Grant Alderson has coached all levels of the sport of sailing with the highlight being his Para Sonar team winning the Gold Medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and shares here how coaches and sailors can communicate with race officers to make the racing enjoyable for all 

What makes a great race officer? It’s always a delight to have a race officer that communicates with the sailors and coaches. Afterall the race committee has taken on the role and is there to deliver good and fair racing for all. They enjoy the job because the sailors and coaches are usually very appreciative of the wonderful racing they can produce.

Good race committees will brief with the sailors, ask questions, and liaise with the coaches before and after racing. We all want the racing to be fair for everyone. Often the coaches will know their sailors well and can assist the race committee with making decisions on how many races, length of races and course configurations. Weather conditions can be discussed between the coaches and the race officer, this will enable time on the water and schedule of races.

There are many ways to communicate on and off the water. Briefings prior to leaving the marina or beach can be critical to communicate the intention for racing for that day or the regatta. On water it can be via VHF radio, which is quite common these days for keelboats. Via a whiteboard on the committee boat or at one particular regatta, I saw the race officer used a loud hailer to keep sailors updated. Often a good race officer will call the coaches over to the start boat to discuss the racing plans.

We all like a race officer that is keen to get fair racing underway. That can be challenging especially in light or shifty conditions but being flexible and enthusiastic is what everyone appreciates. 

Grant Alderson
Australian Sailing Coach