Thursday, September 22, 2005
New England Laser Masters
I sailed in the New England Laser Masters last weekend. As I am a great admirer of Antony Clay's blog I thought I would write up the regatta the way he might. Enjoy.
SlowSailer Racing Association
So the hallowed New England Old Laser Buggers event has been and gone... I thought I might as well go and join in the fun... well get drunk with the old geezers anyway...
So what happened, not 100% sure.. me and wifey drove up to Massachusetts on Friday afternoon/evening... raining all the time with Hurricane Ophelia lurking offshore.....arrived at home of son #1 and his missus....blew up the airbed we were supposed to sleep on...drank some cheap Ozzie plonk... ate something that used to have feathers...drank more of the Ozzie plonk... sat around and talked.... drank.....admired swelling belly of son #1's wifey with grandkid #1 still inside....drank.... bed ... slept (not well)... breakfast, coffeee, drove to Newport in more rain.....rigged boat and waited... chilling....
Sailing.....God its been too long sorry... Friday night the forecast said 40 to 50 gusting 60 for Saturday am....well it wasn't 40 but certinly blown Dogs off chains....there were big swells from Ophelia coming from the south and with the wind from the north the waves were breaking in the middle of the bay.... so we blasted out in a breeze that wasn't as scary as it looked except that at the bottom of the waves you were hunched up on the deck and then on the top it was fekin blowy and you had to hiek like crazy and ride ride ride that b'stard down into trough hell agin.
Had crap starts and crap beats but somehow managed to keep the BIG white flappy thing above the blue plastic thing and the cold, wet stuff and had OK races, not last anyway!.....so happy, buzzin, exstatic and basicall in the SlowSailor groove proper...
After sailing, me, wifey, Doug, Pat and all the other old buggers went off to the regatta bash at the local Police Frat Hall... some nice food, veggie lasagna, cow lasagna, crap Mexican beer...so lots of drinking, speeches, giving out of "silly things", drinking, chatting - everything was cool....so some Canadian bird sang the rubber ducky song and Joe played his trumpet and so we all clapped....so nothing really more exciting happened ...so me and wifey went off to cheapo MiseriLodge motel for the night
Sunday came and less wind.... so after the very slow crawl out of bed and hangover breakfast of stale bagel and stale donut at cheapo motel and early morning piss in the portaloo at the beach... first race was crap light but then the wind kicked in from the SW so swells going downwind today...so caught some rides on the lumpy things..but not a good weekend for the SlowSailor Racing Association...ended up last in the really old bugger age group...bummer
So, where to next.... Annapolis weekend after next
So what happened, not 100% sure.. me and wifey drove up to Massachusetts on Friday afternoon/evening... raining all the time with Hurricane Ophelia lurking offshore.....arrived at home of son #1 and his missus....blew up the airbed we were supposed to sleep on...drank some cheap Ozzie plonk... ate something that used to have feathers...drank more of the Ozzie plonk... sat around and talked.... drank.....admired swelling belly of son #1's wifey with grandkid #1 still inside....drank.... bed ... slept (not well)... breakfast, coffeee, drove to Newport in more rain.....rigged boat and waited... chilling....
Sailing.....God its been too long sorry... Friday night the forecast said 40 to 50 gusting 60 for Saturday am....well it wasn't 40 but certinly blown Dogs off chains....there were big swells from Ophelia coming from the south and with the wind from the north the waves were breaking in the middle of the bay.... so we blasted out in a breeze that wasn't as scary as it looked except that at the bottom of the waves you were hunched up on the deck and then on the top it was fekin blowy and you had to hiek like crazy and ride ride ride that b'stard down into trough hell agin.
Had crap starts and crap beats but somehow managed to keep the BIG white flappy thing above the blue plastic thing and the cold, wet stuff and had OK races, not last anyway!.....so happy, buzzin, exstatic and basicall in the SlowSailor groove proper...
