How to Sail the Laser

LASERS TACKLE EXERCISE AND FUN

2012-01-27T17:53:00.000-08:00

I love to tackle the fun question because you can read about sailing smart and fast in all the books--- but FUN is a different problem.

The January 2012 "Vitality Magazine" has an article "5 ways to have fun in Fitness". ( Yes, it often is both Hard and Boring.)

1. Let music move you. Get the portable stuff and tune into something with the right rhythm.

2. Get out in the cold. Ice skate. Winter walk.

3. Get your game on. Play tag with the kids. Adult league sports.

4. Energize your environment. Pictures in the stairwell and even music. Skip the elevator.

5. Socialize as you exercise. Nothing like working out with others. Walking group. Fitness class.

OK. Now join the Laser Fleet and do 3 and 5. If you are up North maybe add 2. and frostbite.
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LASERS AND THE SCOWS

2012-01-25T20:15:00.000-08:00

WHEN THE WIND IS LIGHT, sail the Laser like a scow. Heel to leeward to reduce wetted surface and sit forward. Head the boat lower (bow down) to keep the boat moving. Close reaching if needed.

Downwind stay away from dead down wind. Do transitions from by the lee to broad reach at almost 90 degrees. You will be sailing faster and getting downwind sooner. Keep big windward heel to get sail up higher where there is more wind.

Attached below is performance sheet from small keel boat that shows the larger tacking angle going up wind in lighter air and the larger gybing angle going downwind in the lighter air. I circled the fast VMG's .

LASERS TAKE A DRINK

2012-01-24T16:53:00.000-08:00

The Fall 2011 “Laser Sailor” Quarterly Magazine has an article on effect of caffeine on exercise by Evan Lewis... Caffeine causes release of adrenaline which increases energy, reduces fatigue, and enhances mental alertness. The effect is in 15 to 30 minutes and lasts around three hours with difference due to body size and Tolerance.

Test done with cyclists and runners showed that caffeine in levels from 3 to 9 mg /kg increases time to muscle fatigue. Caffeine from coffee doesn’t seem to do the same. Probably due to other compounds in the coffee.

Now an ideal Laser sailor at 170 pounds (about 77 Kg.) would need 231 mg caffeine to get up to 3mg/kg. 12 ounce Coke has 35 mg so that is 6.6 cans. We will need some other way. An energy drink called Bing 120 mg caffeine in 12 ounce can, so you could do that with 2 cans, but look out because there are several other larger amounts of maybe stimulating things listed on the can. Monster Energy drink has 2500 mg of “energy compounds” listed along with caffeine, but doesn’t say how much caffeine.

The two ounce gels at the gym have 140 mg of caffeine. That maybe the stuff. Warning on the bottle -- don’t take more than two a day.

“5 Hour Energy” (2 ounce) has 1870 energy blend including caffeine, but no note about how much caffeine. I bought a little bottle and took a sip. Hardly any, but got so shaky that I threw the rest away.

While the studies apparently were double blind with some contestants getting caffeine and some not and no one knew which were which until after it was all over. I didn’t see any attempt to see what continued high doses would do. That is the question of Tolerance which I capitalized in the first paragraph. I have been on and off caffeine a bunch of times in the past many years and whenever I come back on, I get a big kick from a little and after a while it settles back.

Probably you want to get stronger by sailing and exercise and not by drinking this stuff. If you do use it, do it regularly and be sure to continue it with your sailing. Be careful. All the bottles say not to be taken by children or pregnant women or if you are taking other caffeine products.

Not much help I know!
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LASERS GET THEIR PENCILS OUT.

2012-01-18T17:05:00.000-08:00

Reported in the Fall "Laser sailor", Peter Seidenberg at the San Francisco Masters after seven races he felt he was doing poorly. Problem with the tides. He studied the tables more closely and made notes on his deck. Next day, four first and a second. You need to know what the tide is doing.

The other notes you might make on the deck are the wind shifts before the race, when you are using a compass. Don't try to make the notes later-- hard enough to keep your head out of the boat when you are using a compass. Get out early and make your notes and figure an average so you can always tell if you are going right or left.

A lot of good folks don't use a compass. Ask me about that if you like and we can touch on it.
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LASERS SAIL WITH GOLDIE HAWN

2012-01-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

ove ing

I love to send this sort of thing to you.

Goldie Hawn’s “10 Mindful Minutes”, a book written with Wendy Holden, is about Goldie’s “Hawn Foundation” promoting social and emotional learning programs in elementary schools called MindUP.

Goldie suggests this for children and adults. Let me greatly simplify it for you. For five minutes twice a day, close your eyes and think only of your breathing. You run the breathing. Abdominal and chest. In and Out. Don’t think of anything else. Usually your bottom brain does this, now you run it.

Do this just twice a day and “just as daily exercise leads to physical fitness, engaging in mindful exercise on a regular basis improves your mind fitness. Working memory is an important feature of mindfulness. Not only does it safe guard against emotional and mental reaction, but provides a mental workshop to ensure quick-and-considered decisions and action plans. Building mind fitness with mindful training may help anyone who must maintain peak performance in the face of extremely stressful circumstances.” THERE YOU ARE LASER SAILORS.

This reminds me of an interview I read of Robert Scheidt, who, before the race, after his boat was prepared for racing, he went off by himself to prepare mentally for the boat race.

