Living in the Scuttlebutt World

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
I don’t expect any sympathy for those of you east of Interstate 5, but the rain and cold in San Diego is getting old. Opening Day for Major League Baseball is one week away and the forecast has 53°F and the chance of showers. Somebody please tell Mother Nature it’s spring…

The comments came quick when the headline – Please, can we have our reach legs back? – flickered on Facebook. I suspect some responded without reading the report, but it has long been my opinion that the focus on windward-leeward race courses has not been good for all participants in the sport.

Speaking of variety, the hyper-focus of youth sailing has limited the ‘messing about in boats’ that had sparked the curiosity of previous generations. As double Olympic Medalist Charlie McKee would tell me, we sailed everything we could get our hands on. Next month, a 40-foot container with 55 O’Pen Skiffs hopes do some sparking.

The latest chapter in the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program saga comes from John Schoendorf, Treasurer for US Sailing, who offers insight into the financial issues that created disharmony. As they say, follow the money.

I am off to compete in a yacht club masters team race event in Newport Beach, CA. I can’t recall the last time I team raced, which is perhaps a feature of being old enough to qualify for this event. My focus is to not lose the damage deposit… wish me luck.