After sailing, me, wifey, Doug, Pat and all the other old buggers went off to the regatta bash at the local Police Frat Hall... some nice food, veggie lasagna, cow lasagna, crap Mexican beer...so lots of drinking, speeches, giving out of "silly things", drinking, chatting - everything was cool....so some Canadian bird sang the rubber ducky song and Joe played his trumpet and so we all clapped....so nothing really more exciting happened ...so me and wifey went off to cheapo MiseriLodge motel for the night
Sunday came and less wind.... so after the very slow crawl out of bed and hangover breakfast of stale bagel and stale donut at cheapo motel and early morning piss in the portaloo at the beach... first race was crap light but then the wind kicked in from the SW so swells going downwind today...so caught some rides on the lumpy things..but not a good weekend for the SlowSailor Racing Association...ended up last in the really old bugger age group...bummer
So, where to next.... Annapolis weekend after next
Thursday, September 15, 2005
The Laser Sailor
My copy of the summer 2005 edition of The Laser Sailor arrived today. This is the newsletter of the North American Laser Class. Frankly the quality of the rag has been let's say variable over recent years. But the current editors Sherri Campbell and Jerelyn Biehl are doing a fine job.
You just have to smile from the moment you see the cover picture. A Canadian sailor taking a break during the US Nationals. He is lying flat on his back on the deck of his Laser, arms stretched out, toes pointing to the heavens and with one hand only gently touching the tiller. On his transom scrawled in red are the words, "Queens Sailing Team. Please don't move. I'll be back to pay." There's a story there one suspects.
The issue is packed with useful and interesting information. At least it's useful to the community of Laser racers at which it's aimed.
An update from the builder covering the testing and development of a composite upper mast section intended to be more durable than the current aluminum section and to widen the competitive weight range of the Laser Radial.
A comprehensive review of the different models available of "the most important piece of equipment" for Laser sailors -- hiking pants. The author reviews fit, durability, ventilation, cost and the all-important amount of padding on the seat. If you spent a day on a Laser you would understand why the latter is so important.
An article about "nutrition on the road" by a certified personal trainer. Hmmm, must read that one carefully -- I'm off on a Laser road trip this weekend.
There are the obligatory minutes of the AGM. The class AGM was held at the North American Championships in Seattle. Now minutes of meetings are usually pretty dry and are usually written to hide more than they reveal. But these are fascinating because, even in the terse language of the minute writer, it is obvious that one of the members at the meeting, a certain Mr. C, was being a real pain complaining about the regatta venue, regatta fees and expenditure, race officers, etc., etc. By the end of the meeting the class secretary was "asking for Mr. C's help" in various matters. I bet she was! One suspects the exchange was more along the lines of, "If you're so frigging smart why don't you fix the problem instead of wasting our time with your whining?" Or do I just have a suspicious mind?
The adverts in the newsletter are worthy of close study too. The dealer that I might buy my new Laser from has an interesting 2 page spread. There's an ad for some boots I've been thinking of buying. One for a new cleat system I've not seen before. And an advert for a Laser training center in the Dominican Republic. Hmmm, that sounds like an interesting trip one winter. Must check out their website.
And lots more. A Masters Report. An insert of the International Laser Class Magazine with more good stuff. Lots of action-packed photos. And reports of regattas from all over North America. Hmm let's check out the report of our district regatta.....lots of stuff about the leaders and the breeze and the waves.....ahah.....there it is in the small print.....my name for winning first grandmaster. What a great magazine.
You just have to smile from the moment you see the cover picture. A Canadian sailor taking a break during the US Nationals. He is lying flat on his back on the deck of his Laser, arms stretched out, toes pointing to the heavens and with one hand only gently touching the tiller. On his transom scrawled in red are the words, "Queens Sailing Team. Please don't move. I'll be back to pay." There's a story there one suspects.
The issue is packed with useful and interesting information. At least it's useful to the community of Laser racers at which it's aimed.
An update from the builder covering the testing and development of a composite upper mast section intended to be more durable than the current aluminum section and to widen the competitive weight range of the Laser Radial.
A comprehensive review of the different models available of "the most important piece of equipment" for Laser sailors -- hiking pants. The author reviews fit, durability, ventilation, cost and the all-important amount of padding on the seat. If you spent a day on a Laser you would understand why the latter is so important.
An article about "nutrition on the road" by a certified personal trainer. Hmmm, must read that one carefully -- I'm off on a Laser road trip this weekend.
There are the obligatory minutes of the AGM. The class AGM was held at the North American Championships in Seattle. Now minutes of meetings are usually pretty dry and are usually written to hide more than they reveal. But these are fascinating because, even in the terse language of the minute writer, it is obvious that one of the members at the meeting, a certain Mr. C, was being a real pain complaining about the regatta venue, regatta fees and expenditure, race officers, etc., etc. By the end of the meeting the class secretary was "asking for Mr. C's help" in various matters. I bet she was! One suspects the exchange was more along the lines of, "If you're so frigging smart why don't you fix the problem instead of wasting our time with your whining?" Or do I just have a suspicious mind?