In addition to the mindful breathing (meditation) 2X a day Goldie’s group of scientists suggest Optimism, Happiness, Gratitude, Ex- anger, Manage Sadness, Control Fear, Develop Empathy, Show Kindness, and do hree random acts of kindness daily.

OK Goldie—come and join our fleet. We will love it.

PS If you want to help yourself and your children with all these things – get the book—lots of games and details.

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LASERS FORM A GROUP

2012-01-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

Reported in January Sailing World, a group of Etchells sailors hired a coach to prepare for the Worlds.

You could get a group for Laser sailing. Maybe only two boats. Could be a lot more. It might help to:

1) Get out on water more.

2) Compare your sailing with others.

3) The good folks work harder to make it look good.

4) The improving group sees the better sailing.

5) You can do speed testing.

6) You can have repeated starting practice.

7) You can throw in extra races.

They have a list of 10 suggestions, but I would cut it down to. Have a leader. Have a plan.
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LASER BLOG IS LOCKED UP

2012-01-14T17:24:00.000-08:00

My comment section is locked up. At least I can't get in to comment or to check comments. Strange world of so many things I don't understand.

Just like to guy in the picture. Everything has stopped except for the swimming. Maybe it is a woman. I have to be careful about that.

Several post ago I had a question about the new experimental rules -- they can be found on US Sailing website. You have to keep sort through the different rules sections, but they are there.

I have a list of posts to put up, so keep looking in even if you can't leave messages.
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LASER PUT ON THE BOOT.

2012-01-13T19:56:00.000-08:00

Well here I go again with a personal report. If you have been reading the several previous post you might recall that I MIGHT be distantly related to Paul Sperry, the Sperry Topsider guy. Paul probably isn’t with the company anymore, but now with winter coming to central Florida I thought I would get some boots and not be barefoot, like the picture above. So what about a Sperry boot? Searching through their online book store I finally found the “Sea Hiker boot black” which looked like the ones in the Laser sailing pictures. I usually wear 11 ½, but sometimes a 12 and sometimes an 11. I ordered a 12 which came promptly. But let us you look at the box first. This is no ordinary shoe box. Chart prints on the top and bottom. Superimposed on the top is a picture of six J-24s maneuvering for the start. One end has three 12 meters and a light house. At the other a motorboat wake. Front and back are harbor scenes with a little note on the back “made in China”.

The size 12 seemed alright, but extra room around the ankle. I wade in knee deep at the beach to launch the Laser, so I ordered the 11. It come and fitted fine. I sent the 12 back and have credit for it.

The bottom cuts are in all directions (tiny circles). If you just look at the bottom, you can see the outline of the toes and ball of the foot and the heel. They really stick to the floor and the deck. I haven’t done any comparison, but wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t tops in the “stick to wet deck category”.

The top from toe to top of the boot are ridges and cuts the hold the hiking strap. I feel connected, but at my age I am not a crazy hiker. You have to ask someone else if this is among the best.

The boot is 7 inches high with a zipper that is the full length on the inside, so it is easy to put on and off. There is a Velcro strap around the top that you can make as tight as you want. The strap can be taken off if you want to wear it without. The strap also locks the zipper closed.

When I get in the boat the boots bring in maybe a half a cup of water. I leaks in and out mostly through the zipper. After I pull the boat out and take the boot off and turn it upside down – no water. The boots wry out overnight.

The rubber sole is thin enough that you can feel some texture to the ground when it is rough. The heel is a little thicker.

Overall I am pleased with the boot. It seems fine for beach launching and think it would work well on the wet deck of larger boats.

We do a lot of bare foot sailing, but if you do a lot in big winds you need some boots you are happy with.
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LASERS CHECK THE MULTIHULLS

2012-01-12T20:39:00.000-08:00

These folks were fastest around the world. Can we learn any thing from them?   Rick White, one of the multihull instructors, (NOT TALKING ABOUT AROUND THE WORLD RACING) says that starting is 90% of the game and the other 90% is rounding marks. He gives us five MUSTS for rounding the leeward mark.
1) Perpare for the upwind leg. Outhaul, Cunningham, centerboard.
2) Remember the inside overlap rule and watch for inside boats.
3) Watch for the "pin wheel" and don't get caught on the outside.
4) Slow down to get behind if you need to.
5) Enter wide and exit close to mark.

Then I add to 5, if you are way ahead or way behind, nice wide turn and pass close to mark. No need to go below the leeward mark.   The exit close is to keep the followers in your back wind or to be up wind of the folks ahead it they have bad rounding.

AND as you go into the mark visualize the last wind shift and your exit angle from the mark.   Then you can better hit the close hauled course, not to high or to low.

THANK YOU, RICK.
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LASERS SAILING GETS EASIER

2012-01-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

Reported in the recent Sailing World. Dick Rose and the US Sailing racing rules committee proposes some changes in the rules. They say that in some regattas a lot of protests are made. In others none or not many. Some fleets are doing a lot of penalty turns and other fleets not many. They don’t state where the data came from, but they want to fix it.

Three ways: 1) change the two turn to one turn penalty except in the zone except for the start. (Apparently one turns at the start)

2) If protested and didn’t do on water turns, accept fault and receive 20 % penalty or 30% depending on how quickly you do it.

