Pros Vs Amateurs
In these current times there can be a lot of top level sailing in the course of calendar year, there are a myriad of sensational regattas to be sailed in, if one was to atttempt to sail most of them it would require a herculean logistical as well as expensive exercise.
We also have the club racing scenario, the weekend warriors who go out each week and battle around the course on a Saturday afternoon and make it home for dinner and have Sunday off to mow the lawns.
The truth is that most serious yacht racers are some sort of compromise between the two, on one hand we will have the gung-ho racers who will target quite a few regattas or ocean races as their primary goals for the year, but will also squeeze in as many local club races as they can. For them the local scene is a training opportunity to trial out crew techniques, sailtrim experimentation and data collating in a racing enviroment. On the other end of the spectrum we have the sailors who actively pursue the local aggregate with a vengeance and also do some larger regattas as a novelty and a chance to test their mettle.
Professional and amateur
With all this sailing and the desire to win we have began to see the emergence of two distinct types of sailor, the professional versus the amateur. What constitutes one or the other is quite murky and it is interesting to see that ISAF have actually put a classification system in place for those regattas or ocean races where it is felt desirable not to have fully salaried teams dominating the results.
Simply put the sailors are divided into three basic categories-
Group 1 - those who race as a pastime.
Group 2- sailors who have not received any monies or benefits as per Group 3 in the past twelve months
Group 3 - sailors who have been paid to race or train, or who receive monies from association with performance enhancing work (sailmaking, boat building etc).
It is becoming increasingly popular for sailing events to clarify how many Group 3 sailors are allowed on each boat or to offer alternative Corinthian trophies for those crews who have no Group 3 sailors in their crew.
So which crew is better? Both have their pros and cons, it is really up to the boatowner as an individual to decide what they want from their sport.
Professionals
There is no doubt that generally speaking with a full professional or Group 3 crew (with a few notable and pleasing exceptions), you are going to get better results. These guys are really good at their jobs. The reason is they do it all the time, they are sailing most days or in the case of those who work in the various maritime industries (like sailmaking) they are thinking and discussing sailing seven days a week. I often draw a parrellel with other sports, if anyone spent three hundred days a year kicking a ball into the back of a net, they would have a huge advantage over someone who turns up for an hour a week to do the same. This experience gives them a much stronger feel for the racetrack, one of the base indicators of a good crew is when a manouver is changed at the last minute for tactical or windshift reasons. A professsional crew will not only know exactly what to do but also how to do it expediently as one and just as importantly why it is being done. With their vast exposure to top level sailing they can come together as a crew in a very short space of time, very desirable when a camapign has to be put togther in a few days leading up to an event.
The downside of the Group 3 sailor is they don’t have much spare time and as a result don’t tend to be available or bothered (and are hard to justify expense wise) for club racing which can make it hard to get a full crew on those days.
I have also noticed a trend that sometimes arises when a lot of Pro’s get on the one boat en masse. Unless a very strict pre-ordained hierachy is in place then sometimes there can be a tendency for some to try and justify their paid position by infringing on other people’s roles, being very vocal and not just simply doing the job they are there for. This can obviously cause friction.
Amateurs
The best part of an amateur or Group 1 crew is you get to sail with your mates; you can build up friendships and loyalties. A good crew of amateurs is always a cohesive and well matched group. It is still possible to feature in the results but it will take time, you will need to develop as a crew and if serious about wanting to get on the podium then give up some time for training and boat maintenance. It can be a real buzz to see a crew develop and become competitive, the late manouver crew indicator I mentioned can be still achieved but it will take training and attention. If amateur crew is to be worked up into a competitive unit then it is paramount to keep the same group together, too many changes in personnel and we have to go back to the starting point each time. Be loyal to your crew, if an opportunity arrive for an expert to spend the afternoon with you then use him in a coaching role, don’t kick your crew out of their positions to accomodate him or her.
The downside of the Group 1 sailor is their availability; they have jobs, families and other priorities. They only have a set amount of recreation time and then it is unfair to expect it to be all about sailing and getting to all the regattas.
