On Being A Crew Member – The Concluding Chapter

Learn the rules – Racing Rules are seen as complicated and understandable only to the sailing elite. With practice they can be learned. A good illustration is told in a Crewing Fable.
A sailor had been crewing for a number of months and the time had been spent in a combination of racing and cruising. The cruising had sharpened the boating skills and the racing certainly caused the sailor to learn the finer aspects of sail trim and boat handling.
To the sailor, one part of racing was confusing – rules. The sailor looked at rule books, played with the little boats, and tried to understand the changes to the basic rules that occurred during the races. One day, the boat was protested, and the captain, not able to defend his actions, lost the protest. They also lost a few places in the race results.
The sailor was not happy and confided his confusion to an “old salt”. Seeing the sailor’s desire, the old salt told the story of how he was in a similar spot. The story was the same! The old salt also passed on the method that caused him to be regarded as an expert. The secret, he explained, was to start with one rule. Learn its application to the rules of the road. Then begin to apply that rule to the race course. Some rules are easy. Starboard tack is always favored. A leeward boat loses its advantage, depending on boat positions, speeds, directions, and so on.
Starts and mark roundings may be the hardest situations in which to apply the rules. However, with thought and planning, the situations usually lose some complication. This much thinking about rules may seem impossible, but as the boat and sailing become more familiar, you can study the rules. Do it on the water, see the rules in action and they will begin to make sense.
The sailor was impressed with the simplicity. After a period of time, the sailor had a few rules that he understood and applied on the race course. He and the Captain mounted a protest flag on the boat and occasionally the Captain called for 720s from boats that misapplied the rules. The Captain was not afraid to participate in protests. The fleet gained a new respect for the well-sailed boat that could  compete in all areas of racing.
The End. Oh, and by the way, the boat went on to win the next series and all lived happily ever after.
Conclusion – In this and in the preceding articles, I’ve described methods I use to ensure that all crew experiences are beneficial to both me and to others on the boat. Crewing is a unique opportunity to learn about boating without having a large monetary investment. In addition, you can not only practice neglected skills, but lack of boat ownership will not keep you off the water. Today’s sailing is intimately connected to future dreams.
To conclude these crewing articles, I’ll leave you with two comments:
Make the commitment and keep it. Know when the races start, be on time, and know what you have agreed upon as a crew member. Participate in all boat preparation, from maintenance to sailing practice. Attend the race meetings and be ready to lend a hand for race committee duties and other jobs needed to conduct a race.
Be willing and able to do all crewing jobs. Sailing can be demanding both mentally and physically. If you don’t believe this,  volunteer for running the foredeck or grinding winches with some of the dedicated RGSC sailors – Fuge, Hickman, Ratcliff, Strasia, to name a few. Get in shape and don’t discount any job on the boat because you feel it lacks glamour.
Good luck, and I’ll see you out sailing.

Buddy McDowell, June 1989 Foghorn