As someone who has suffered thru scoring large open fleets, may I say....
...THANK YOU, again, Jerome. Your attitude is a joy to behold.
may I also say that the open fleet situations are a microcosm of what is going on in the US:
We have a population who is either too busy trying to make enough money to get all the things they THINK they need, or too LAZY to bother...
...to learn about the system in which they live.
...So then, they either depend on others (such as pundits) to tell them what is going on and for whom to vote.
...And then, when someone comes along who realizes that the population is lazy and ignorant, they take advantage of the situation.
...And then, the people whine and cry, when it's their OWN FAULT that they're being taken for a ride.
Here's the deal:
People, the RC are VOLUNTEERS who are wired-out stressed just putting on the regatta. It's about as pleasant as a root canal. I am amazed that anyone can stand to run a race more than once, much less for years.
And to top it off, the people who come to the race want the RC to figure out what THEY should know, which is their OWN Portsmouth number. And bitch and cry about how the race is run, when they've NEVER run a race themselves, and refuse to spend the time to learn about Portsmouth.
The system is just fine. It's up to YOU, the RACERS, to make it work. The whole basis in Corinthian sailing is that it's SELF-POLICING.
This means that it's up to the RACERS:
--to be honest.
--to deal with EACH OTHER when someone isn't honest.
--to solve infractions on the water, but when you can't, then take it to the RC in a reasonable tone WITH EVIDENCE TO BACK ANY ASSERTIONS YOU MAKE. <<That means KNOW YOUR NUMBER.
BTW...if you build yourself a Frankenboat, it's absolutely incumbent upon YOU to know your mods and report them to the RC. Live with what you're dealt - you didn't have to change the boat.
I echo Jerome: Kudos to WindyHill for asking the questions.
FWIW, w.h.... take a harder knock than you think you should, 'cause it will quieten the whining. Somewhat.
