Why We Race…
A love letter to the beautiful chaos of yacht racing!
Let’s just get this out of the way: At LSS we bloody love racing.
Not because Ruaraidh and James enjoy shouting “STARBOARD!” at strangers (although, who wouldn’t), but because there is simply no faster way to level up your sailing than throwing yourself into a bit of organised nautical mayhem.
Cruising is lovely, with gentle sunsets, cheese, and a glass of wine that stays upright for more than 10 seconds (we bloody love cruising too.) But when it comes to improving your sailing overall, racing is straps a rocket to your learning curve. Things go wrong. You push the boat harder than you probably should. You broach. You might Chinese gybe. You get a bit salty in every sense of the word. And that’s the joy of it!
Sir Ben Ainslie said, the thing about racing is, it teaches you what not to do... quickly (a paraphrased sentiment reflecting his emphasis on learning from mistakes, which he says is a key to success in sailing.)
For those working through their Competent Crew or Day Skipper, you’re already learning good habits: safe navigation, proper planning, avoiding accidental jybes, which are all essential. But throw a bit of racing into the mix, and suddenly those lessons get stress-tested in real time!
You start noticing things, little things, like what happens when your genoa cars are too far forward, or how halyard tension can make the difference between slicing through the chop or slapping into it. Racing teaches trim, balance and timing.
It teaches you how to recover from the occasional (or frequent) tactical misjudgment and still carry on. You make mistakes, but the world doesn’t end, and after a few weekends of “character-building” moments, that casual cruising weekend suddenly feels like a walk in the park.
It’s also just bloody good fun. The camaraderie, the adrenaline, the post-race debrief over a pint (“Did you see what they did at the windward mark?!”) is all part of the experience.
Contrary to what some might say, racing doesn’t kill seamanship. If anything, it sharpens it. You don’t learn where the edge is until you sail close to it. As Dennis Conner once put it: “Sailing fast is fun.” And racing teaches you how.
Whether you’re a salty sea dog or a wide-eyed beginner, come join us. Try a winter or spring series. Hop on with us for a regatta. Take the kite down in 25 knots and try not to end up inside it. It’s all part of the journey and you’ll come out the other side a better, bolder sailor.