3) A simpler protest procedure.

So, no real change in the rules –just the penalty system.

Talk it over with your fleet. You can use the experimental rules or not. Don’t disappoint the Rules Committee. They will keep meeting.
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LASERS LAST AND FIRST

2012-01-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry that I have so much personal stuff in these last few days, but as long as I mentioned below about our Last Day Sail on Decomber 31, 2011 and our First Day Sail on January 1, 2012, there was four of us that did it. Here is a picture of three of us. The fourth, who also got a T-shirt, was out in the motor boat at picture time.

Left to right. Dave Johnson and Dave Moring sailed MC scows and Sam Chapin a Laser. Dave Meaker who is not in the picture sailed a Laser. So it was three Daves and Sam. You can see the back of the shirt twice and the front once.

I am sure we have a lot more people that sailed both days and maybe someone who sailed at midnight -- 5 minutes in each year. If you did, leave a comment so we can tell. We may send you a T-shirt.

LASERS CHECK THE SIGNALS

2012-01-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

This is the B flag for the B course.

Yesterday in a light air race, the old guy was carefully picking out the ares of pressure to work toward on the first beat. He linked up a group of patches leading up to the mark and it looked like the others could not get to it before he did. Good work! We will get to that mark before them. Take another look. They are going around the other windward mark (we have two windward marks to handle major wind shifts). Oh! Oh! I am sailing the wrong course. Ouch!

So now I need to add another note to the "before start list": 1. Check for up wind end of line. 2. Get a range. 3. Time the line. 4. Check for current. 5. CHECK THE COURSE SIGNAL.

Lasers have PAIN.

2012-01-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

I wandered off-- following links to blogs on Laser sailing and stumbled onto one by Kevin kevinlikesstuff.wordpress.com with a title “Lost At Sea”. He has various topics including one on pain in Laser sailing both when windy and light wind. We recently had a sailor stop sailing at least partially because he developed sore muscles. It can be a problem, but not forever.

Oh yes, I stole the picture above from Kevin.

My reflection on the subject goes back 10 years or more in Key West when a friend of mine, Howard Crane, wanted to sail a Laser. Howard and I had sailed Sunfish together for a few years and had enjoyed each other. We both fixed up some old boats and went at it. When I had sailed a Laser years before, I had hurt my back pumping and told myself if that happened, I would stop right away. What happened was sore legs at night which had me taking Tylenol with Codeine or Ibuprofen at night to sleep. That lasted for a couple of months and since OK.

Remember with a Laser, there are smaller sails, the radial and the 4.7, that you can use when the wind is above what you can handle with the full rig. Sail yourself into shape or skip some of the higher wind races. Get to the gym. Use the smaller sails.

Why the pain if you would rather be without?

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LASERS IN "SAILING WORLD"

2012-01-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

This is an e-mail that I sent out to friends that was enough fun that I will put it in here. Some Laser stuff. plus.

Sailing World magazine. It came yesterday at my house. What a Surprise! Opened the cover to find a two page add from Sperry Topsider with pictures Of LASERS across the top and lesser boats across the bottom. Now the extra personal touch--- Paul Sperry who designed the first topsider (the first shoe with a thousand little cuts in the sole so won't slip on a wet deck) had a great grandfather Capt. Sereno Armstrong. My mother was an Armstrong, so I might be related to the Sperry Topsider. I have an Armstrong cousin working on the possible connection.

Then there is a few more pages into it a great picture of Fujimo (a "50 footer") from the first Key West race week. More on that at the end.

Then toward the back is a long article with pictures about the Park City, Utah Laser Fleet with a lot of unanswered question like how powerful is the air at 6,000 feet.

OK, back to FIRST Key West Race week. Sam had just bought a third ownership in a J-24 and John Smittle is going to show him how to sail the boat. So I am doing fore deck !!! Yes, yes, just follow the instructions given to you from the cockpit. So everything is going OK. We are in the last start and the smallest boat. Now this is the last race on Friday. Wind is up to twenty. Almost half of our fleet doesn't start. No problem on our boat-- John has never seen a wind he didn't like. This is triangle course day and around the gybe mark, Sam gybes the pole and the crew swings the spinnaker. (A little background-- the J-24 will surf down waves but not plane flat out. The J-22 which is 1,000 pounds lighter will just plane away in 20 knots wind.) Now the 50 footers who start first on the same course come sailing through our fleet. Fujimo sails by to leeward and John jumps on their quarter wave. Foredeck person on J-24 sits just behind the mast after the spinnaker is up and holding the vang ready to release it if the boat starts to round up. We go bow down and stern up (It is a big quarter wave.) Our speed goes from hull speed of about 6.5 knots to the hull speed of the 50 footer (about 12 ). Fujimo is about 10 feet away and their crew is laughing and smiling at us. We hang on for about 1/2 mile and then round up and loose the wave because Sam doesn't ease the vang soon enough. No worry, here comes the next 50 footer, Abracadabra, John jumps on her quarter wave and we ride that through to the leeward mark. We win our class for that day with a tow from the 50 footers. Wondering about that oriental sounding name Fujimo? We understood that the owner was having trouble with his wife and it stood for F-- U Jane I'm Moving Out. I don't really know, but that is the story.

