I wasn't sure how my readers would respond to the topic of Less is More for a group writing project. Would anybody else find it interesting enough to bother writing a post on that theme? I needn't have worried. We've had a great response so far, including six more posts today...
Firstly we have another Laser freak like me who has let his enthusiasm for the boat take him to a whole new extreme of minimalist blogging. Sam Chapin offers LASER TWO WORD STUFF.
Then we had Susie Pegel's Star and Laser Comparison which makes a pretty convincing case for the 'Less is More' movement.
Having rubbished the Laser in his first submission, Earwigoagin comes around the course on his second lap and takes a whack at the Sunfish too in Less is More; The Sunfish...... Not!
Jos of Look to Windward attacks the issue in LTW on 'Less is More', with a great example of 'Less is More' from the Racing Rules. But he doesn't want you to read his post. Do not go there. And if you do go there, he begs you not to look up the Rule he has in mind. You have been warned.
Half the time I have no idea what Greg and Kris are talking about. Is ahem something to do with 'Less is More'? It's certainly about less sailing and less blogging. But where is the 'more'? 'Down with this sort of thing,' I say.
Finally, Pat says if less is more..., then his kayak certainly fits the bill. Nice one. What can beat a kayak as the ultimate example of minimalist boating? Isn't anyone going to put in a good word for surfing or stand-up paddling?
The project will remain open until midnight on Monday October 19. Full instructions on how to participate at Less is More.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Song for the Day: Streets of Philadelphia
So why is the song for the day? What makes it topical?
I think this one's a bit easier than last week's question.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Star and Laser Comparison
Before I wrote my own paean on the Laser for our Less is More writing project I received an email with a submission from Susie Pegel, in which she addressed the same issue by comparing the Laser and the Star. Susie of course has had a distinguished sailing career in both classes, winning the Laser North Americans as a young woman, competing successfully in the Star in her "middle" years, and is now a regular on the Laser Masters circuit (where she still beats most of the men.)
These days I tend to avoid posting a direct comparison between the Laser and another class of boat because of the inevitable impression it creates that I am implying that someone else's choice of boat is inferior to mine. So before you attack this post just remember
Peter Vessella, John MacCausland and I can speak to the topic of "LESS IS MORE." I am referring to comparing and contrasting the Star to the Laser.
These days I tend to avoid posting a direct comparison between the Laser and another class of boat because of the inevitable impression it creates that I am implying that someone else's choice of boat is inferior to mine. So before you attack this post just remember
- It's not written by me.
- Susie knows what she's talking about (even if I often don't).
- Just because some of us like Lasers doesn't mean that we don't know that they aren't for everybody.
- Personally I think it's a marvelous thing that are so many different kinds of sailing boats and so many different styles of sailing. That way we can all choose a boat that suits our interests, aptitude, and income.
Chacun à son goût!
Peter Vessella, John MacCausland and I can speak to the topic of "LESS IS MORE." I am referring to comparing and contrasting the Star to the Laser.
| STAR | LASER |
| more control lines than you can count | 5 control lines |
| crew required | no crew required |
| trailer required | trailer optional |
| hand brake on trailer | dig your flip-flops into the gravel to stop runaway boat |
| usually mast breaks when you death roll (see Vince Brun death roll, 1988 Star NAs) | mast does not break when you death roll |
| hiking strap and hiking vest required | need hiking strap only |
| halyards | no halyards |
| more stays than you can count | no stays |
| spreaders | no spreaders |
| jib | no jib |
| whisker pole | no whisker pole |
| $65,000 for a new boat | $6,000 for a new boat |
| spreaders and stays constantly need adjusting for changing conditions | only need to adjust outhaul, cunningham and vang for changing conditions |
| more expensive than a 3-ring circus | more fun than a barrel of monkeys |
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
More Less is More
Four more posts in our Less is More group writing project for your enjoyment...
Some_day-soling aka Skipper of the Starboard Racing Vessel has contributed Less is More in Sailing and Everything I Know About That I Learned from My Boat in which she writes about the "exquisite moments" of sailing and why "less is more is what sailing is all about". Couldn't have said it better myself.
You could see this one coming. Of course when I selected the Less is More topic I was thinking about the Laser.
