Paying for cosmic insurance

There are regattas in the sport that provide competition while contributing to various causes, thus leveraging the boating community to serve a larger good. While some causes hit home closer than others, to enjoy the waters throughout the coasts of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, it is hard to not recognize the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

With stations prominent among seaside towns, the RNLI is the largest charity that saves lives at sea along these coasts. Run mostly by volunteer personnel, their selfless assistance to national coast guards seeks to end preventable loss of life at sea. That’s a pretty good good for the boater.

In a story by Dave O’Sullivan at Afloat, the Irish publication reports on how giving gives peace of mind:

There is a sentence that is banned in every RNLI lifeboat station. That sentence is ‘It sure has been quiet round here.’ Because, as sure as eggs ‘is eggs, the Gods will start a passenger liner sinking at the mouth of your harbour.

Our sport is littered with, fingers crossed, piseogs. And in this light, many sailors treat RNLI fundraisers as a kind of cosmic insurance. The more I pay, the less chance I will get to meet these people in their full professional capacity. Or, God forbid, if I do need them then I will get special attention.

So Kinsale Yacht Club came out in force last night to have a great race, a great party and pay an installment on the cosmic insurance.

When the accountants finished their bean counting it was revealed that the event raised more than €8,000 ($8900 USD)! A number of people put in huge work but this amount exceeded the most optimistic estimates.

The event is known as the Spalpeen Trophy and is run in memory of Billy Draper, a long-time member and friend of Kinsale Yacht Club. Billy would have approved of last night, a night to be proud. Full story.

Editor’s note: Set within a historic port and fishing town, Kinsale Yacht Club is a sailor’s club along the southern coast of Ireland. Also, to save you the trouble of sorting out what ‘piseog’ means, it is an Irish word for evil spell or curse. We raise a toast of Redbreast (15 year, of course) to all those who do good.