-< race face ,--of a not too "serious" --gettin old ,-ex - pro racer
laughing at myself a little today ,-
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Some of my favorite posters above , thanks all ,
Each adding their own experiences philosophy and resulting formed self determining opinion is all each can contribute,and hope it pertains in some way , interests, constructively informs, and helps the reader resolve internal human conflicts of value in judgement, --pure sport vs prize money and potential team sponsorship.Sounds like a good basis of a plot theme for a novel ,-
{ been reading Ann Rand again lately ,-art of fiction and writting -can you tell } --joking a little--
-The only major beach cat professional racing series I,m aware of in the U S was back in 88 in the Ultimate Yacht Racing Series on then new H-21s with spin, -and U-30s and J-24s {monos } and also Pro-sail events sailed on H-21s and Formula 40s both held at different geographic locations around the country ,-some televised . -Newport R I ,-Corpus Cristy Texas ,-Great Lakes , St Clair MI ,--back to Mystic Conn. -Miami FL , were some of the locations of pro-sailing events we sailed the H-21 in that year .
Rog and I placed well in several events and won one event in Mystic and recieved 5 ,OOO which almost covered our travel expences and a new spin , plus medical costs of 12 stiches in my hand racing ,--just ducted taped it up for racing the last day ,-{hey we were winning } --that's another story .-That's the most any ever won in any individual race event , ---pro -beach cat sailing ,---it does not really exist in any normal sence and understanding with other forms of often less challenging very high paying sport we see televised by comparison . We all sail for the enjoyment and love of the sport ,-evan if you reach the top levels there is no where to take them beyond the enjoyment of events and people your with. , Your not going to recieve 20 million from Nike to endource their sailing shoes , You may get a pair at cost if your really good.---Pro beach cat sailing ,---hmmm .
One team from Austrailia {Brett}won the majority of Prosail series races but again reportedly did not evan cover travel expenses .
-There are several races currently that offer prize money ,-
distance races , and a buoys race this year in the U S ,
Are the recipiants of this now PRO s , ---naaaa .
In the Worrell most teams are at least partially sponsored ,
some again reportedly recieving several tens of thousands ,
iT IS A HUGE ADVANTAGE for those teams but , is part of the challenge when you deside to race in this very special type of event . Sponsorship opportunities are potentially available for all teams .
The judgements made and path chosen by each is tetermined by personal goals , for me it's been a great experience that actually brought me back into sailing after being away almost a decade . Just got the notion to race the Worrell again and showed up in Ft Lauderdale FL one May ,completely cold and out of practise ,-but gave it my best , and had some fantastic ocean racing experiences .
Been back seval times since , hopefully my 7th next year.
In the final annalysis suppose the question is ,-Is this good for the sport and people choosing to be involved in it , -
Sponsors , advertising , boats travel gear equipement and expences are all very much a part of the sport and our everyday lives.
-Evan without the practise time ,event partisipation ,sailing skill and ability I once had ,the answer is overwhelmingly ,YES , -mainly because as several have noted earlier , it is really about getting out enjoying the sport , life in general , and some great people involved in it with a similar enthusiasm and love of the sport ,-{ including sponsors } ,-there are some great ones out there , celebrate life all you can !!-
Do I hope sponsorship availability is on the increase and becomes more easily attained by race teams and event organizers for more events and similar distance races ,-
-you betcha-
Have fun
Sail safe
Carl Roberts