But then Earwigoagin has to go and disagree with me about the Laser. There's always one at every party, isn't there? He says Less is More; The Laser......Not! Oh well. You can't win 'em all. Sigh!
And finally we have Janna who has written a whole book about love and sailing which I'm going to review one day. She sums it all up on the Less is More theme with a post on her blog titled Love and Sailing: All About Time in the Boat.
There's still plenty of time for you to share your words of wisdom on the Less is More theme with the world. The project is open until next Monday, October 19.
Do it now. You know you want to.
Full instructions at Less is More.
Some_day-soling aka Skipper of the Starboard Racing Vessel has contributed Less is More in Sailing and Everything I Know About That I Learned from My Boat in which she writes about the "exquisite moments" of sailing and why "less is more is what sailing is all about". Couldn't have said it better myself.
You could see this one coming. Of course when I selected the Less is More topic I was thinking about the Laser.
But then Earwigoagin has to go and disagree with me about the Laser. There's always one at every party, isn't there? He says Less is More; The Laser......Not! Oh well. You can't win 'em all. Sigh!
And finally we have Janna who has written a whole book about love and sailing which I'm going to review one day. She sums it all up on the Less is More theme with a post on her blog titled Love and Sailing: All About Time in the Boat.
There's still plenty of time for you to share your words of wisdom on the Less is More theme with the world. The project is open until next Monday, October 19.
Do it now. You know you want to.
Full instructions at Less is More.
Breaking the Rules
One thing that anal-retentive people like me hate is when other people "break the rules."
It drives me crazy when I'm racing if some other sailor breaks one of the Racing Rules of Sailing and then smiles sweetly and offers some excuse as to why it's "really OK". I wrote about these evildoers at Top 10 Reasons For Not Doing a 720.
There are rules in blogging too. At least there are rules in my group writing projects like Less is More. Not terribly stringent rules. Just common-sense stuff like "write something new", "stick to the topic", and "submit it on time".
People try and break these rules all the time. It drives me nuts. Did I mention that I'm anal-retentive?
O Docker tried to break the rules for Less is More with some cock-and-bull story about how he had read my mind and thought of the topic before I did and so I should accept some random post he had written the day before I started the project even though it had nothing to do with Less is More. I put him in his place, I can tell you. At least he had the decency to submit a proper entry a few days later.
Then today I received this email. The writer (who asked me to review her book a few days ago) was even cheeky enough to admit her crime in the subject line of her email:
It's clear she is just using this as another pretext to flog her book. She is seeking to ride the waves of my vast on-line readership to attract readers to her blog and hopefully to sell a few more copies of her book. Her article Love and Sailing: All About Time in the Boat is very charming, to be sure, but I don't see how it fits in with the theme Less is More (in spite of those feeble arguments in her email and her kids having the plague and all that crap) and it's certainly not new... so it's AGAINST THE RULES.
There is no way I'm going to fall for her ploy. I will not link to her article or her blog or her book, even though it does have a rather intriguing, if somewhat long, title The Motion of the Ocean: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, and a Woman's Search for the Meaning of Wife and a cute YouTube trailer.
You can't fool me Ms Cawrse Esarey. Rules are rules. Did I mention that I'm anal-retentive?
In line with proposed new FTC rules I hereby disclose that Ms Cawrse Esarey has offered to send me a review copy of her book which of course I haven't read yet because it hasn't arrived yet and I may or may not keep it if it does arrive and this post should not be read as an endorsement of Ms Cawrse Esarey's book and even if it were the new FTC rules don't apply to December. Did I mention that I'm anal-retentive?
It drives me crazy when I'm racing if some other sailor breaks one of the Racing Rules of Sailing and then smiles sweetly and offers some excuse as to why it's "really OK". I wrote about these evildoers at Top 10 Reasons For Not Doing a 720.
There are rules in blogging too. At least there are rules in my group writing projects like Less is More. Not terribly stringent rules. Just common-sense stuff like "write something new", "stick to the topic", and "submit it on time".
People try and break these rules all the time. It drives me nuts. Did I mention that I'm anal-retentive?
O Docker tried to break the rules for Less is More with some cock-and-bull story about how he had read my mind and thought of the topic before I did and so I should accept some random post he had written the day before I started the project even though it had nothing to do with Less is More. I put him in his place, I can tell you. At least he had the decency to submit a proper entry a few days later.
