ISAF or the sailors - pt2

In this article Peter Bentley looks at some of the issues Paul Henderson failed to address

While on-the-water rules observance is clearly an issue, technical rules compliance is in every bit as much of a disreputable state. In fact, it's probably fair to say that it is totally out of control at all but the major championships. This surely is the preserve of ISAF and its officials yet Henderson barely touches upon it.

Let's take the issue of clothing weight as an example. Nobody will argue that the rule is unclear or even a bad idea. Yet for one competitor to bring a protest against another alleging that they are overweight is all but impossible. Can you tell how much somebody's wet clothing weighs just by looking at it? I can't.

In ten years of coaching and reporting on Olympic classes regattas, I have seen clothing weighing carried out exactly twice at regattas aside from the Olympics themselves. Once was at the British Olympic Trials. Once at a Finn Gold Cup. Competitors perceive (rightly) that the chances of getting caught with over weight clothing to be so remote as to not be worth worrying about. In fact even as a coach, I have never insisted on my competitors checking their own clothing weight. I probably should have done, but a clear signal had been sent by ISAF and the regatta organisers that they don't intend to do anything about it and thus it's not important.

And as for more general measurement checks at the grade one events - they are all but non-existent. The organisers at Hyeres restricted themselves to checking that sail numbers were correct. A big speed-influencing factor you would agree?

Now you might say that it's all a waste of time anyway and everything will most probably measure-in anyway. In something of a surprise move, Tornado jibs were all checked in Palma and surprise, surprise, there were more than a few that did not measure. The sail maker claimed it was mistake, but who knows? Until some proper checking is done, we don't even know if there is a problem or not.

And what about boat weights? There is an old joke that goes "Where is the fastest place to put the lead from your Finn?" The answer, not one suspects so tongue in cheek is, "In the back of the car". How many Finn sailors (or indeed sailors from other classes) are there sailing round with the lead in the back of the car? There is little or no checking and the risk of getting caught is low.

I don't know if cheating is rife, but I certainly don't know enough to say it isn't. Does ISAF have any idea if there is a problem or not? I doubt it.

Even when ISAF do know there is a problem, the easiest solution is often easiest to do nothing. In 1996 I discovered a systematic problem with the swing test measurement in the Europe class. I reported it to the RYA and at the GBR trials later that year problems were found with every other boat. You might think that this would set alarm bells ringing with ISAF - but no.

At the Olympics in Sydney the self-same problems are alleged to have been found. We will never know as each boat was wheeled into a shipping container and the doors closed. After a suitable period the doors were opened and the boat wheeled out again. Was it measured? My understanding is not. No one wants to rock the boat at the Olympics.

So how might you ask does it come about that the majority of the Europe fleet have measurement problems? In ten years of going to Europe World Championships I never saw a boat swing tested. Not once. Why have rules if they are not going to be enforced?

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