This past Saturday the marina that I am currently living at had a Memorial Day party/event. I attended and sat a table with some other people, one, was a gentlman older than me but very knowledgable about sailing and had some great stories to share. We talked about racing sailboats and our experiences in the TransPac race; he raced his last one in 1984. I then found out that he used to own a sail making company, which was very cool because I know someone who needs a new Jib Sail. The man’s name is Keith Lorence and he was also a crew member on the Mexican owned boat that won the Whitebread Around the World race in 1974. We traded contact information and he is someone that I will look to so that I may gain more knowledge handling sailboats on the ocean.

Sunday I officiated four games in the Club America Cup held in Oceanside and Del Mar, California. In this tournament I was one of the “old men” of the officiating crew. As I was warming up, getting ready for my first game I watched the team of officials on another field. When they came over to the referee tent at their half-time, I pointed out to the youngest member of their team that the signal flag should always be held in the hand closest to the field or the Center Referee; it is for asthetics but it is also for the benefit of the center referee, when they look over, so they can see the flag. The center referee of that game commented that he never thought of it like that, but yes, it does help. I stated that I have been doing it so long that I don’t even think about it; it is just automatic, I switch hands, holding the flag, by my position in relation to the field.

When I started officiating my games, in-between games, I changed my shoes. The officials that I was working with asked me why. I told them that I have different shoes for when I am in the center or on the sideline as an AR. The two shoes are build differently and give different support; it also gives my feet some form of rest. If I used the same shoes for all four games in a row, the cushion that makes up the support compacts more and more without a chance to reform; my feet would be very tired at the end of the day. The other officials asked me if I had multiple shoes for each position, again I stated that I did. I even will keep extra pairs of socks in my bag, just in case they get wet or sometimes it just feels better putting on a fresh pair of socks.

At the end of the day the other referees thanked me for sharing my knowledge, not just about changing shoes, but their positioning and questioning some of the signals they gave as they officiated the games. I was the old guy that they were learning from. I am grateful that I am able to learn from others with experience and that I am able to share my experience with others.

Life is a lesson that we should never stop learning about.