Oh dear, here we go again. Why do so many writers for the DCA magazine make such derogatory remarks about those of us who race? As a DCA member I have a confession to make — I also enjoy dinghy racing, and have enjoyed it for over thirty years. Given a reasonable life span and good health I hope to enjoy it for at least another thirty years — or more if I’m lucky! Like many other DCA members, I gain considerable pleasure in piloting dinghies on day cruises, hopefully free from incident and usually in the company of my wife and children. Do I sleep on board? Not likely, although I have a sneaking admiration for those in the DCA who do. As far as I am concerned, I’m willing to get up very early in the morning to start sailing and will happily use the boat all day in almost any conditions.

However, I do demand a warm dry bed at night following a hot meal in comfortable surroundings. Yes, I can hear the rustle of paper now as the diehard members are going to put pen to paper to tell me what I’m missing. Have you ever considered what you are missing by not putting your sailing skill to the ultimate test, i.e. racing? There you are; I have just fallen into the same trap as the cruisers who regard cruising as the ultimate test of ability — neither view is correct, as both aspects of sailing test different skills.

As a family, we have also enjoyed holidays aboard a hired motor cruiser traversing the Caledonian Canal from Inverness to Fort William and back. Oh, the shame of it, hiding in the wheelhouse with the rain lashing down and with tea and soup arriving at regular intervals — sheer decadence! Being able to watch the beautiful scenery of the Highlands pass by the wheelhouse windows — you know, those things with glass in them which allow you to look out whilst remaining dry.

We have also voyaged for hundreds of miles aboard the paddle steamer Waverley on the Clyde, Bristol Channel, circumnavigating the Isle of Wight and runs down the Thames. More tea and coffee plus cooked meals, and, of course, dryness. But I digress. ‘Cruising’ in the true sense of the word has also been great fun in boats with lids as a crew member sometimes accompanied by my family. Also day sailing as a regular crew member on Velsheda, the restored ‘J’ class yacht — diehards please note this ship has no engine and is very hard work to crew — but what a sailing experience.

Do you notice the trend? Enjoyment on the water is not limited to only part of the activity we call boating, but encompassing as many parts as possible. Now to racing.

I have seen racing helmsmen and women commit awful acts of what they would call seamanship, although they no doubt finished round the cans in the first three. I have also seen ‘cruising’ sailors with boats so badly rigged that I can hardly believe that they can point to windward at all. Neither is practising the art of competent seamanship, and both should perhaps read more on the subject. All of us make mistakes whilst afloat, self very much included, but some people’s errors are really so basic that one wonders how they ever manage to get up in the morning let alone go afloat. It took some three years of practice, reading and work before the penny dropped and my crew and I stopped being tail enders. Maybe I’m a slow learner. I did, however, learn the basics of boat handling before undertaking anything too adventurous Granted that racing helmsmen do make mistakes, but making throw-away remarks concerning their sport and/or their ability seems to me to be unhelpful to say the least.

We currently sail a wooden Enterprise to enjoy both sides of the sport. For racing she is rigged with an efficient metal mast and boom with racing sails. For day sailing we have a cruising rig, i.e. smaller sails set on wooden gunter spars complete with a peak halliard (for want of a better expression), topping lift, oars and rowlocks and the usual safety gear such as anchor, compass, etc. The boat’s transom is also strengthened to take an outboard motor. Does this gear make her any slower for racing? No, not at my level of club racing. In any case, most of the cruising gear is of the ‘add on’ variety and is not aboard when we are intent on winning our class race.

Living as far away from the sea as we do (Bucks) most of our sailing takes place at our local sailing club on the Thames in Berkshire. We therefore race our Enterprise more times than we cruise her, but she is in use on most weekends in the summer.

To sum up, may I echo Len Wingfield’s excellent article in the winter DCA Bulletin ‘Time for Glasnost in the DCA’? Whatever your feelings towards those of us who race, would writers of articles please remember that cruising and racing form part of one sport: sailing. To ‘knock’ either side does not help promote safety afloat. It spoils otherwise good articles which are well worth reading.