Then today I received this email. The writer (who asked me to review her book a few days ago) was even cheeky enough to admit her crime in the subject line of her email:
Can you believe the bare-faced cheek of this person? Who does she think I am? Does she have no respect for rules? Doesn't she know I am anal-retentive?This is definitely against the rulesHi Tillerman,
It's me again, the lady flogging the book. Well, I'm writing because, actually, I was wondering if I could enter your less is more writing project. I have an entry that is perfect for so many reasons:
1) It's a lone sailing story on a blog about relationships (less is more)
2) about how the only race my fanatical racer of a husband has ever won (less is more)
3) was in a non-flying-sails class (less is more)
4) with only one crew member aboard (less is more)
5) and that crew member was lil ole me (less is definitely more as it was my first race ever--except one Snipe race with my dad circa 1979).
Perfect, right? Well, the only problem is I wrote this perfect post back in July, long before less is more was even a glint in your eye. So I'm assuming I'm automatically disqualified since I'm not psychic like O docker--and you made him write a new one anyway.
Sigh.
I'm convinced that's my fate as well, but thought I'd try to play on your sympathies (two young children, very little childcare, we've all had the flu--no, not the flu, the plague!).
All in fun,
Janna
P.S. Here's the post: http://blog.seattlepi.com/happilyevenafter/archives/171071.asp
It's clear she is just using this as another pretext to flog her book. She is seeking to ride the waves of my vast on-line readership to attract readers to her blog and hopefully to sell a few more copies of her book. Her article Love and Sailing: All About Time in the Boat is very charming, to be sure, but I don't see how it fits in with the theme Less is More (in spite of those feeble arguments in her email and her kids having the plague and all that crap) and it's certainly not new... so it's AGAINST THE RULES.
There is no way I'm going to fall for her ploy. I will not link to her article or her blog or her book, even though it does have a rather intriguing, if somewhat long, title The Motion of the Ocean: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, and a Woman's Search for the Meaning of Wife and a cute YouTube trailer.
You can't fool me Ms Cawrse Esarey. Rules are rules. Did I mention that I'm anal-retentive?
In line with proposed new FTC rules I hereby disclose that Ms Cawrse Esarey has offered to send me a review copy of her book which of course I haven't read yet because it hasn't arrived yet and I may or may not keep it if it does arrive and this post should not be read as an endorsement of Ms Cawrse Esarey's book and even if it were the new FTC rules don't apply to December. Did I mention that I'm anal-retentive?
Where Can I Learn to Sail in a Laser?
I received an email a few days ago with a question about sailing that I couldn't answer.
But then I realized that I don't know of any sailing schools that teach total beginners in Lasers. In fact, most of the schools I know start beginners out on keelboats or on two-man dinghies, with an instructor in each boat with the students.
There's a good reason for that I suspect. When the instructor in is in the same boat as the beginners, it's much easier to show them what to do, and to correct their inevitable mistakes before one of those mistakes causes them to capsize, or broach, or crash into another boat, or head off uncontrollably in the general direction of Bermuda. Shouting from a nearby motor-boat is a poor second to (literally) hands-on instruction.
It's also a lot easier for raw beginners to learn the various elements of sailing a boat separately at first. Where is the wind coming from? What course do you want to steer? How should you balance the boat? How should you trim the sails? How should you steer? In a single-hander on your own you basically have to learn everything at once.
In particular I always found when teaching kids in Optimists and Sunfish that it was almost essential to have them learn the two skills of (a) steering and (b) trimming the sail separately at first. It was just too much for most kids to learn those skills simultaneously in the first lesson. I suspect it's even harder for older brains.
There's also the factor that the total beginner in a lively single-hander like a Laser has none of those self preservation instincts that are natural to more experienced sailors after a few hours in the boat. They don't automatically ease the sheets and/or hike harder when a puff hits... so they capsize to leeward. And if the boat accelerates to a scary (to them) speed on a reach they don't know that heading up or easing the sheet will slow them down. They are just as likely to panic and bear off and end up in a death roll. You can tell them this stuff on the land but until they've had a few capsizes like that they just don't have the quick reactions to avoid trouble.