The adverts in the newsletter are worthy of close study too. The dealer that I might buy my new Laser from has an interesting 2 page spread. There's an ad for some boots I've been thinking of buying. One for a new cleat system I've not seen before. And an advert for a Laser training center in the Dominican Republic. Hmmm, that sounds like an interesting trip one winter. Must check out their website.
And lots more. A Masters Report. An insert of the International Laser Class Magazine with more good stuff. Lots of action-packed photos. And reports of regattas from all over North America. Hmm let's check out the report of our district regatta.....lots of stuff about the leaders and the breeze and the waves.....ahah.....there it is in the small print.....my name for winning first grandmaster. What a great magazine.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
What's Wrong With Being Number Two?
I haven't written much about racing in the new Laser fleet that S. and I started at our club this year. The truth is that I haven't found it as exciting as I thought it would be.
Yes, it has been rewarding to start a new fleet from nothing, attract new members, help them find boats to buy, get them started in Laser sailing and pass on some knowledge. I take great satisfaction from the fact that in one year we have built it to be one of the largest and most active fleets in the club. I'm not a natural cheerleader but occasionally it's good to succeed at something out of your comfort zone.
Yes, it has been enjoyable to be able to sail my Laser every Sunday. No other boat gives me quite the same thrill. As it said on a bumper sticker I saw somewhere, "Life is too short to sail ugly boats." And I've wasted too many years sailing ugly boats.
But what's been missing has been real competition. The other folk in the fleet don't yet have the same experience in the boat as myself. So most races follow the same pattern. Win the start. Stay in front. Extend my lead. This can get really boring after a while.
I have done my best to raise the standard in the rest of the fleet. I've shown people how to get their boats in top racing order. I've passed on tuning advice. I've offered to organize practice sessions. I've given advice on the water when I've seen people doing the wrong things. And they are improving. But not fast enough to push me much.
Sailors from other fleets give me a hard time about my horizon jobs. Say I should be sailing in their fleets to get closer competition. I see their point but I want to sail my Laser. The other Laser sailors get really excited if they are even in front of me for part of a race.
Don't get me wrong. I have been beaten. I've invited better sailors from other clubs to race with us and they've won races. We've lent boats to good sailors from other classes and occasionally they've won races. Unfortunately that doesn't happen very often.
But last Sunday we had a breakthrough. The winds were light, patchy and shifty. And the second best sailor in the fleet is really good in these conditions. In the second race he was close on my transom all the way round the race track. I rounded the last mark in textbook manner -- enter wide, leave close. Too close? The mark definitely twitched a little as I rounded it. Did I hit it? Not sure. Did a 360 anyway. My friend passed me and I couldn't overtake him in the last few yards of the race.
Man - it felt good to be second. First time I've been beaten by one of the regular members of the fleet. He's a good guy. Really got the Laser bug. Says he's trying to persuade his wife to let him buy a new Laser but she thinks that feeding the kids is more important. As Morrie teaches Mitch in Tuesdays with Morrie, "What's wrong with being number two?" It felt amazingly good.
But I beat his ass in the third race.
Yes, it has been rewarding to start a new fleet from nothing, attract new members, help them find boats to buy, get them started in Laser sailing and pass on some knowledge. I take great satisfaction from the fact that in one year we have built it to be one of the largest and most active fleets in the club. I'm not a natural cheerleader but occasionally it's good to succeed at something out of your comfort zone.
Yes, it has been enjoyable to be able to sail my Laser every Sunday. No other boat gives me quite the same thrill. As it said on a bumper sticker I saw somewhere, "Life is too short to sail ugly boats." And I've wasted too many years sailing ugly boats.
But what's been missing has been real competition. The other folk in the fleet don't yet have the same experience in the boat as myself. So most races follow the same pattern. Win the start. Stay in front. Extend my lead. This can get really boring after a while.
I have done my best to raise the standard in the rest of the fleet. I've shown people how to get their boats in top racing order. I've passed on tuning advice. I've offered to organize practice sessions. I've given advice on the water when I've seen people doing the wrong things. And they are improving. But not fast enough to push me much.