Take a look at the mag.
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LASERS SAIL INTO THE NEW YEAR

2012-01-01T07:24:00.000-08:00

I will get sailing this afternoon on my first sail of the year and will let you know about that later.

This is a picture from 2009 Rule 2 Regatta. Notice all the big smiles. It was picked up by "Sailing Magazine" in a nice article.

Most of my posts have been about "practice". I guess I do that most of the time, but I have 45 posts about FUN.

Now that is something that is NOT written about in the books or shown on the CDs.

So maybe I am the one with the biggest leg up on the FUN factor.

Paul Estrom touched on it, but had a hard time applying it when he was not winning.

In our little fleet in central Florida, I am usually in the middle of the group racing. If I have a bad start or tack or capsize, then I am racing for last or next to last. I am trying to get ahead of the boat just in front of me. If I don't and they beat me, somehow I am happy for them.
Going up those last few tacks to the finish I know I have that split. I want to get ahead of them--

but will be happy if they sail well enough to be ahead of me. Now everyone can't be in the fleet building business, so what makes you happy? What is FUN about the sailing thing?? and we will try it again to tell you how to do it.
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LASERS END THE YEAR

2011-12-31T08:24:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are backwards and rotated left and I don 't know how to straighten it out. This is a drawing that we reversed to make a T shirt print, but if you tip your head and play with the reversed label I think you get the idea. It has been that kind of year. I lost my wife to smoking. But she did pretty good--81 years. Maybe more than a lot of others. I can still sail the laser several times a week. I live in Florida so that goes on 12 months a year. I signed up to go to the gym and we will see how that turns out. No New Years resolutions. I will just follow my nose.

This afternoon and tomorrow afternoon we will have a "last day" sail in 2011 and then tomorrow

a "first day"sail in 2012. No big deal.

I just checked and 120 people looked at this blog yesterday. Hey, check in. Just a hello in the comments!   Maybe I need a contest with prizes like Tillerman.
           I will make more posts, so just keep coming.
          Thanks!
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LASERS AND THE DEATH ROLL

2011-12-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

The death roll or quick roll to windward on the downwind legs has been a long term problem. The picture above is from Yachting January 1979 an article by Finn sailor Van Collie about fellow Finn sailor Edward Bennett of San Francisco. (I have all kinds of old papers here.) Edward practiced capsizes in order to handle them better. Edward proposed to lie back in the water instead of trying to get back in the boat. That unweighted the down side of the boat and helped turn up into the wind. Van Collie called it “Bennett’s bath”. In the old days when I tried it, it never seemed to work well, so now I try to remember the “boat whisperer” advice.

That is Steve going upwind in a radial. Steve says to stop the death roll turn toward the sail. The rudder will dig deep into the water tending to right the boat and the worse that will happen is a gybe. Get or borrow the "boat whispperer" CD. Maybe I will get my rubber suit on (It will be getting cold here in Florida next week--that will be next year--check the date.) and go out and practice capsizes. .

LASERS CAPSIZE

2011-12-28T18:26:00.000-08:00

If you boat is upside down, you will not be sailing fast. If there is a race, you probably won't win unless everybody else turns over. Here are a number of ways you can turn over.

Hiking strap breaks.

Death roll.

Vang on as you go around windward mark.

Stick the end of the boom in the water.

Dead downwind in big gust..

Roll tack with too much roll.

Hiked out in big header.

Result of collisions downwind.

Gybe and slow crossing.

Gybe and hook sheet on transom.

Maybe we will talk about the DEARTH ROLL Friday.

LASERS CHECK THE LINES

2011-12-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

You may have read about Brad Funk's problem with the hiking strap coming apart at the Internationals, and in our last local races one of our local sailors, who will remain namelesss at the moment broke the line holding the hiking strap in. He was just ahead of Sam, so I had a great view of his head first backward fall out of the boat, while the boat turned over the other way. If we had a video, we could sell admission to view the fun.

That leads to the list of things to check for wear on your boat.

Hiking strap.

Rudder hold down at the top gudgeon.

Sheet at ratchet block - reverse before wear.

Look for crack in rubber hiking stick attachment.

Traveler at the fair leads - maybe retie bowline

Out haul at the fair lead.

Maybe that is why, people with a big sailing budget just get a new boat every one or two years.

LASERS COUNT THE NUMBERS.

2011-12-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

This is an old stolen picture from sailors in the North country with maybe Mrs.
Claus sailing her Laser.

Not to be bragging, but maybe you would want to know about this. I just figured out a few days ago that my “how to sail the Laser” howtosailthelaser.blogspot.com blog has a “stats” section, which I can look at, but I don’t think you can. My posts usually have no comments left behind. I don’t know who looks at it. I often think I am just playing games with the computer. Now I find that 50 to 100 people look at it every day. Wow! Last month 2,314. Wow! For the three years that I have been doing it, 46,634. Wow again!

The “stats” section also has an “Audience” world map with the USA and Alaska filled in in green and Europe, Australia and New Zealand stippled in light green. Who is sailing Lasers in Alaska?

“Traffic sources” include propercourse.blogspot.com which is a very talented, prolific, long standing blogger on a variety of topics including Laser Sailing.---- but also the International Laser Association of North America has a news section with a list of 5 blogs with links. Clay Johnson, John Bertrand, Proper Course, Sam Chapin and Mike Leigh. So there we are in Number 4 spot.

