This is an age old problem... Regatta reports in a timely manner. Bob Does a Fantastic Job... but after a couple of days of racing, socializing ... the thought of writing another 150 words is just too much and your burnout occurs just when everyone is chomping at the bit for information... your sailor/reporter is just toast.
I think the class could offer three sailors attending the race a small honorarium to write the daily report on their assigned day . Budget for the honorarium from the class dues or regatta budget and announce your able reporters ahead of time... Pick sailors who sail in the middle and top of the fleet to offer their perspective.
The honorarium is not the same as hiring a PR Flac or inviting a reporter to cover your event... it just some grease to to help the words flow when you are tired after a day of racing.
Thoughts?
I'll bite. For data reporting, like results, the scorer needs an easy way to upload the data. It's not pretty or easy to read, but I'll be posting here this weekend for Tradewinds. I cut and paste from Sailwave.
As far as conditions reporting and action on the course it takes somebody savvy enough to know what they are looking at from a power boat to report.
I wouldn't expect any racer to report until after the event. Their head is in the game, not in the reporting.
Right... getting the results posted is part of the OA's responsibility... getting the preliminary draft to the website and posted for the sailors allows for corrections/protests to be lodged AND the spectators to stay up with the scores.... (get Rick to give you the keys to the website.... it's easy to upload the html ready sailwave file if you have access to the web site.
Reporting on sailing blow by blow is indeed a skill... Surf City does a great job... I suspect his years of experience at regatta support and crash boat have given him the keen eye.
More importantly... Reporting is not simply something additional to you mark boat duties... etc. The PRO won't deal with... sorry... i have to write some notes down before i move the mark... you will be kicked out of Bound's BIMBO club that way.
Well... that is what Bob H and Simon have been doing for the US and AUS A class events... They have done a fabulous job of getting a perspective down in writing for the rest of us. Their point of view is not reporting... just their spin and perspective... the two things are different.
I am suggesting that the honorarium will express the class's real appreciation of the value that these two guys and other cat sailors are bringing to the class and the event.
In my world... old news is no news.... My interest in the weekend event report that I missed or attended is keen on Sunday night... VERY High on Monday morning. and rapidly diminishing after lunch. Your mileage might vary.
Hope the sailors get to the keys and you have a great event!