Making Corinthian sailing cool again

For those of you waiting for the typical racing calendar to begin, this COVID-19 disease has other plans, and you’re going to be waiting a long time in most parts of the planet.

However, racing is merely a more purposeful aspect of sailing, and need not include all the points of perfection that have saturated the sport. Instead, what can be happening in areas noted for organized competition is to consider the layout and ‘made do’.

Know the health guideline dos and don’ts and don’t exceed them. Better yet, tell the local po-po the plan so they won’t assume the worst. As for creating the plan, keep it simple, minimize traditional rules and regulations, and maximize Corinthian spirt.

The on-again, off-again Lehman 12 fleet at San Diego Yacht Club (San Diego, CA) is finding interest again amid the current constraints, with sparkplug George Szabo promoting these guidelines for their weeknight gatherings off the club docks in La Playa Cove:

• State/County quarantine rules supersede all sailing rules. If it is not safe, don’t do it.
• Only cohabitators and/or family member teams allowed.
• Families/crews of three or four in a boat encouraged.
• You got to launch with some sort of social distancing that won’t get us in trouble, and shut down the bay again.
• Masks or buffs required in the parking lot.
• R/C – got to be self-policed, or two people on the dock who cohabitate to start the timer and take scores. If you set a mark, you got to pick it up as well. Only one person/family touches each mark.
• Don’t tack on people. Your bad air could get them sick. Or – if you want to faceplant someone – wear a mask.
• As many races as you can handle – or until a family member/crew cries, or the sun goes below the hill.
• No social activities closer than 6-feet apart without a mask.
• If you want to use the hose, bring your own hand sanitizer.

Has racing gotten started in your area? Tell us how at editor@sailingscuttlebutt.com