Participation at the end of the event

Dear Curmudgeon: During long offshore races, I have noticed how fast, large yachts leave the final port and do not stay around to cheer the slower yachts home or stay for the trophy presentation.

This most recently was highlighted at the Sydney Hobart Race, when by the time the entire fleet was in the harbor, the pros had all flown home and the delivery crews had spun the maxis around and were halfway back up the Tasmanian coast.

Besides making for a subdued waterfront atmosphere, am I right in feeling how it is a little disrespectful to all those competitors? Is it too much to ask for everyone competing to gather as one group at the end of the race? – A Corinthian Competitor

Dear Corinthian: As boats have gotten faster, the post-event activities have deteriorated to the degree you have mentioned. For the Sydney Hobart, the time difference was nearly three days from the first to last finisher.

The Transpac Race staggers the start to alleviate this issue, starting the slowest boats several days ahead of the faster boats, but that impacts how changing weather systems influence the overall results and still doesn’t guarantee the crew from hopping the first flight out.

Maybe the solution is to stagger the award celebration for each division and forego an attempt to gather all the winners together. When the shore crew is accepting the awards, what’s the point? – The Curmudgeon

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