Sailorchick
Member
What are your views on swearing at other competitors. I know we all swear and rant at our boats and ourselves when things are going wrong but I wouldn't dream of swearing and using abusive language at another competitor as sailing/racing is supposed to be fun.
At the event I was at this weekend another competitor really lost it with me. The situation was that we were coming into the windward mark, I was on port (sailing radial) he was on starboard (sailing full rig). As I bore away to duck him he also bore away. Now I was shattered, last race of a windy regatta and I was working hard to beat the only other radial who could get me and was just behind. I was well prepared to duck him but he has to give me opportunity to do so. I did say out loud in exasperation don't bear down on me. His response to this was along the lines of ' you silly f###ing girl, you shouldn't f###ing be there, its a f###ing mark I'm bearing away for' and so on. I threatened to protest him if he swore at me again (on sportsmanship rules) and he launched into another tirade. At this point I'd had enough and told him to shut up and sail (I didn't swear, just, although I'll admit I called him a muppet) I didn't follow the protest up as was beating him on handicap and proceded to sail away from him on the race course. Also had more pressing issue of the other radial just behind.
Other than this it was a fantastic regatta, good strong wind, competitive radial fleet (other than the 2 leading full rigs the radials were beating the full rigs on the water). He just really spoiled the event. Also, I'm not a young inexperienced sailor, I'm 28 and have to guts to shout back, if he was like that to a younger less confident person he could put them off racing for life.
What would your take have been on the situation?
At the event I was at this weekend another competitor really lost it with me. The situation was that we were coming into the windward mark, I was on port (sailing radial) he was on starboard (sailing full rig). As I bore away to duck him he also bore away. Now I was shattered, last race of a windy regatta and I was working hard to beat the only other radial who could get me and was just behind. I was well prepared to duck him but he has to give me opportunity to do so. I did say out loud in exasperation don't bear down on me. His response to this was along the lines of ' you silly f###ing girl, you shouldn't f###ing be there, its a f###ing mark I'm bearing away for' and so on. I threatened to protest him if he swore at me again (on sportsmanship rules) and he launched into another tirade. At this point I'd had enough and told him to shut up and sail (I didn't swear, just, although I'll admit I called him a muppet) I didn't follow the protest up as was beating him on handicap and proceded to sail away from him on the race course. Also had more pressing issue of the other radial just behind.
Other than this it was a fantastic regatta, good strong wind, competitive radial fleet (other than the 2 leading full rigs the radials were beating the full rigs on the water). He just really spoiled the event. Also, I'm not a young inexperienced sailor, I'm 28 and have to guts to shout back, if he was like that to a younger less confident person he could put them off racing for life.
What would your take have been on the situation?