Sailors from other fleets give me a hard time about my horizon jobs. Say I should be sailing in their fleets to get closer competition. I see their point but I want to sail my Laser. The other Laser sailors get really excited if they are even in front of me for part of a race.
Don't get me wrong. I have been beaten. I've invited better sailors from other clubs to race with us and they've won races. We've lent boats to good sailors from other classes and occasionally they've won races. Unfortunately that doesn't happen very often.
But last Sunday we had a breakthrough. The winds were light, patchy and shifty. And the second best sailor in the fleet is really good in these conditions. In the second race he was close on my transom all the way round the race track. I rounded the last mark in textbook manner -- enter wide, leave close. Too close? The mark definitely twitched a little as I rounded it. Did I hit it? Not sure. Did a 360 anyway. My friend passed me and I couldn't overtake him in the last few yards of the race.
Man - it felt good to be second. First time I've been beaten by one of the regular members of the fleet. He's a good guy. Really got the Laser bug. Says he's trying to persuade his wife to let him buy a new Laser but she thinks that feeding the kids is more important. As Morrie teaches Mitch in Tuesdays with Morrie, "What's wrong with being number two?" It felt amazingly good.
But I beat his ass in the third race.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Top 10 Reasons For Not Doing a 720
This is one for the racing aficionados. If you foul another boat in a race you are supposed to do a penalty that is generally known as a 720. As in 720 degrees. Two complete circles including two tacks and two gybes. Yes, I know that in the latest version of the Racing Rules it is now known as a "two turns penalty" and the definition has changed slightly. But racing sailors are conservative and we will be calling it a 720 for at least another 20 years.
Here are some excuses that I've heard on the water from other sailors who have fouled me but didn't think that they should do a 720.
10. But it's hard to know all the racing rules
9. But I was trying to avoid you
8. But the wind made me do it
7. But you beat me anyway
6. But I was still recovering from the last collision
5. But you weren't disadvantaged
4. But you fouled me in the last race so now we are even
3. But I only hit your mast
2. It doesn't matter that we collided as we were both on port tack
1. But I was out of control
and a bonus one.....I think there is something wrong with my bifocals.
Here are some excuses that I've heard on the water from other sailors who have fouled me but didn't think that they should do a 720.
10. But it's hard to know all the racing rules
9. But I was trying to avoid you
8. But the wind made me do it
7. But you beat me anyway
6. But I was still recovering from the last collision
5. But you weren't disadvantaged
4. But you fouled me in the last race so now we are even
3. But I only hit your mast
2. It doesn't matter that we collided as we were both on port tack
1. But I was out of control
and a bonus one.....I think there is something wrong with my bifocals.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Never Gonna Feel Like That Again
For some reason I keep playing Kenny Chesney's "Never Gonna Feel Like That Again" on the CD player in the car. It's just a breezy country song about phases in a young man's life but I can't get it out of my head.
I am always a sucker for songs that celebrate the playing of sports -- even if they're not about the sport of sailing. The opening lines are actually about high school football. But change the words slightly and they could just as easily be about the start of Laser frostbiting season. Especially that bit about being black and blue afterwards! They capture the feeling of anticipation and nervousness before the start of a day's racing and the feelings of satisfaction afterwards.
Friday night butterflies
Like clockwork they'd arrive
Little chill in an October sky
Nervous till the kickoff came
Four quarters win or lose
Spent Saturdays black and blue
But it was what I loved to do
And it was more than just a game
The song is really about transitions in life. And as I wrote earlier, I am in the process of closing down one phase of my life and starting another. It's over 35 years since I graduated from college but September still feels like the time of year for new starts.
It was my life and it was fun
Another season of my life is done
Another race I'm glad I got to run
Another chapter of my life is over
No I'm never gonna feel like that again
Time's rushin by me like the wind
Never be as young as I was then
No I'm never gonna feel like that again
Of course the bad boy in the song has a girlfriend called Cindy Lou and after a steamy prom night she ends up "in that way". Our hero does the right thing by his girl and the story ends with the tearjerker lines ....
Now I'm out here throwin this ball around
With a boy that looks just like me
Hey - I don't wish looking like me on anyone. Certainly not my first grandchild, due in November. But I am looking to throwing a ball around with him or her. Or even better taking them for a sail.