No big deal, you might say. Let them go out in a 20 knot breeze and capsize a few times. Well, I guess that's one way to teach sailing but it's not a good feeling for a sailing instructor when a gust hits his class of 6 or 8 kids in single-handers and they all scream off out of control in different directions and execute wild capsizes in random places about half a mile from each other, and then start crying for help. Been there, done that. Got the T-shirt. Learned the hard way. (The parents of New Jersey sleep easier in their beds now that I am no longer teaching their kids to sail.)
To be sure, there are some schools that teach beginners in single-handers but they usually use a boat a little more stable and forgiving than a Laser. For example, Minorca Sailing (of which I have written here) uses the Laser Pico for instructing beginners.
My correspondent referenced the Laser Sailing School in Weymouth in the UK (which is operated by the manufacturer of Lasers and other boats: LaserPerformance.) Judging by their website they don't use Lasers for beginner classes either. They teach the first two RYA levels in the Stratos (keelboat), Bahia (dinghy for up to 4 adults), and Pico (single-hander). Once you have passed those two levels you can move on to their Introduction to Lasers course.
It's not that the Laser is especially hard to sail. But it probably is a bit too lively for most raw beginners in any wind above 10 knots, say. I'm sure some people do teach themselves sailing from scratch in a Laser, by starting off in lighter winds and then going out in stronger winds as they gain confidence. But I don't know of any sailing schools that use the Laser as a training boat for people like my friend who "knows nothing about sailing." Sorry.
However, the skills of sailing any dinghy are basically the same. So I would encourage the writer of the email to attend any good sailing school in whatever boats they have. And then go out and use what he has learned in his own Laser next summer. That's what I did.
Alternatively he could go to a school (like the one in Weymouth and Minorca Sailing) that has beginner classes followed by an intermediate class in Lasers... and plan on enough time to cover both classes.
Or can any of my readers give my friend a better answer to his question?
Dear Mr. Tillerman:Hmmm. You would think that would be easy.
I too am 60-something.
I too would like to die in a Laser.
But I am a prairie boy from Calgary, Alberta who knows nothing about sailing.
I recently bought a Laser.
I need to learn to sail it.
If I could wait till next summer, I'd go to the Laser Sailing School in Weymouth, England and make a holiday out of it. But I can't wait. Nor can I face another winter in the cold frozen north (Canada) without a break.
Do you know of any schools where a guy could attend for a week or so to learn how to rig and sail a Laser? I mean, anywhere in the world, though Florida or California would be the most convenient. But convenience is not as important as learning how to sail; so I'd go anywhere, preferably in February when winter is at its worst up here.
But then I realized that I don't know of any sailing schools that teach total beginners in Lasers. In fact, most of the schools I know start beginners out on keelboats or on two-man dinghies, with an instructor in each boat with the students.
There's a good reason for that I suspect. When the instructor in is in the same boat as the beginners, it's much easier to show them what to do, and to correct their inevitable mistakes before one of those mistakes causes them to capsize, or broach, or crash into another boat, or head off uncontrollably in the general direction of Bermuda. Shouting from a nearby motor-boat is a poor second to (literally) hands-on instruction.
It's also a lot easier for raw beginners to learn the various elements of sailing a boat separately at first. Where is the wind coming from? What course do you want to steer? How should you balance the boat? How should you trim the sails? How should you steer? In a single-hander on your own you basically have to learn everything at once.
In particular I always found when teaching kids in Optimists and Sunfish that it was almost essential to have them learn the two skills of (a) steering and (b) trimming the sail separately at first. It was just too much for most kids to learn those skills simultaneously in the first lesson. I suspect it's even harder for older brains.
There's also the factor that the total beginner in a lively single-hander like a Laser has none of those self preservation instincts that are natural to more experienced sailors after a few hours in the boat. They don't automatically ease the sheets and/or hike harder when a puff hits... so they capsize to leeward. And if the boat accelerates to a scary (to them) speed on a reach they don't know that heading up or easing the sheet will slow them down. They are just as likely to panic and bear off and end up in a death roll. You can tell them this stuff on the land but until they've had a few capsizes like that they just don't have the quick reactions to avoid trouble.
No big deal, you might say. Let them go out in a 20 knot breeze and capsize a few times. Well, I guess that's one way to teach sailing but it's not a good feeling for a sailing instructor when a gust hits his class of 6 or 8 kids in single-handers and they all scream off out of control in different directions and execute wild capsizes in random places about half a mile from each other, and then start crying for help. Been there, done that. Got the T-shirt. Learned the hard way. (The parents of New Jersey sleep easier in their beds now that I am no longer teaching their kids to sail.)