My howtosailthelaser blog is mostly about Laser sailing which often can be related to any sailing program. There are some posts that would be of general interest particularly the 9 chapters of “Life Coach” in July of 2010 and the “Lasers have fun” in August 27, 2011.

I know the Stats will encourage me to put more posts up.

Proper Course has been quiet since Thanksgiving and I assume that Tillerwoman and Tillerman are sailing in the Caribbean so we will be reading about that in January.
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LASER LIST NUMBER ONE FOR 2011

2011-12-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

This is the picture that I used because of the big smile and it was the third World Championship or something like that.

The Number One pick was "Lasers Have Fun" August 27, 2011.

We have a lot of talk about how to sail the boat faster. How to be ahead at the finish. How to be ahead at the start, but it really is all about having FUN -- not just about winners.

Yes, I think that was the best. The others were a mix. You could take any of them.

Do you notice that I don't have many comments below these posts, but there is a spot where I can see how many people took a look. Today 33 people looked and yesterday 102.

I am surprised and happy.

I will do more before the end of the year.

LASER LIST NUMBER TWO FOR 2011.

2011-12-20T15:41:00.000-08:00

This is a big boat note. Well, not this big boat, but look at all those sailors that could be sailing Lasers.

My number two is LASERS SAIL THE WALLY, JULY 20, 2011.

This is a fine tune for the wind shifts to m ake you just a little faster.

Tomorrow will be my pick for number one.

I bet some of you can pick that one out.

LASERS LOVELY LIST FOR 2011 -NUMBER 3

2011-12-19T12:02:00.000-08:00

This is Marit again. She is beating up on the Laser Radials some more this week. As noted before, new boat (see the 200,000 number), polished bottom, clear start watch on the mast, big arms (no tiny girl), and the pile the hair on top of your head to help you hold the boat down when max hike. This is not about Marit, but I love the picture.

The number three pick for the year is "THE LASER ELEVEN" April 25, 2011.

I will try to be back tomorrow with NUMBER TWO..

LASER LIST FOR 2011 #4

2011-12-18T20:18:00.000-08:00

Number four is "LASERS START FAST" APRIL 14, 2011

Nothing like a good start to get you out where you can work you plan.

If you have trouble moving out fast, review this and get some practice in.

My pick for number three coming up tomorrow.

LASER LIST 5

2011-12-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

Number 5 in "Lasers sail by the lee". July 27, 2011.

More accuately triming, near gybe, has done a lot for my downwind speed.

If you haven't been doing it, you need to try.

I will try to put up my #4 tomorrow.

Check back.

LASERS SAIL SMART-- GROUP 6

2011-12-16T06:32:00.000-08:00

Actually these are not Laser sailors but MC scow sailors at Lake Eustis
Sailing Club in Florida.

What a good looking bunch!

During the past year I used some material from Buddy Melges book "Sailing Smart"

and I group them together.

Lasers Look Out for the Rules... January 6, 2011

Lasers Sail Early ...January 10, 2011

Lasers and the Melges Start .... January 14, 2011

So here are the scow sailors along with good advice from the son of the MC scow designer,

but that is another story.

LASERS LIST 7

2011-12-15T11:43:00.000-08:00

Continuing the best of 2011.

I want to roll three together that are somewhat related.

LASERS GET STRONG January 24.

LASERS STRETCH January 28

LASERS SLEEP April 25

Look those up and see how they are related.

Good luck in the New Year.

I put three in the next group also..
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LASERS LIST 8

2011-12-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

Number 8 of the best of the 2011 posts is "Laser Learning" on May 4, 2011.

That was new information for me and

I am always wondering and amazed at what this sleeping thing is.

One third of your life is done doing that laying down or when sitting up in front of the TV.

Number 7 is a little group coming up next.

Yes, I cheat a little.

LASERS PICK THE YEARS BEST.

2011-12-12T06:20:00.000-08:00

THE OLD GUY looks back at the years posts. Some of them are pretty good. To start off with the three that deal with boat maintenance.

LASERS COIL THE LINE. January 19, 2011 This is worth looking at unless you are an old hand at handling all kinds of long ropes.

LASERS REVERSE THE SHEET July 17, 2011. When you do it depends or you schedule. Once a year at beginning of season if you don't sail much. Problem for us in Florida where we sail all year long. Don't wait till you see the wear at the ratchet block.

LASERS POINT THE RIVET AFT. October 25, 2011. Even the most experienced can forget to do that if you are rushed to get out to the races. Come early and mark your top mast and bottom mast so you have to be looking at the marks as you mess with the mast and the sail.

I have twelve more that I pick out as pretty good. They will be coming next.

LASERS JOIN THE CLASS.

2011-12-09T19:49:00.000-08:00

The new year is coming up and you need to support your class and get the quarterly magazine "The Laser Sailor". It is $40 for the year and send it to ILCA of NA, 2812 Canon Street, San Diego, California, USA 92106 619-222-0252, Fax 619-222-0528

I have temporarily given up on an index for the articles in this blog. Too long.

Next will be my picks of the past year.

LASERS PRINT THE BLOG.

