You're Never Too Old

Age creeps up on all of us. I can't run as fast as I could when I was younger. I sometimes wonder if my sailing performance will go downhill as I get older too. Then I read an inspirational story such as the one today about Dale Davis, aged 78, who just bowled a perfect 300. And here's the kicker, Dale is not only an old geezer, he is also blind. The only sight Davis has today is a foggy spot of peripheral vision in his right eye that requires him to turn his head to use and that he uses to find where he needs to line up on the lane.

"After I went blind, I just assumed it wouldn’t happen," he said of the doubts he had. "I always knew I wanted to have a 300, but I never thought it would be possible, especially as I got older and couldn’t see. Bowling rejuvenated me. I’ve got a love for this game I can’t even describe."

Bowling being a part of Davis’ life again has also taught him another important lesson: You’re never too old to set goals for yourself.

"Hopefully I’ll do this again when I’m 90."

What a guy. He's not losing his bearings. My hero of the day.

Cuttlefish on Fridays

Ice cream anyone? Make mine a rum-raisin and cuttlefish in a sugar cone.

The Economic Times of India is reporting that scientists have invented a way of making ice cream from cuttlefish. Mmmmm. Yummy.

Adventures in Boating

Today's contribution to our Learning Experiences group writing project comes from Robert Hruzek who writes the blog Middle Zone Musings. His learning experience, Adventures in Boating, includes the words sludge, sinking, suction, quicksand... and is all about how Robert learned never to forget the gas tank when he goes sailing.

Please keep the stories coming. You have until 17 May to write your contributions. More information on what to do at Learning Experiences. Any kind of story that is related to learning and sailing is welcome.

Poppasquash Poppycock

It is good to be solitary, for solitude is difficult;
that something is difficult must be a reason the more for us to do it.
Rainer Maria Rilke

I'm worried about me.

I'm afraid that I'm changing from that aggressive, kick-ass Laser racer that I used to be .... check that, I mean that aggressive, kick-ass Laser racer that I used to aspire to be... and that I'm turning into a contemplative, philosophical guy that likes to sail around on his own staring ecstatically at his own bow wave.

I went for another solo sail on Tuesday on the west side of Poppasquash Point in Bristol. It was warmer and less windy than my previous sail. No icy waves slapping me in the face. No cold water down my neck. Almost idyllic.

I sailed upwind for a while then headed back down. Tried starboard tack for a while and then gybed on to port. As I bore away to sail by the lee I suddenly hit a magic angle. I could bear away a little and ride the waves down and then head up slightly and break over the next crest. Down up down up. Surf the downhill then up and over the hump. It was hypnotic. I just wanted to keep sailing at that magic angle for ever. Down up down up.

I pondered how this solitary enjoyment of riding through the waves would never happen in a race. I would be thinking furiously about how to keep my air clear and how the racing rules apply to the tactics for passing that boat in front and which side of the course is favored and which side of the fleet I need to be at the mark rounding and how my boat speed is compared to that guy and whether I will have an overlap on that boat at the mark...

I'm concerned that I'm becoming addicted to this solitary sailing and losing my passion for racing, or even for practice with other sailors. Maybe I'm turning into one of those moody single-handed sailing types that Edward loves to abuse on the EVK4SuperBlog? Next thing you know I will be quoting Rilke and Camus and posting peace videos on my blog.

I'm worried about me.

The only real progress lies in learning to be wrong all alone.
Albert Camus

Helping Hands

One thing I like about these group writing projects, such as our current one Learning Experiences, is that I don't have to think of something new to write on my blog every day; the Tillerheads do all the work. (Oh, by the way, if you were wondering who coined the word Tillerheads to define readers of this blog... it was bonnie from frogma.)

The Tillerhead of the Day is Jos M Spijkerman who writes Racing Rules of Sailing- Look to Windward, which is, without a doubt, one of the best blogs on the planet about the racing rules. His post Helping Hands is about a "learning experience" he had in one of his first events working as an international match-racing umpire... how he almost made a huge rookie mistake... and how he learned when not to lend a helping hand.

