Can’t we all just get along?

Why does it seem to be that different sorts of boaters just don’t want to cooperate?

This post is mostly copied from a reply that I put onto Pat’s blog, Desert Sea. In his blog, he describes how sailing regattas are run at the Carter Lake Regatta in Colorado, which he assisted with a couple of weeks ago. The club running the regatta used two cabin cruisers, a Boston Whaler, and a rigid-hull inflatable boat (rib) to run the races.

One thing we have learned from seeing how races are run at other places is just how useful it can be to have other sorts of boats than sailboats available to help run regattas.

A few months ago, the commodore of the RGSC sent out a questionnaire to members regarding the direction the club should move in the future, and one of the questions was whether the RGSC should develop friendships with powerboaters and/or have a power squadron as part of the club. I was surprised that more than half of the respondents to the survey were vehemently against even thinking of making friends with powerboaters. They seemed to regard the powerboaters as the scum of the earth, with no redeeming values, and certainly with nothing that they could offer to us sailors.

However, the RGSC has some sailors who want to sail catamarans and dinghies in our regattas. In particular, there are some sailors working on building a fleet of M Scows. Right now, we don’t have the safety provisions in place to run a regatta involving boats that frequently capsize and aren’t always self-righting. Having a powerboat in the area to provide safety and, if necessary, rescue, is essential if we are to allow the M Scows and other small boats to participate.

That survey also showed that club members are vehemently against the club owning a boat or two of its own.

I have made a suggestion to Cornhusker’s husband, Bassmaster, that the sailing and fishing clubs could help each other out. If the sailing club regattas and the fishing club’s tournaments are on alternating weekends, then the fishermen could provide a safety boat or two for our regattas, and we could provide support for the fishing club’s weigh-ins, paperwork, and whatever else frees more fishermen to participate in the tournament.

It’s a win-win situation, especially for the fishermen who help the sailors and the sailors who help the fishermen – they get to participate in the parties put on by both clubs.