2011-11-15T08:36:00.000-08:00

This is one of the first pictures that I put up to lead an entry. I lead all the entries with a picture now although the picture does not always go with the material. This our Fundamental Rule 2 Regatta picture with all three entries on a Wednesday evening sail. I like the Fundamental Rule 2 monkey business because I really don’t know what that means, except maybe we are just supposed to have fun.

There is a lot of good stuff in the previous issues of this blog. I think we have gotten to saying the same things over. I printed out the whole works and I suggest you do the same. It is a lot nicer to have it in your hand so you can read it like a book. Turn the pages. Oh, yes it is all backwards with the early stuff at the end. Life is not always perfect you know.

I did the print out to be sure to know where it is. People act like this stuff will always be out there floating around in space. I don’t pay anybody for this and I have no idea who runs it. It does keep changing a little. Any minute it may all disappear.

If you are new to Laser sailing, find the Primary Laser Advice that is the first entry and then repeated at least once more.

If you do print it out, give me a comment. It would be fun to know if anybody does.

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LASERS AND A LOT OF LITTLE THINGS.

2011-10-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of little things (maybe not so little) that you can add to your sailing program. Let me list a few. Are your doing any of them?
1. Be the first one rigged and out sailing to the course.
2. Stay out and sail longer than anyone else.
3. Sail more. Sail more often.
4. Clean the bottom of the boat.
5. On a non-race day set the boat up. Look things over. Change what you want to have better.
6. Make a check list of the things that you need to bring from home.
7. After every race (soon after) make that list of the stuff that you did wrong and add it to the lists after every race. Then review it regularly.
8. Bring your rule book with you and maybe your appeals book. Rules make the game. If you have a discussion with your friends, you may need the rule book. Maybe two. See if you can find the May 28, 2010 blog "Lasers hail protest". It is labeled fun and rules.

Lasers point the rivet aft.

2011-10-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

When you rig the boat don't forget to point the rivet in the top mast section aft (toward the goose neck) so it will be in compression when you bend the mast. If you are in a hurry it may be easy to forget. You can break the top mast with a hard roll tack, if you young and strong and the rivet is wrong.
Don't just wait for the carbon top mast.
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LASERS PRACTICE THE ROLL TACK

2011-09-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

Big and Little, you need to practice those roll tacks. They make a big difference. And the tacks in medium and high winds are all different. If you are interested is finishing higher in the races, you need to get in more practice time.
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LASERS USE THE CHECK LIST

2011-09-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

IF you are young and forgetful or old and forgetfu,l then you need a check list of the things that you need to take to the boat with you..

Here is a little list that you can add to or subtract from. Write it on a card and keep it with something that you won't forget.

Sailing clothes.
Hiking pants.
Water shoes.
Gloves.
Cold weather stuff.
Watch.
Sun glasses.
Boat parts you brought home to repair.,
Sails. Light and/or heavy air.
Extra tell tales.
Tools.
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LASERS TIME THE LINE

2011-08-31T05:57:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for a new suggestion to help us all out, but in looking back through all this stuff I think I should just pick out some important ones.

Time the line. One of the four things to check before each start. Not only will it give you a good idea about how to get to the other end if the wind changes, but a feel for how much distance you go in a certain time and how to position yourself with the rest of the fleet. Sail other little distances and guess how much time and then check it. Dennis Conner was always guessing and checking time and distance.

Try it. Everyone needs better starts.
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LASERS HAVE FUN

2011-08-27T13:52:00.000-07:00

LASERS HAVE FUN

The fellow above is having FUN because he just won this third world championship or something like that. Not many of us can do that, so here is my list of ways to help be “sure” that you have fun.

1. Smile

2. Expect it to be fun.

3. Dress right

4. Bring food and drink as appropriate.

5. Sunscreen- cloths, hat, sunglasses.

6. In adverse conditions, do what you are able and a little more (to expand your ability) then drop out if it is too much. Drop out happy. (Man, I don’t have to keep doing this.)

7. Say hello to friends.

8. Say hello to non-friends.

9. Give someone a little help.

10. Do a good deed that no one knows about.

11. Help others do the odd jobs.

12. Say hello to as many fleet members as you can.

13. Come early.

14. Stay late.

15. Leave any time you need to.

16. If there is someone that you don’t like, visit with him or her.

17. Show up. You can’t have fun sailing if you stay home.

18. If you have a “bad time”, start a sailing blog. It will be good material.

Now think about these things that light up the please centers in the brain. (“The Compass of Pleasure” David Linden)

Legal                                            Illegal

Caffeine                                         Cocaine

Alcohol                                         Morphine

Nicotine                                         Heroin

Food--- fatty, sweet, and salty

Actions                            Sex

                                       Gambling #

                                       Aerobic exercise #

                                       Relief of pain

                                       Meditation

                                       Prayer

                                       Anonymous charitable giving

                                       Positive social interaction. #

                                       Pleasure in new abstract ideas

                                      Maslow flow. #

# Perhaps present in sailing.
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NEW LASERS SAIL FAST

2011-08-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

Marit Bouwmeester sails away with it at Weymouth.
Note the supervang, not much Cunningham, outhaul fairly tight, Zhik but look at those arms (no tiny girl), Clear start on the mast, 200,ooo boat with polished bottom.

