Yes, we live the lush life here on the Berkeley Riviera. On race nights, savory zephyrs of grilling sirloin and chanterelles waft down from the yacht club terrace, gently mixing with the jasmine of our manicured gardens. Peacock and pheasant patrol the docks. The washrooms and baths are adorned in Carrara marble.
All is not bliss, though. Last month, I was fined for failing to finish my docklines in Flemish coils.
Learning to sail is a series of terrifying 'firsts' for everyone. The first time on your own at the helm. The first dinghy capsize. The first time we back out of the slip in a boat big enough to do serious damage. The first time we take the family out and realize the trust they've placed in us. The first passage - even if only from one side of the bay to the other. We agonize over all that could possibly go wrong, and still we know there are things we must be forgetting - there are monsters out there we can never know.
It's in our moments of personal terror that we begin to realize just what Sir Robin accomplished - how much more terrible his monsters must have been than ours, and the courage it took to confront them - with a whole nation watching.
04/24/09Been a while since we've done one of these, so let's get to it: The Rules Guy, Bryan Willis.
Q: I'm in a Laser going downwind, by the lee on starboard gybe. Wind is about 5 knots. There is another laser which has already rounded the leeward mark, coming upwind towards me on starboard tack. We hold our courses, with him on a bearing to pass to my port side, and me to pass on his port side. We're on more or less reciprocal bearings. As we pass, my boom hits his mast. There is no damage. We both protest. Who is wrong? Who should get chucked?
-Matt Knowles
A: This has always been a bit of a conundrum. If you take the situation a few boat lengths back, the running boat was probably on the windward side of the boat close-hauled, so the running boat is the keep-clear boat. When she crosses the line projecting ahead of the close-hauled boat she ceases being the keep-clear boat and so might possibly be said to ‘acquire right-of-way’, requiring her to initially gives room to the other boat (rule 15).
But if you just take the situation you describe, and if both boats are sailing steady courses, then both boats are on starboard tack and both are on the other boat’s leeward side, so neither is windward boat, and rule 11 doesn’t apply. The only rule that can be applied is rule 14 requiring each to avoid contact with the other and if there is damage, both boats could be penalized.
At a meeting today in Geneva, the America’s Cup defending yacht club, Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), confirmed that it accepts the Golden Gate Yacht Club’s (GGYC) challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup and informed representatives of the American yacht club that its team, Alinghi, will be ready to race their 90x90ft boat (as stated in the GGYC Notice of Challenge) in 2010.
On the David Frost television talk show one night early in 1970, there appeared as one of the guests a young bearded man of remarkable poise, engaging of personality, with a well-modulated British accent of the kind that seems to fascinate Americans. Unlike many of the tortured, self-righteous, bearded young dissidents of the period who populated this production, this one seemed almost disgustingly "normal" in political views and reaction to social stimuli. In fact, Mr. Frost had some difficulty keeping his guest's mind off one of the other guests a beautiful and voluptuous movie starlet.
What had he missed most, Frost asked, on his 313-day nonstop solo voyage around the world in Suhaili?
The young man leered at the other guest and replied: "What do
you think?"
Sailing is fun. I do it for fun anyway. It's meant to be fun. Isn't it?
OK, occasionally it's not fun. Such as the times when I do something stupid and hurt myself... like the time I almost chopped my finger off.
But the dudes racing in something called the Volvo Ocean Race have taken "doing it for fun" to a whole new level. According to this medical update from the race website, the chappies sailing in this extravaganza are having an extraordinary number of cases of "injured while having fun". Here is just a sample of the fun they have had so far...
Way too much fun for me.
I will never do the Volvo Ocean Race. I may have #11 but I don't want #18 thanks very much.
Until the next time... have fun!
My regatta; the Easter Laser Regatta; the regatta which I have personally financed and hosted for 25 consecutive years, was not included in the Winter Laser Sailor. It was left out of the 2009 districts schedule which was published on page 37.
Last year the Vice President of the Class showed up at the event and demanded that we all pay dues to the Laser Class Association. Each of us paid annual dues to that associtaion. A year later, a schedule has been published and the 26th annual version of the event where each of us paid our dues is not included.
I feel not only slapped in the face but I feel I let a person come in to my registration area and rip off my friends.
After calming down for a few weeks, I am attempting for the second time to start a thread about this matter without violating the "friendly love and kisses" nature of this forum.
The philosophical question upon which I would like to read feedback and discussion:
Is it the responsability of our paid employees to gather information and publish that information or is it the duty of our sailors to get that information to the office?
To: All North American Laser Class Association Members
From: North American Laser Class Executive Committee
An emergency meeting of the Executive Committee was held by conference call on Monday 30th March. All members of the committee attended. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the question raised by Mr. Fred Schroth (gouvernail) on the Laser Forum "Why Have an Association?"
After length discussion the committee concluded...
- The primary purpose of the Class Association is to promote Laser sailing in North America. Historically the main vehicle for achieving this has been to publish information about Laser fleets and regattas in a quarterly class newsletter.
- In the last few years, regatta organizers and District Secretaries have, almost universally, moved to using electronic methods to publish this information via district websites, email, social networking services etc. In fact, very few district secretaries are now bothering to provide the class office with timely regatta information for the North American class newsletter.
- As a result, the newsletter, like many other print publications, is becoming obsolete. And the role of the North America Class organization in publishing information about Laser activity in the region is becoming marginalized.
- We therefore conclude that in the very near future the need for a North American Class Association will disappear, with the role of promoting the sport being taken over entirely by the Districts.
At the conclusion of this discussion, a motion was proposed, seconded and unanimously passed by the Executive Committee to the effect that "This committee recognizes the diminishing role of the North American Laser Class Association and recommends to the membership that the NALCA be disbanded."
We are submitting this recommendation to the membership for approval (by a simple majority). Please go to the class website to vote on the recommendation by May 31. If approved, the class will be wound up, all class dues for 2009 will be refunded,and the assets will be distributed equally among all current members. We would like to thank you for your support in the past and to express our appreciation to Mr. Schroth for raising this important issue.