It's my life and it's sure fun
Another season of my life's begun
Another race I'm glad I get to run
Another chapter of my life I'm writin
No I'm never gonna feel like this again
Time's rushin by me like the wind
Gotta grab each moment that I can
Cause I'm never gonna feel like this again
I am always a sucker for songs that celebrate the playing of sports -- even if they're not about the sport of sailing. The opening lines are actually about high school football. But change the words slightly and they could just as easily be about the start of Laser frostbiting season. Especially that bit about being black and blue afterwards! They capture the feeling of anticipation and nervousness before the start of a day's racing and the feelings of satisfaction afterwards.
Friday night butterflies
Like clockwork they'd arrive
Little chill in an October sky
Nervous till the kickoff came
Four quarters win or lose
Spent Saturdays black and blue
But it was what I loved to do
And it was more than just a game
The song is really about transitions in life. And as I wrote earlier, I am in the process of closing down one phase of my life and starting another. It's over 35 years since I graduated from college but September still feels like the time of year for new starts.
It was my life and it was fun
Another season of my life is done
Another race I'm glad I got to run
Another chapter of my life is over
No I'm never gonna feel like that again
Time's rushin by me like the wind
Never be as young as I was then
No I'm never gonna feel like that again
Of course the bad boy in the song has a girlfriend called Cindy Lou and after a steamy prom night she ends up "in that way". Our hero does the right thing by his girl and the story ends with the tearjerker lines ....
Now I'm out here throwin this ball around
With a boy that looks just like me
Hey - I don't wish looking like me on anyone. Certainly not my first grandchild, due in November. But I am looking to throwing a ball around with him or her. Or even better taking them for a sail.
It's my life and it's sure fun
Another season of my life's begun
Another race I'm glad I get to run
Another chapter of my life I'm writin
No I'm never gonna feel like this again
Time's rushin by me like the wind
Gotta grab each moment that I can
Cause I'm never gonna feel like this again
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Goodbye Mr Chips
EVK4 and Zephyr, two blogging sailors have recently posted pictures of their kids on their blogs. So I thought I would do the same.
These are some of the kids that have been in my sailing classes this year. That's me in the orange hat and sunglasses in the back row mid-left.
To paraphrase the dying words of Mr Chips, "But I do have children, dozens of them and they are all sailors."
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Retirement
I retired for the second time last week.
My first retirement was 5 years ago. I retired from my job as a senior manager with a multinational corporation. I had been there for almost 30 years and was tired of the constant travel and corporate politics. It was the kind of company that wanted to keep promoting younger people and at the ripe old age of 53 it was clear that they thought I was over the hill.
The trigger that made me eventually decide to chuck it in 5 years ago was hearing that a sailing buddy was going to spend his summer helping out with a junior sailing program. My first reaction was intense jealousy. He's going to be out in the fresh air sailing with kids all summer and I'm going to be stuck in an office and riding cramped airplanes and dealing with all these idiots trying to screw me over??
That's when it dawned on me that what I really wanted to do was to cash in my pension and go live the dream. Teach sailing in the summer and sail as much as I could for the rest of the year. So I did.
This is the sixth summer that I have spent my weeks teaching kids to sail. Three years each at two separate programs. It has been a whole load of fun and the memories of all those kids will live with me for a long time.
But last week I told the yacht club that I work for that I'm not coming back next year. Of course they wanted to know why.
I could have said that after six years I feel like a break. That I want the freedom in the summers to travel to long regattas and visit other places. Even that I am afraid that I am running out of new ideas to keep their sailing program fresh and alive and developing and that they need a new face. That what was exciting to me in the first year I worked there may well feel like more of a chore next year. Or that while most of the kids are wonderful, some are badly behaved and although I know exactly how to straighten them out there's not much fun in that part of the job. All of the above are true to some extent but it's hard to say any of those things without it sounding like a criticism of the club, the program or the kids. And they would only try and argue about the reasons and try and persuade me to stay.
So I gave them a reason that is another part of the truth. That my wife and I have been planning for some time to sell our big old family home and move to something smaller. And that for some time we have been thinking of moving to another state (coincidentally a great area for sailing) to be nearer our eldest son and his wife. And that we have decided that now is the time to do it because our first grandchild is on the way and we want to be nearer to him or her. We will be starting a new adventure, a new life in a new home in a new place. New sailors to meet. New regattas to go to.