Thanks Jos who shows that there are all sorts of unexpected ways to interpret the theme of this project. Plenty of time left for you, yes you, to participate. Full instructions at Learning Experiences.

David Anderson's Small Boat Sailing Adventures

One of the benefits of a group writing project such as our current one on Learning Experiences is that it is an excellent opportunity for writers of less widely known sailing blogs to showcase their work, and to attract new readers in the process. Such is the case for David Anderson's Small Boat Sailing Adventures, a blog which David claims is only read by his best sailing buddy and his Mom. Hmmm, we all feel like that some days David, except in my case I know that even my own Mom doesn't read my blog.

David has submitted several posts that fit into the Learning Experiences category.

In We Can Learn he writes about how his struggles in learning to gybe in heavier air remind him of his four-year-old's frustration in trying to learn to ride a bike. Practice is the key, he suggests. Then in Learning is Gud he puts his suggestion to the test as he practices multiple gybes and capsize recoveries in his Megabyte. This guy is keen!

In Father's Day Sail he learned a few things about sailing with his family, and in Mothra vs. Benicia he has a few tips on hoisting and dousing sails while under way.

All good stuff. And there's plenty more where that came from. Check out David Anderson's Small Boat Sailing Adventures.

Thanks for leading the way David. Plenty of time for others to submit stuff for the group writing project. Full instructions at Learning Experiences.

No More

Today, May 6, is Bob Seger's birthday.

Learning Experiences

It's time for another group writing project, a bit like the one we ran last May on Worst Sailing Mistakes. This time the subject is Learning Experiences.

Same rules as before. This is how it works...

1. Write a post on your blog about a "learning experience" that is related to sailing. Some of us use that phrase to describe a major screw-up as in, "Oh no! Not another learning experience." But you can interpret it how you want. It might be a story about a funny or an embarrassing mistake you made, or it might be a serious post about something you learned while sailing, or something you learned from a book or a course, or even a tale in praise of a favorite instructor or coach. It can be about racing or cruising or day-sailing.If you have pictures or video we'd love to see them. The idea is for us to create a collection of our learning experiences that will be of interest to fellow sailors.

2. Once you've posted your story, let me know about it by sending an email to tillermeister@gmail.com including a link to your post. If you don't have a blog just email me the story and I will post it here. Please let me know about your post or send me your story before Saturday 17 May. By the way, please give your story a title that is more descriptive than "Learning Experience". Otherwise I will be forced to choose a unique title to use in the link and you don't want that, believe me.

3. I will post here two links to your story. Every day or so I will write a post listing any new stories. Then at the end of the project I will provide a summary post with links to all of your learning experiences.

4. Then it's your turn: surf, surf, surf. Check out all of the stories and leave comments here letting us know which ones you like best. If you wish you can also link to some or all of the stories on your own blog. It's all about sharing information with fellow sailing bloggers and learning from each other.

Please participate in this project. Do it for fun. Do it to so that new readers will find your blog. Do it as a public service. Just do it.

Rumstick Reaching

Thurs May 1

I have a confession to make.

I've never really mastered a basic Laser sailing skill that's covered in all the beginner handbooks, and that kids usually pick up almost straight away when learning to sail... I've never really got the hang of using the toe-strap to hike when I'm reaching.

In my defense let me give you my pathetic list of excuses as to how I've managed to sail and race a Laser since Reagan's first term without this essential skill in my armory...

First of all I'm fairly tall and fairly heavy (as Laser sailors go) and all the sailing clubs to which I have belonged have been inland lake clubs with relatively light winds. So usually I have been able to keep the boat flat when reaching by planting my butt on the side deck, or worst case hooking my toes under the grab-rail on the far side of the cockpit. In other words I am too fat.

