Can’t tell the players unless they’re listed

Don Finkle of RCR Yachts has an opinion that Scuttlebutt strongly supports… we’ll let Don do the talking:

Most regattas now use a web-based event management system such as Yacht Scoring (our favorite) or Regatta Network. It is very easy to submit the name of the crew along with the skipper when registering.

Unless your boat is a singlehander such as a Laser, Finn, Sunfish or the like, there is a crew involved and all sailors should be recognized. The results will show the skipper and should show the crew as well. However, too often the crew is not shown which is very misleading when examining the results when only the skipper’s name is visible.

The Star class is very good at showing both skipper and crew as are other one designs like the Lightnings. Unfortunately, the J/70 class is a prime offender.

Wouldn’t you want to know which boats Tim Healy, Jud Smith, Bill Hardesty, Steve Hunt, Max Skelly, Taylor Canfield, and a host of other rock stars were on at the recently held J/70 Winter Series regatta when checking the results? Well you won’t find their names because the skippers did not enter them.

This is especially true for the teams with pros aboard as the mid and lower level teams generally list their crews as everyone should.

In my opinion withholding information is as bad as submitting erroneous information. The solution rests with the events themselves who could require all crew names to be shown, and better yet, classes could make it a requirement for events being sailed under class rules.

Editor’s note: We suspect that for some owners this is an oversight, but we also wonder if this is a tactical decision to hide the high level crew being hired for the event. As Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, “All warfare is based on deception.”