So last week I retired for the second time. We're on our way.
My first retirement was 5 years ago. I retired from my job as a senior manager with a multinational corporation. I had been there for almost 30 years and was tired of the constant travel and corporate politics. It was the kind of company that wanted to keep promoting younger people and at the ripe old age of 53 it was clear that they thought I was over the hill.
The trigger that made me eventually decide to chuck it in 5 years ago was hearing that a sailing buddy was going to spend his summer helping out with a junior sailing program. My first reaction was intense jealousy. He's going to be out in the fresh air sailing with kids all summer and I'm going to be stuck in an office and riding cramped airplanes and dealing with all these idiots trying to screw me over??
That's when it dawned on me that what I really wanted to do was to cash in my pension and go live the dream. Teach sailing in the summer and sail as much as I could for the rest of the year. So I did.
This is the sixth summer that I have spent my weeks teaching kids to sail. Three years each at two separate programs. It has been a whole load of fun and the memories of all those kids will live with me for a long time.
But last week I told the yacht club that I work for that I'm not coming back next year. Of course they wanted to know why.
I could have said that after six years I feel like a break. That I want the freedom in the summers to travel to long regattas and visit other places. Even that I am afraid that I am running out of new ideas to keep their sailing program fresh and alive and developing and that they need a new face. That what was exciting to me in the first year I worked there may well feel like more of a chore next year. Or that while most of the kids are wonderful, some are badly behaved and although I know exactly how to straighten them out there's not much fun in that part of the job. All of the above are true to some extent but it's hard to say any of those things without it sounding like a criticism of the club, the program or the kids. And they would only try and argue about the reasons and try and persuade me to stay.
So I gave them a reason that is another part of the truth. That my wife and I have been planning for some time to sell our big old family home and move to something smaller. And that for some time we have been thinking of moving to another state (coincidentally a great area for sailing) to be nearer our eldest son and his wife. And that we have decided that now is the time to do it because our first grandchild is on the way and we want to be nearer to him or her. We will be starting a new adventure, a new life in a new home in a new place. New sailors to meet. New regattas to go to.
So last week I retired for the second time. We're on our way.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Sense of Direction
It serves me right. I shouldn't have written that smug post about how males have this innate sense of direction whereas females tend to navigate by using landmarks...
I went out for a 9 mile run. It was along a trail I had run before. Easy to find as it followed a stream through woods for just over 3 miles. Every mile or so it crossed a road but I never paid any attention to the names of those roads. Then the path got narrower and less well marked and worked its way up a hill into deeper words. When I figured I had run about 4 and 1/2 miles I turned round and started heading back down the hill.
After a while I began to wonder if I was on the same trail. It just felt a bit wrong. But I had my male's sense of direction so I figured if I just kept heading north I would be fine. Bad idea!
Now I knew I was on the wrong trail. By now I should be getting on a wider trail and approaching the road. Hmm. Feels like I must be east of the right trail. So at the next fork I take a left and start working back west. Yikes I've gone a long way. And what is this stream doing running east-west? Definitely not the stream I was following before. And here are some houses. There were no houses near the correct trail. For a while I think of retracing my steps to get back on the right trail. But I realize that the trails are so faint that I'd probably get even more lost.
I finally find a trail leading out of the wood between houses and emerge on a road. A very unfamiliar road. Which way to go? Downhill seems like a good idea. It's almost noon and the sun is high and it's over 80 degrees. My water bottle is almost empty. I head down the road.
And now a junction. Left or right? Now my starting point is definitely 4 or 5 miles north of here. So north is good. But the roads are not running north-south. I feel I am east of where I should be but I'm not sure. The county town is somewhere over to the northeast maybe 5 miles away. If I head north and east I will eventually get somewhere I can recognize. Wild country be to the south and west.
So I zigzag through the country roads. I see the name of the township I am in. Yikes -- that is miles away from where I want to be. But maybe it stretches a long way? I pass huge mansions big enough to shelter several dozen families of hurricane survivors. Long driveways. Acres of lawns. A sign that says "Gate Opens Outwards". Big money around here. Where the hell am I? I could be running round in circles. I might be running for hours. This was supposed to be a marathon training run -- not an actual marathon.
