do better that makes racing sailboats worthwhile. Those first two Arabian skippers didn't care that their dhows weren't designed for racing; they cared about how to get home first. Justin P. Hull #5062 - Glinda

  
  
  

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