Secondly, the standard advice for sailing a reach using the toe-strap is to rig an adjustable strap so you can tighten it for reaching from the looser position you need when beating. I've experimented with this but have always found it too fiddly, too much of a hassle to mess about trying to pull one bit of string at the back of the cockpit before a reach and another part of the same bit of string at the back of the cockpit after the reach along with all the other bits of string at the front of the cockpit that have to be pulled or released at the same time. Yes, in other words as well as being too fat I am also too lazy to bother with setting the toe-strap properly when nine times out of ten I don't really need to use it on a reach anyway.

Ah but what about the one time out of ten I do need to hike using the toe-strap on a reach? Whenever the wind is over 20 knots say and/or the reach is tighter than a beam reach, then I really need to hike properly. But I can't. Because either my toe-strap is too loose (see above under too lazy) or even if it is tight I have never sailed that way enough to be effective at it (see above under too fat.)

Oh, I forgot. There's a third reason. Most race committees at Laser regattas in North America seem to set windward-leeward courses. So we hardly ever need to reach anyway. But at the Masters Worlds we sail trapezoid courses with long reaches, and sometimes it is windy enough to hike, and on those races I lost gazillions of places on the reaches... not to mention being overtaken by suicidal Aussies intent on wiping us both out as in How Many Times I Have Fallen.

So I've decided it's time to fix this problem. On Thursday I went for a practice off Bristol Highlands just south of Rumstick Point. It was blowing 18-20 knots. I had an adjustable toe-strap rigged so I used it and practiced reaching using the toe-strap all afternoon.

I learned...

• it's not all that hard
  
  
• but the art of keeping the boat balanced using body, sheet and tiller is a bit different from the same skill on a beat
  
  
• when reaching into the waves they often break in your face
  
  
• the water is still very cold especially when a wave breaks in your face every five seconds
  
  
• if you have your mouth open when a wave breaks in your face you will swallow some water
  
  
• the water tastes salty when you swallow it
  
  
• cold water down your neck is very invigorating
  
  
• nobody else in Rhode Island is yet out playing in small boats on this part of the bay on a Thursday afternoon
  
  
• it was slightly stupid to be out on my own but I survived
  
  
• confession is good for the soul
  
  
• socks are good for the sole too.
  

Well Said Sir

I'm a lurker on the Laser Forum but I have to admit that, after a while, a lot of the stuff posted there becomes pretty tedious. Oh no, not another thread whining about how the sails don't last for ever. Oh no, not another newcomer to the class who wants to redesign everything on the boat. These folk just don't get it.

Then occasionally someone posts something that captures with total clarity what Laser sailing is really about. Such was the case today in a post by Debos, which I have reproduced in full below.

The laser is not the fastest boat in the world, it is not the slowest, it is not the prettiest(particularly with its sail up), it is not the best downwind, or upwind, it goes pretty well on a reach, if you can keep it upright. It isn't the cheapest boat out there, and it clearly isn't the most expensive. It is nearly useless for camping, and it has no loo. The unstayed rig trims counter-intuitively to stayed rigs. It is not built to last forever, but is reasonably durable.

It is arguably the most popular race boat in the world, I think for 2 simple reasons:

• it was introduced at a time that it had no real competition and a huge demand for the concept, giving it a huge marketing head start, and
  
  
• the class has made a serious, long term commitment to keeping the boat as one-design as possible.

These factors combine to produce the 6 figure sail numbers stretching across the sails of new boats.

It would be nice if the manufacturers were able to provide us with prettier sails, that lasted a bit longer, for a more reasonable price, but they have figured out what we are willing to put up with and have set the bar there. The sails we have produce fairly even racing, and unless you are in superb physical shape, and compete at the very top level, the difference between a one race sail and a 30 or 40 race sail can be blown by a few minutes of lazy hiking, or inattention at the helm.

If you want to race the fastest boat in the world, you need to find a different class.

If you want the opportunity to redesign deck layouts, design new sails, alter foil shapes, add hiking systems, etc, you need to find a new class.

If you want the best, purest one-design singlehanded racing possible, available in practically every body of water that humans sail on, choose the Laser.

Well said, sir.