SAILING:Putting on a lifejacket is one of the most important decisions a sailor will make. There should be no ambiguity about taking the decision to wear one so it is a concern that there is no standard regatta procedure around the coast for when lifejackets should be worn.
It is questionable that the country's two biggest sailing regattas could differ over a matter as basic as safety, yet separate policy decisions taken by next year's Cork Week and this July's Volvo Dún Laoghaire regatta illustrate the need for national guidance.
Wearing or not wearing one has always been a matter of personal choice for cruiser class sailors because there is no obligation for them to wear one in either the Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) or in law.
The Dragon keelboat world championships, being sailed in light winds on Dublin Bay this week, has not required them.
But two months ago Volvo Dún Laoghaire Regatta insisted all sailors must wear lifejackets. The organisers were clear that the entry of 520 boats and 3,500 competitors was a massive responsibility. Managing the racing was one thing, keeping everyone safe was another. The same approach has been adopted by Howth Yacht Club and Dublin Bay Sailing Club since 2004. They fly International Code Flag Y, a signal in the RRS that the wearing of personal flotation devices (PFDs) is compulsory - even in the absence of wind.
The rule is of no consequence to the dinghy fleets, where PFDs are standard, but the introduction was not well received across some of the bigger yachts - especially from visitors to the bay - because lifejackets restrict active crewing.
The more serious disapproval for the rule, however, was not based on the physical nuisance of the jacket but more on the contention that by flying Y, clubs remove an ageold individual responsibility on the crews to make their own decision on the matter.
It is just the latest manifestation of "nanny" culture taking hold in sailing, critics said, and the rule undermines a basic tenet of racing. But if competitors refuse to take responsibility for their own actions what should organisers do? For example, on Dublin Bay this summer in a competition widely publicised to run under Y, a competitor from a cruiser class fell overboard five miles offshore and was recovered by a nearby committee boat as he was unable to get back on board his boat. He was not wearing a lifejacket. Here is a competitor who spent €100,000 on a boat but would either not spend €100 on a lifejacket or ignored the rules of the regatta. Flag Y will fly at 2008 Cork Week only if conditions such as strong winds merit it; otherwise lifejackets will be allowed stay in lockers.
The view in Crosshaven, where competitor numbers have reached 6,000, is that personal safety is entirely a matter for each boat. It is the same in Cowes and at other major regattas across the world. And with sailing's impeccable international safety record compared to some other adventure sports, it is hard to see why it needs to change.
But change has happened in Ireland because of a string of accidents - some involving yachts and sailing events - and different clubs have responded in different ways to cope with new legislation.
Given the raft of legislation being drafted for the marine sector, doomsayers predict we could end up wearing lifejackets in the bath. The sport quickly needs to make up its own mind on the matter without forgetting the fact that lifejackets are useless unless worn.
By a narrow margin of 2.3 points clubhouse leader Thomas Müller may be a race away from lifting the Aberdeen Dragon World title this afternoon following the abandonment of race seven on Dublin Bay yesterday because of lack of wind, writes David O'Brien.
The Royal St George Yacht Club organisers are determined, however, to try and complete the full programme of eight races that would allow a second discard.
Light winds are forecast again for today so there are doubts how two races could be held today if one could not be achieved yesterday.
After a postponement of two hours race officer Alan Crosbie took the 68-boat fleet to sea yesterday and prepared a course and a starting sequence before concluding that a fitful sea breeze would not materialise.
In a further complication for the race team, the rules of the event also state no race may start later than 2pm today.