To be sure, there are some schools that teach beginners in single-handers but they usually use a boat a little more stable and forgiving than a Laser. For example, Minorca Sailing (of which I have written here) uses the Laser Pico for instructing beginners.
My correspondent referenced the Laser Sailing School in Weymouth in the UK (which is operated by the manufacturer of Lasers and other boats: LaserPerformance.) Judging by their website they don't use Lasers for beginner classes either. They teach the first two RYA levels in the Stratos (keelboat), Bahia (dinghy for up to 4 adults), and Pico (single-hander). Once you have passed those two levels you can move on to their Introduction to Lasers course.
It's not that the Laser is especially hard to sail. But it probably is a bit too lively for most raw beginners in any wind above 10 knots, say. I'm sure some people do teach themselves sailing from scratch in a Laser, by starting off in lighter winds and then going out in stronger winds as they gain confidence. But I don't know of any sailing schools that use the Laser as a training boat for people like my friend who "knows nothing about sailing." Sorry.
However, the skills of sailing any dinghy are basically the same. So I would encourage the writer of the email to attend any good sailing school in whatever boats they have. And then go out and use what he has learned in his own Laser next summer. That's what I did.
Alternatively he could go to a school (like the one in Weymouth and Minorca Sailing) that has beginner classes followed by an intermediate class in Lasers... and plan on enough time to cover both classes.
Or can any of my readers give my friend a better answer to his question?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Laser
I like my Laser.
It's simple
like me.
Less is
more.
It's simple
like me.
Less is
more.
Some of the many reasons that I sail a Laser are so that I don't have to deal with stuff like...
sanding
caulking
handicaps
navigation
hauling out
finding a crew
training a crew
shouting at a crew
marine electronics
being boarded by the US Coast Guard
learning how to rig and fly a spinnaker
understanding what a "fly away jib pole" is for
all the boat maintenance needed for a cruising yacht
selecting and installing WiFi network equipment on my boat
learning how to use a whisker pole and a jib thing-a-majingy
not being able to sail because the crew is busy this weekend
and trying to decide whether to buy the boat with a "walk around bed" or the one for $50k less.
Racing a Laser is basically very simple.
All I have to do is work on...
tactics
strategy
training a lot
boat handling
mental fitness
physical fitness
weather forecasting
picking the right gear
sailing lots of regattas
learning to love frostbiting
and understanding the Racing Rules.
Piece of cake really.I like my Laser.
It's simple
like me.
Less is
more.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Where Is The Boat?
I think this picture (shamelessly stolen from Nils Andersson's Facebook page) kind of fits with this week's theme of Less is More. Who needs an actual boat to go sailing?
Caption contest anyone?
A Few More or Less
Here are a few more entries in our group writing project Less is More...
Carol Anne ponders the simplicity of her Etchells as compared to a cabin cruiser... but then starts adding up how many strings there are to pull on an Etchells and asks herself Is less more?
Zen offers LEss is MOre… Sailing Hawaii through Zen eyes in which he asks us to contemplate differences between the islands of Oaho and Kauai.
And O Docker describes how he has perfected the art of minimalist boat maintenance: Less is More Like It.
Great stuff!
Keep them coming. You have all this week to submit your own post on this theme. Full instructions at Less is More.
Carol Anne ponders the simplicity of her Etchells as compared to a cabin cruiser... but then starts adding up how many strings there are to pull on an Etchells and asks herself Is less more?
Zen offers LEss is MOre… Sailing Hawaii through Zen eyes in which he asks us to contemplate differences between the islands of Oaho and Kauai.
And O Docker describes how he has perfected the art of minimalist boat maintenance: Less is More Like It.
Great stuff!
Keep them coming. You have all this week to submit your own post on this theme. Full instructions at Less is More.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Portrait of the Blogger as an Old Man
Talking of "less is more", I always enjoy drawings by kids who seem to know exactly how to capture the essentials of their subject. This is a drawing of me by my granddaughter, Emily. (The little figure is Emily herself; I am carrying her in my arms.)
Apparently, in Emily's eyes, I have quite a small head and really long arms.
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