So to sum up a pro crew are very easy to sail and win with, they have the expertise to get around the racecourse competitively. You can reach similar heights with a group of amateurs but with a much harder route, you will need to find the time and patience to work on turning them and you into a well drilled unit. It is interesting to note that Alan Whiteley in his TP52 Cougar 2 took out top honours at Hamilton Island Race Week this year, Alan was able to achieve this with a crew made up of local Sandringham sailors that he has sailed with over many years and on a number of boats, they worked very hard under the guidance and tutilage of sailing master Peter Williams and as the results indicate their performance as a crew was second to none.
Owner Drivers
It is common for a lot of owners to steer their own boats and rightly so, it is popular and has been one of the major reasons behind the success of classes like the Farr 40’s and Sydney 38’s who have an owner driver clause in their class rules.
It is not for everyone, we all go sailing for different reasons, I know of several boat owners who would much rather be involved in the running of the boat and know they are better suited to that role. I have even sailed with a few who get a great deal of satisfaction of simply being an observer and overseeing the crew they have put together. However if like most you wish to steer, it is important to remember that is your job. If you want to look around, watch other boats, call the compass and know exactly what is happening all the time then get off the helm or buy a laser, you can’t do it all. The best drivers are those that simply steer to the best of their ability and leave the running of the boat to others.
Hybrid crew
It is not uncommon for competing yachts in specific events to not only have their regulars but also a couple of Group 3 sailors “topping up” the numbers for specific roles, for example in a long ocean race a navigator and an extra steerer may come onboard or for a regatta a “local” expert may be a welcome addition. It is so very important in these cases to make sure you choose wisely, you don’t want disruptive influences to mar that crew harmony you have all worked so hard on. The right people will simply merge in with an existing structure, the wrong people will try and take over and change things which can be harmful.
Set your season’s goals and sort out how you intend to achieve them, short term/ high cost or the longer haul/ development route, possibly even the middle road.
Good results; enjoyment and satisfaction are all measures of success.
In these current times there can be a lot of top level sailing in the course of calendar year, there are a myriad of sensational regattas to be sailed in, if one was to atttempt to sail most of them it would require a herculean logistical as well as expensive exercise.
We also have the club racing scenario, the weekend warriors who go out each week and battle around the course on a Saturday afternoon and make it home for dinner and have Sunday off to mow the lawns.
The truth is that most serious yacht racers are some sort of compromise between the two, on one hand we will have the gung-ho racers who will target quite a few regattas or ocean races as their primary goals for the year, but will also squeeze in as many local club races as they can. For them the local scene is a training opportunity to trial out crew techniques, sailtrim experimentation and data collating in a racing enviroment. On the other end of the spectrum we have the sailors who actively pursue the local aggregate with a vengeance and also do some larger regattas as a novelty and a chance to test their mettle.
Professional and amateur
With all this sailing and the desire to win we have began to see the emergence of two distinct types of sailor, the professional versus the amateur. What constitutes one or the other is quite murky and it is interesting to see that ISAF have actually put a classification system in place for those regattas or ocean races where it is felt desirable not to have fully salaried teams dominating the results.
Simply put the sailors are divided into three basic categories-
Group 1 - those who race as a pastime.
Group 2- sailors who have not received any monies or benefits as per Group 3 in the past twelve months
Group 3 - sailors who have been paid to race or train, or who receive monies from association with performance enhancing work (sailmaking, boat building etc).
It is becoming increasingly popular for sailing events to clarify how many Group 3 sailors are allowed on each boat or to offer alternative Corinthian trophies for those crews who have no Group 3 sailors in their crew.
So which crew is better? Both have their pros and cons, it is really up to the boatowner as an individual to decide what they want from their sport.
