Never perfect… but (definitely) thumbs up
The 52 Super Series and TP52 class got more positive feedback after the TP52 Worlds in Puerto Portals than we could hope for, even from this super-competitive fleet. The comfort of the marina and the shore facilities, the ever helpful marina staff, the perfect conditions on the water with racing on the bay that was less one-sided than usual, and also because the race committee showed great skill in picking the right times and places to race.
And of course the shiny fleet of 12 thoroughbred TP52s easily matched the glamour of the quayside parade of ‘bees and wannabees’ typical of every glitzy venue these days. It all seemed so easy… but in reality getting it right never is. Part of the fun is that the racing is close, very close. It does not take much to slip backwards in this compact fleet and it is extremely hard work to come back up again. Nearly all the boats are now current designs and very similar in performance, upwind as well as down. Crowded mark roundings and tense crosses. With 13 crew, success requires good communication, practice, trust and confidence, as well as a certain amount of self-control to keep out of those grey areas where luck is needed to avoid a penalty… or worse, a crash. The person calling the shots has to fully understand the style and character of the crew to which he is addressing his commands, as well as of the boats and teams around him, plus of course of the style of each umpire team. As in any sport a good umpire lets the game flow and communicates what is and is not tolerated by the decisions he makes early in the game. In yacht racing, with, in our case, four teams of two umpires on the water, more streamlining is required than in sports with one or two umpires sitting in judgement. At the Super Series we do not just go through the ISAF list of umpires to find out who is available but have over the years built a core group who are not only familiar with the teams, but who also understand the spirit of our game. The job of the police is never easy, but policing strange turf simply does not work. Our chief umpire is Miguel Allen; he is the boss because the others want him to be and quite frankly because Super Series wants him to be too. Miguel decides the routine of the day, which umpires share a boat,
28 SEAHORSE
positioning, pre-race instructions and so on. We have two fully qualified umpires per RIB, a step-up from one ‘student umpire/driver’ plus one umpire taking decisions. In our case the two only give a penalty if both agree, a split opinion is a green flag. At regular intervals the umpire pairings are switched around, to keep it sharp and clean. As anywhere there are pairs who click and those who struggle to work so well together. The chief umpire must optimise his ‘materials’, so to speak.
The Racing Rules of Sailing are complicated, with endless options for interpretation and debate. In my humble opinion our rules are modified more frequently than in most sports. All for the best, of course, but our end-users are not the most avid readers and most education comes from trial and error and with it frustration. Whether to have an onshore jury or on-the-water umpiring is a key decision. A jury is relatively cheap and you will have fewer ‘cases’. Umpiring will become integral to how you race, inviting you to request a call as part of the game… Going to the jury is rolling the dice and certainly requires skill in presenting one’s case. In the end umpiring is the fairest and also the most popular option, certainly for close racing in big boats. It encourages less risk-taking and offers a feeling of being ‘protected’… much as the sight of a police car tends to slow down drivers. In the world of TP52 racing, hitting each other with two-million euro boats at 10kt+ is not the same as a few Oppies rubbing gelcoat. And for sure our racing is a lot closer than in the Maxis and Superyachts. Most umpiring controversies hinge around whether two boats ‘would’ have collided. What is a tight but safe cross for the likes of Ed Baird can be a heart-stopper for even the most experienced owner- driver; and I know that Ed himself is not always certain there is a clean way out of the maze he’s just entered… the difference is he rarely displays emotion because of his level of concentration and this can be unnerving to some. There is a rule, or rather a case (Case 50:
game.finckh.net/reg_gbr/cases/case50.htm) that offers guidance on what is ‘too close for comfort’. But do not expect to find any ‘safe distances’… so debate is guaranteed.
NICO MARTINEZ
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