When you pile the hair on top of your head, it helps you hold the boat down when you hike hard.
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LASERS HIKE HARD

2011-08-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

This is Molly Forbes, granddaughter of friends in central Florida and member of U of Wisconsin sailing team.
She is helping Andy Burdick win the A scow regatta in Minnesota.

Hey Molly, this is not a Laser. Sit in just a little. The scows need to heel up, reduce the wetted surface and get on the narrower round leeward chine.
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LASERS STRUGGLE TO COMMENT

2011-07-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

Doc Haagen Dozs made comment on the previous blog -- and I haven't been able to add a comment for two days.. (MY BLOG REJECTS ME.) I hope that problem self corrects. When I go on other blogs my comments stick, but not on my own...

Say, do you like that picture above.   I may give you a long story about that some time..

       But Doc says he trims sail by the lee when it is windy on the Wylie cat 30. My comment is "Wow! I would be afraid to be sailing that close to accidental gybe on a big boat with the wind up.   Maybe if the crew and helm are all experienced and ready to get the heads down just in case."

I would be glad to hear more about sailing the Wyliecat.
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LASERS SAIL BY THE LEE

2011-07-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

After the races last weekend, David and Sam were talking about what things our fleet should do better and one of them is the downwind by-the-lee sail trim. Several have been letting the sail way forward and that really works to let you go way left on starboard tack, to keep the sail out and steady when the wind is light and you are adding the weight of the boon to keep the sail out. The down side is that if you don’t continue hard left by-the-lee air flow across the sail will be stalled out and sail lose power. You would like the air to be flowing fast from the leach to the luff and to maximize that: 1) Have a little twist in the sail so the top of the sail will resist a gybe when leading edge (now the leach) is almost back winded. 2) Trim in the sail till you get a little flutter in the bottom of the leach. Then ease the sail out just a little. This is just like the flutter in the luff when going up wind. 3) You need to keep the sail adjusted to wind direction changes or steering changes. If the wind is very light you may need to sit way forward and hold the boom out with your hand if the wind and heading require it. 4) Yes, when the wind is light you need to keep the boat rolled hard away from the sail so the sail is up high where the wind is stronger, etc.

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LASERS SAIL THE "WALLY"

2011-07-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

I love this picture. It has nothing to do with "Wally", but she is really having fun.

I have been thumbing through Bill Gladstone’s North U Tactics book again, and thought I ought to take another crack at translating the “Wally” section to Laser sailing. I don’t have a polar diagram for a Laser and don’t think we should add the speedo, wind velocity and other stuff needed to exactly do this stuff, but we generally understand that as we pinch upwind we go slower and nearer the windward mark and that as we bear off more (bow down) we sail faster but further away from the weather mark. The quickest way to get to the weather mark is a course in between and particularly sailing fast to the next header.

“Wally” was a program from the America Cup Campaign in Australia when they varied the target boat speed to the average wind direction and gained VMG (velocity made good) to the next mark when the wind changed.

Up wind if you get a lift, “Wally” says to bare off a little more and sail faster. You will increase your separation from your competitors so when the header comes you increase your lead.

Up wind if you get a header you should tack, but if you are pinned or have other reason to stay on the headed tack, then sail higher and slower to reduce your separation from others that stay on this tack.

Downwind if you get a header (the wind moves more toward you bow) Wally says not to bear off as far as the wind changes, but stay a little high and sailing faster so when the shift comes that is a lift (moving back behind you) you can gybe or go to by-the-lee or a reach depending on how long you think the shift will last, what the waves are doing and all that other stuff.

Downwind if you get a lift, it is time to gybe or go by-the-lee, but if you don’t want to, then sail lower and slower to close the separation from others that don’t change. You will gain more VMG if you gybe or go by-the-lee.

Sounds confusing? Well, everything is not easy..
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LASERS TURN THE HEAD

2011-07-18T05:53:00.000-07:00

Two issues ago:

R. W.Rawles commented that when rolling the Laser well over to weather to be careful not to look back.
Actually you will be half way turned and you need to look back to see the wind streakes coming down from windward (you wnat to get in them) and to check on the boats behind that might be trying to take you wind or establishing an overlap to leeward (toward the sail) and the the right of way.

So stretch that neck and keep looking around.
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LASERS REVERSE THE SHEET.

2011-07-17T06:30:00.000-07:00

At least once a year or right now, reverse your sheet. The sheet wears at the aft boom blocks and at the ratchet block. If you reverse it occasionally you get twice the life of the line before it unravels and really messes up your day.
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LIGHT WIND LASERS HEEL TO WINDWARD

2011-06-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

I was trying to put in another picture showing that the more heal the faster the boat is going and that the people in the back are all sailing up straighter. Wrong format so we have to use this one showing more heal on the faster boat. Remember rolling the boat over raises the sail higher into more wind. It puts the sail up over the miiddle of the boat so you don't have to steer toward the sail to balance the force of just one saqil on one side of the boat. Actually you should roll the boat over far enough so you will be correcting your course the other direction. Rolling the boat up reduces the wetter surface when that is the main resistance and wave making is very small. Suprizingly you should roll that downward curled edge of the boat into the water-- it will go faster then.
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SAIL THE BIG LASER

2011-06-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

SAILING THE BIG LASER.

