Are there written contracts involved?
Sometimes, but not often. Usually you already know the person hiring you, and it’s really rare that someone doesn’t pay. You usually get 1099s, and sometimes W-2s, so there is generally a paper trail. I’ve been on both sides of these transactions, because for some programs, like Jameson, I’m in charge of the budget. I hire the people for the regattas, pay all the bills, take care of all the logistics, and basically run a turn-key operation for the owner. With lots of money at stake, isn’t there a win-at-all-costs mentality that might encourage bending the rules? I don’t think so. When I was just getting into the international sport, back in the IOR days, cheating was rampant. It was really sad, we lost a lot of good owners because of it. These days, I don’t think it’s as bad. We’ll all push the rules as far as possible, but overt cheating is really rare. Do you have an opinion on the lifejacket rule? I have mixed emotions. It’s like the helmet rule, which I don’t really care for either
