Too Little, Too Late

There are really only two ways that the St. Francis Yacht Club in 'Frisco could have looked at whether or not to sail the Big Boat Series:

Maintain from Day One that an interruption in our business is to admit defeat to the terrorists that attacked us, and that they will run the Big Boat Series as both honorable and victorious in their efforts to rise above and carry on. Something like that. Hell, they could have even had an abbreviated schedule on Friday and had a great ceremony at the Club, honoring the country's National Prayer Day. Everybody could have had their racing and pay their respects at the same time. Imagine all the racers, friends and family gathered at the Club for a few moments of prayer/silence. It could have been a poignant moment that not many would have forgotten.

Or they could have and should have come out immediately saying that the series is if not cancelled entirely then it certainly would be postponed. A call to all the skippers to ask which they prefer would have helped make the decision.

But to announce a shortened version, and then less than 48 hours before the racing was to begin, call the whole thing off is poor decision making by management. And because of that, St.FYC ends up looking bad and now gets criticized.

It was an opportunity lost to stand up and do the right thing. Frankly, either decision, at least how I envisioned it above, would have been fine, as long as it was presented quickly, clearly and with conviction. But the half-ass decisions that were rendered are unsatisfactory, leaving nearly everyone disappointed on some level.