Perhaps you can use the following piece that I sent to the shark sailors in the Buffalo Canoe Club.  We have a very active chat group. This is my way of involving skippers and crews in the racing scene.

Here is something to think about.

The shark is a going machine when the wind pipes up. Most shark sailors know this and relish the opportunity to race in heavy winds. This is where my story begins.

It was a standard Thursday night race with one exception; the wind was blowing stink. This was windy enough for sensible sailors... on boats other than sharks, to work their boats from the cockpit. Moving around in a normal fashion and even hiking had to be done with great care. Not so with sharks. This is just the kind of weather that gives shark sailors an adrenaline rush. Isn’t that what happens when your boat breaks through your calculated hull speed and starts to plain. What else can cause three or four adults to scream with delight when the speedometer pegs itself at 12 and the boat keeps on gaining speed? That’s exciting racing at its best. It’s what sharks are built to do.

Before this night of racing was over, three boats, all sharks, would lose a member of the crew over the side. In one case the person was not wearing a PFD. In another, it took way to long to retrieve the swimmer. In only one instance was the swimmer out of the water in less than a minute or two. These kinds of accidents can give sailing a bad name and are generally frowned upon by insurance companies. We recognize the problem, now let’s solve it.

2. The race would become an annual event.

4. This man overboard drill can be accomplished at a time and place chosen by the skipper as long as the exercise takes place somewhere between the start and finish of the race.

It is hoped and expected that each skipper and crew would develop and practice an efficient procedure for extricating a member of the crew from the water.