Professionals
There is no doubt that generally speaking with a full professional or Group 3 crew (with a few notable and pleasing exceptions), you are going to get better results. These guys are really good at their jobs. The reason is they do it all the time, they are sailing most days or in the case of those who work in the various maritime industries (like sailmaking) they are thinking and discussing sailing seven days a week. I often draw a parrellel with other sports, if anyone spent three hundred days a year kicking a ball into the back of a net, they would have a huge advantage over someone who turns up for an hour a week to do the same. This experience gives them a much stronger feel for the racetrack, one of the base indicators of a good crew is when a manouver is changed at the last minute for tactical or windshift reasons. A professsional crew will not only know exactly what to do but also how to do it expediently as one and just as importantly why it is being done. With their vast exposure to top level sailing they can come together as a crew in a very short space of time, very desirable when a camapign has to be put togther in a few days leading up to an event.
The downside of the Group 3 sailor is they don’t have much spare time and as a result don’t tend to be available or bothered (and are hard to justify expense wise) for club racing which can make it hard to get a full crew on those days.
I have also noticed a trend that sometimes arises when a lot of Pro’s get on the one boat en masse. Unless a very strict pre-ordained hierachy is in place then sometimes there can be a tendency for some to try and justify their paid position by infringing on other people’s roles, being very vocal and not just simply doing the job they are there for. This can obviously cause friction.
Amateurs
The best part of an amateur or Group 1 crew is you get to sail with your mates; you can build up friendships and loyalties. A good crew of amateurs is always a cohesive and well matched group. It is still possible to feature in the results but it will take time, you will need to develop as a crew and if serious about wanting to get on the podium then give up some time for training and boat maintenance. It can be a real buzz to see a crew develop and become competitive, the late manouver crew indicator I mentioned can be still achieved but it will take training and attention. If amateur crew is to be worked up into a competitive unit then it is paramount to keep the same group together, too many changes in personnel and we have to go back to the starting point each time. Be loyal to your crew, if an opportunity arrive for an expert to spend the afternoon with you then use him in a coaching role, don’t kick your crew out of their positions to accomodate him or her.
The downside of the Group 1 sailor is their availability; they have jobs, families and other priorities. They only have a set amount of recreation time and then it is unfair to expect it to be all about sailing and getting to all the regattas.
So to sum up a pro crew are very easy to sail and win with, they have the expertise to get around the racecourse competitively. You can reach similar heights with a group of amateurs but with a much harder route, you will need to find the time and patience to work on turning them and you into a well drilled unit. It is interesting to note that Alan Whiteley in his TP52 Cougar 2 took out top honours at Hamilton Island Race Week this year, Alan was able to achieve this with a crew made up of local Sandringham sailors that he has sailed with over many years and on a number of boats, they worked very hard under the guidance and tutilage of sailing master Peter Williams and as the results indicate their performance as a crew was second to none.
Owner Drivers
It is common for a lot of owners to steer their own boats and rightly so, it is popular and has been one of the major reasons behind the success of classes like the Farr 40’s and Sydney 38’s who have an owner driver clause in their class rules.
It is not for everyone, we all go sailing for different reasons, I know of several boat owners who would much rather be involved in the running of the boat and know they are better suited to that role. I have even sailed with a few who get a great deal of satisfaction of simply being an observer and overseeing the crew they have put together. However if like most you wish to steer, it is important to remember that is your job. If you want to look around, watch other boats, call the compass and know exactly what is happening all the time then get off the helm or buy a laser, you can’t do it all. The best drivers are those that simply steer to the best of their ability and leave the running of the boat to others.
Hybrid crew
It is not uncommon for competing yachts in specific events to not only have their regulars but also a couple of Group 3 sailors “topping up” the numbers for specific roles, for example in a long ocean race a navigator and an extra steerer may come onboard or for a regatta a “local” expert may be a welcome addition. It is so very important in these cases to make sure you choose wisely, you don’t want disruptive influences to mar that crew harmony you have all worked so hard on. The right people will simply merge in with an existing structure, the wrong people will try and take over and change things which can be harmful.
Set your season’s goals and sort out how you intend to achieve them, short term/ high cost or the longer haul/ development route, possibly even the middle road.
Good results; enjoyment and satisfaction are all measures of success.
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