The Don Glover interview
How did you first get into sailing, and what drew you to the sport?
My family had a sailboat, and we would sail together on the weekends beginning when I was 12 years old. .
Where did you start sailing, and how has your local sailing environment influenced your approach?
We sailed out of the Houston YC, which had a junior sailing program that was focused on racing, but not too seriously. I enjoyed sailing the program and believe that some people just want to sail, some want to race, but without too much pressure, and some want to compete all the time.
Over the years, what have been some of your most memorable sailing experiences or regattas?
I windsurfed for many years after college and enjoyed windsurfing vacations in Maui and at the Columbia River Gorge.
J/70 sailor and Detroit resident Don Glover is no stranger to the forefront of sailing technology. His local fleet were early adopters of MarkSetBot, a company founded in Detroit, and now have integrated RaceSense into their weeknight racing.
Don offers insight on how his fleet operates with an agile course, operating both Bots and RaceSense from a J/70, to decrease strain on a volunteers and run more, better racing.
How did you first hear about Vakaros RaceSense, and what made you interested in trying it out?
I Learned about RaceSense through Mark Set Bot. We discussed ways to race without RC because we were having a hard time finding good RC for our Tuesday night J70 racing.
In your experience, how has RaceSense changed the way races are managed or sailed?
It has eliminated the need for RC in small fleets if you are willing to make the investment in robotic marks. It has eliminated a lot of time spent pinging marks and restarting after General recalls. In many cases, this allows more races in a day, or at least more races while the wind is good.
What do you think RaceSense brings to the table that traditional race management systems don’t?
I am not certain what you mean by "traditional race management systems", but I would say the OCS notification is great. Because the system can identify all OCS boats, the need for general recalls is greatly reduced, which eliminates wasted time and allows for more racing.
How do you feel personally when you're racing with RaceSense—does it change your mindset or strategy on the water
It changes starting strategy, as it eliminates the strategy of forcing other boats over, to achieve a General recall, when someone has a bad position. It also takes away the strategy of hiding behind other boats that are "more" OCS.