After zigzagging around the roads for 30 or 40 minutes I see a sign that indicates pedestrians crossing ahead. Ahah. It's my original track. I had deviated to the west not the east. I pick up the track and breathe a sigh of relief. As I run the remaining few miles I only have a slight nagging doubt that I'm actually heading the wrong way down the track.
Of course a woman would never have made that original mistake. Especially my wife who knows trees. She would have remembered her way via landmarks. "We should bear left at that Gray Oak with the Poison Ivy. Need to keep to the right off that Mountain Laurel under the American Elm." Or even more obviously, "Darling - the path we came up the hill had blue blazes on the trees. Why are we on a trail with white blazes now?"
I admit it. Women are better at some things. They even ask for directions.
I went out for a 9 mile run. It was along a trail I had run before. Easy to find as it followed a stream through woods for just over 3 miles. Every mile or so it crossed a road but I never paid any attention to the names of those roads. Then the path got narrower and less well marked and worked its way up a hill into deeper words. When I figured I had run about 4 and 1/2 miles I turned round and started heading back down the hill.
After a while I began to wonder if I was on the same trail. It just felt a bit wrong. But I had my male's sense of direction so I figured if I just kept heading north I would be fine. Bad idea!
Now I knew I was on the wrong trail. By now I should be getting on a wider trail and approaching the road. Hmm. Feels like I must be east of the right trail. So at the next fork I take a left and start working back west. Yikes I've gone a long way. And what is this stream doing running east-west? Definitely not the stream I was following before. And here are some houses. There were no houses near the correct trail. For a while I think of retracing my steps to get back on the right trail. But I realize that the trails are so faint that I'd probably get even more lost.
I finally find a trail leading out of the wood between houses and emerge on a road. A very unfamiliar road. Which way to go? Downhill seems like a good idea. It's almost noon and the sun is high and it's over 80 degrees. My water bottle is almost empty. I head down the road.
And now a junction. Left or right? Now my starting point is definitely 4 or 5 miles north of here. So north is good. But the roads are not running north-south. I feel I am east of where I should be but I'm not sure. The county town is somewhere over to the northeast maybe 5 miles away. If I head north and east I will eventually get somewhere I can recognize. Wild country be to the south and west.
So I zigzag through the country roads. I see the name of the township I am in. Yikes -- that is miles away from where I want to be. But maybe it stretches a long way? I pass huge mansions big enough to shelter several dozen families of hurricane survivors. Long driveways. Acres of lawns. A sign that says "Gate Opens Outwards". Big money around here. Where the hell am I? I could be running round in circles. I might be running for hours. This was supposed to be a marathon training run -- not an actual marathon.
After zigzagging around the roads for 30 or 40 minutes I see a sign that indicates pedestrians crossing ahead. Ahah. It's my original track. I had deviated to the west not the east. I pick up the track and breathe a sigh of relief. As I run the remaining few miles I only have a slight nagging doubt that I'm actually heading the wrong way down the track.
Of course a woman would never have made that original mistake. Especially my wife who knows trees. She would have remembered her way via landmarks. "We should bear left at that Gray Oak with the Poison Ivy. Need to keep to the right off that Mountain Laurel under the American Elm." Or even more obviously, "Darling - the path we came up the hill had blue blazes on the trees. Why are we on a trail with white blazes now?"
I admit it. Women are better at some things. They even ask for directions.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Bad Taste
I wrote last week about a problem in our Laser fleet. A member of the fleet had been persuaded by a sailmaker, also a club member, to buy two knockoff Laser sails that are illegal for club racing. (Two sails because he had two kids with Lasers too.) The sailmaker was trying to make a case that such sails are OK in "friendly, local fleet racing".
Should I be a hardass and tell the guy he just can't use the sails? Would that be unfriendly? Can he just return the (custom made) sails to the sailmaker? Or will the sailmaker just refuse to take them back? After all he made what was ordered.
I polled all the members of the Laser fleet by email as to how they wanted to handle this. Some were angry at the sailmaker. All had sympathy for the purchaser's quandary. Some felt that we should stick to strict one-design rules. Others were more open to relaxing the rules for friendly fleet racing. In the end, all the members of the fleet, some more reluctantly than others, agreed that our friend could use his knockoff sails. But no more exceptions.
