Titles in sailing should matter

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” Playwright William Shakespeare uses this line in his play Romeo and Juliet to convey that the naming of things is irrelevant. I disagree.

National, Continental, and World Championship events must mean something, but only the latter is managed. World Sailing has requirements for organizations to host World Championships to ensure the event is ‘worldly’ which is why, I suspect, the J Class changed an event name when only three boats showed up.

With racing on October 7-11, what was called the 2024 J Class World Championship a year ago is now called J Class Barcelona Regatta 2024. Still remarkable imagery, just not worldly, though don’t mention that to Major League Baseball when they host their World Series. Definitely not worldly.

But what about national events when nobody drives too far (Interclub and Naples Sabot comes to mind)? Should there be a geographic requirement to warrant the name? What about when in 2024 the winner of the RS21 North Americans beat five other boats, or the ORC Maxi North American Champion beating two boats?

The rose may smell just as sweet, but titles in sailing should matter too.

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