Tuesday, September 16, 2014

The Short Batten

Last night I had the strangest dream I ever dreamed before.

I dreamed I was at a Laser sailing clinic in Puerto Rico.

(In real life I have been to Puerto Rico several times, but never to a Laser sailing clinic there.)

After we sailed for a while we would stop and haul out our boats on to a floating dock and then drag them inside some classroom on the dock where the coach would give us some more instruction.

Then we would go sailing again.

One time after we had hauled all our Lasers inside I couldn't remember whether I had pulled mine out of the water or not.

I looked for my Laser. It wasn't in the classroom. I couldn't see it out on the sea.

After a while the instructor joined me in looking for my Laser and we got in the coach boat and went searching for it.

We never did find it.

But all the time I had a batten from my sail in my hand. The short batten.

Laser battens



What does it all mean?


9 comments:

Sigmund said...

Read my book...

/Pam said...

Hmmm ... losing your Laser, having to request the help of a mommy boat and holding the short stick ... are you having second thoughts about the RS Aero?

R said...

You must have reefed your sail if you wound up with the shore one in hand.

Tillerman said...

/Pam - it might be related to the Aero, I suppose. Am I subconsciously worried that if I get an Aero I won't be interested in the Laser any more? That's not what I'm thinking consciously. I plan to sail and race both boats, just as I did when I had a Sunfish and a Laser. Variety is the spice of life. But who knows what deep dark fears lurk in the recesses of my subconscious mind?

R (are you R1 or R3 or another R?) - I'm pretty sure I didn't reef or derig. No idea how I ended up with the short batten. Very strange.

R1 said...

You see, I told you there was more than one R, hence my R1. I'm sure I saw an R3 here the other day too. I might have to revert to a real name, but I will let you know if I do.

I have no idea what your dream was about. Short batten - short straw? Dunno. But do you ever find that you have a memory that you aren't sure was a dream or a real memory? Maybe go an check your Laser is in the garage/boat-park....

George A said...

This is precisely why I sew in all my battens. I hate arriving with just the short one.

Tillerman said...

R1 - short batten = short straw. I hadn't thought of that one. Could be. But usually that means you have been selected for something bad, doesn't it? What could that be? I have to bring the beer for the whole fleet the next time I go sailing?

George - sew in battens? I don't think that's allowed in Laser class rules. I actually carry a tube full of about a dozen Laser battens in my car that I have acquired somehow over the years, including the ones signed by the official measurer at the Worlds In Australia that were later rejected as too short by the official measure at the Worlds in England. Now that's what I call too much faffing around. Anyway as I have several short and long battens and they never leave the car, I always have enough for me and to lend to friends who lose theirs.

Anonymous said...

I have Irish in my blood. I have always had a short stick. Don't worry about it. It's not the size of the wand.
John in PDX

Tillerman said...

John - a Laser short batten can have a maximum length of 400mm.

http://www.laserinternational.org/rules/classrules/measurementdiagrams/standardmastandbottomsection

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