When I communicated the fleet's feelings to the owner of the sails he was touched that everyone was prepared to help him out, even when this meant going against strongly held views of what one-design sailing is all about. But now he understands Laser class rules better and how all of us feel, he is not so sure he wants to take advantage of our friendliness to him by actually using his new sails. He wondered if it might be better if only his kids used the sails because they don't finish as high in the fleet as he does; on the other hand they will develop and will start winning races soon. We wondered how future new members of the fleet will feel if they join us and see a couple of boats with illegal sails. The more we talk, the more I can see his discomfort with the sails increase.
We laid out one of the new sails over another legal sail. Then we realized. This is not a knockoff at all. The curve of luff and leech are different. The panels are in different places. The window is in a different place. The battens are in different places. It has a tack grommet as well as a cunningham grommet. The sail cloth is heavier. This is not an imitation Laser sail. It is simply a sail that will fit on a Laser.
The unfortunate purchaser pondered what to do. Should he return the sails to the sailmaker? Should he try and sell them privately as practice sails? In any case, he is now very reluctant to use them. He went across to talk to the sailmaker. I only overheard snatches of the conversation. Later in the day the sailmaker tried to tell me all the reasons he had made the sails differently from legal Laser sails. The main gist of his argument seemed to be that he can't buy sailcloth that is as "crappy" as that used for real Laser sails, so he "has to use" better quality cloth and that forces him to build the sails differently. So they are "better" than real Laser sails? He is only digging a deeper hole.
My fellow Laser fleet founder S. has written an article for our club newsletter reaffirming the principles of one-design sailing and stressing the importance of following class rules. I felt it would be good if the article came out over the names of all the fleet captains. So, without going into too much detail of the original issue, I forwarded it to them for comment. If anything they were even more extreme than I and S. were. No variations, no allowances, no flexibility.
I will be interested to see how my friend, the purchaser of the sails, decides to proceed. The only good thing to come out of this is that it has not caused division and bad feelings among our fleet members. But the whole affair leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Should I be a hardass and tell the guy he just can't use the sails? Would that be unfriendly? Can he just return the (custom made) sails to the sailmaker? Or will the sailmaker just refuse to take them back? After all he made what was ordered.
I polled all the members of the Laser fleet by email as to how they wanted to handle this. Some were angry at the sailmaker. All had sympathy for the purchaser's quandary. Some felt that we should stick to strict one-design rules. Others were more open to relaxing the rules for friendly fleet racing. In the end, all the members of the fleet, some more reluctantly than others, agreed that our friend could use his knockoff sails. But no more exceptions.
When I communicated the fleet's feelings to the owner of the sails he was touched that everyone was prepared to help him out, even when this meant going against strongly held views of what one-design sailing is all about. But now he understands Laser class rules better and how all of us feel, he is not so sure he wants to take advantage of our friendliness to him by actually using his new sails. He wondered if it might be better if only his kids used the sails because they don't finish as high in the fleet as he does; on the other hand they will develop and will start winning races soon. We wondered how future new members of the fleet will feel if they join us and see a couple of boats with illegal sails. The more we talk, the more I can see his discomfort with the sails increase.
We laid out one of the new sails over another legal sail. Then we realized. This is not a knockoff at all. The curve of luff and leech are different. The panels are in different places. The window is in a different place. The battens are in different places. It has a tack grommet as well as a cunningham grommet. The sail cloth is heavier. This is not an imitation Laser sail. It is simply a sail that will fit on a Laser.
The unfortunate purchaser pondered what to do. Should he return the sails to the sailmaker? Should he try and sell them privately as practice sails? In any case, he is now very reluctant to use them. He went across to talk to the sailmaker. I only overheard snatches of the conversation. Later in the day the sailmaker tried to tell me all the reasons he had made the sails differently from legal Laser sails. The main gist of his argument seemed to be that he can't buy sailcloth that is as "crappy" as that used for real Laser sails, so he "has to use" better quality cloth and that forces him to build the sails differently. So they are "better" than real Laser sails? He is only digging a deeper hole.
My fellow Laser fleet founder S. has written an article for our club newsletter reaffirming the principles of one-design sailing and stressing the importance of following class rules. I felt it would be good if the article came out over the names of all the fleet captains. So, without going into too much detail of the original issue, I forwarded it to them for comment. If anything they were even more extreme than I and S. were. No variations, no allowances, no flexibility.
I will be interested to see how my friend, the purchaser of the sails, decides to proceed. The only good thing to come out of this is that it has not caused division and bad feelings among our fleet members. But the whole affair leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
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