Last year “speed and smarts” went over the sail controls. Here is a picture of Melges 24 with controls indicated. On a Laser we have in order of relative importance the sheet, outhaul, vang and Cunningham. We have a traveler, but these days always set tight. If occasionally you want to point higher for a short time, you can pull the boom in and friction will hold the traveler in a little toward the center. Halyard and back stay are absent. Luff tension is all up to Cunningham and mast bend is shared with sheet and vang.

So here we go... Sheet to 8 to 12 inches from block to block at the end of the boom for light air. Put on enough vang to keep it there and if very light you can sheet out and bear off to get some speed while heeling the boat to leeward to reduce wetted surface. As wind picks up and you need to sit out to keep flat then sheet in to block to block. This tightens the leach and lets you sail higher, but also bends the mast and flattens the sail. When you sail out of pressure be sure to ease your sheet again to get more fullness in the sail. You will be working the sheet all the time.

Outhaul = out to eight inches of fullness from center of the boom to foot of sail for average going up wind. If you are having trouble holding boat down going upwind then pull bottom of the sail flatter. Increase to 12 inches going downwind and on reaches. Mark the boom end in inches or other reference, because different sails may be stretched more or less and not always pull out to the same mark. Reference you outhaul line so you can just pull or ease the right amount without measuring or looking around.

Vang off at the start so you can luff and stall more effectively. Then set up quickly just before accelerating at the start. Set for what you will need going up wind. See above for light wind setting. In Average winds only enough to accelerate when bearing off to duck behind a port tack boat when going up wind. When you get up to not being able to hold the boat down then you need to “super vang”. “Super vang” is to two block with the sheet and then pull on the vang as hard as you can. Now when you ease the sheet out the boom goes out mostly laterally and not much up. The mast stays bent. You can keep the boat flat in over powering conditions by just bearing off and sheeting out. When you are super vanged you have to duck low under the boom when you tack, because the boom stays low. When you approach the windward mark you need to get the vang off before rounding. When you are super vanged you will usually be going so fast it will be hard to get all that right—you need to get enough practice so at it is automatic.

Cunningham is to move the draft forward when the wind is up and the draft stretched back to the center of the sail or behind the center. Don’t use it to pull out the ordinary horizontal wrinkles in the sail as they are usually part of the draft. Cunningham off going down wind.

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LASERS LEARNING

2011-05-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

When learning new skills 1) Understand that you need to fix something. 2) Work out what you are to do and go through it in practice. 3) Do it enough so that it is "automatic" in your brain and you don't need to think out each step.

Studies have shown that one hour of practice a day followed by the sleeping--- when your brain is making these new connections, is more efficient than just a whole lot of hours on the water.

Most of us can't sail every day, but it helps to know that even little short sessions help get to the "automatic".

LASERS AND OTHERS REST

2011-04-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

Now just after we have been told to get plenty of sleep, this stuff about resting comes to the surface. If you don't get proper rest after strenuous exercise, the muscles will not build in strength and bulk. If you exercise too close together, the muscle doesn't have enough tiime to rebuild.

So now sleep and rest --- go to the gym occassionally and sailing occasionally.

Well, how about FUN. Maybe do what you like.
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LASERS SLEEP

2011-04-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

Well, yes, he doesn't look like he is sleeping. Looks like cold water. Serious guy with watch on mast and one on his left wrsit. Vang and "ham" on. That is Evan Lewis who wrote the article in Spring 2011 Laser Sailor on sleep before sailing. He tells you all about it, but in brief:

What happens when you sleep? The brain reorganizes and inproves the recent practiced skills. The muscles rejuvinate and replace glycogen stores.

Without adequate sleep you will get fatigue, irritability, mood changes, poor concentration and lose of patience.

Adults need 7 to 8 hours sleep. Young and young adults 8 to 10 hours.

Get in the dark, the quiet, the regular routine, no food or exercise just before bed. At a regatta, look for a good place to sleep.

Check out Evan's web site for more tips and Laser stuff.... http://www.evenlewis.ca/
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THE LASER ELEVEN

2011-04-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

The Eleven best ways to top finishes.

1. Nail the start.
2. Hit the shifts.
3. Keep the pedal down. (Keep sailing fasst)
4. Go to the pressure (wind).
5. Stay out of the corners.
6. On reaches, high in the lulls and low in the puffs.
7. Inside or behind at the marks.
8. Get in the passing lane if behind.
9. Avoid confrontations-- for for speed.
10. Cover on the beat to the finish.
11. Keep track of your goals --- to win the race or to win a series, etc.
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LASERS START FAST

2011-04-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well, yes, that is the same picture Tillerman used a few days ago, but Paul Goodison has won enough races that maybe we should pay a little attention to any suggestions he has. Now I happen to have RYA Laser Handbook by Paul Goodison on my coffee table, so I just looked through it for maybe the “best” suggestion.

I settled on STARTING, but before I start copying from the book, I will tell you that in many many pictures the “clear start watch” is around the mast just below the goose neck. It is even there when he is putting the mast and sail in the boat. If you do that, you will need a watch on your left hand, so that you can read time when on port tack. Then you will need both watches running accurate. I would suggest getting perfect time, checking on your wrist first and then punching the mast watch. Then synchronize the mast watch with next signal.. I bet really good sailors have the time right on the button.

Then before the start Paul is “hovering” below the starting line. Close-hauled heading or a little below that with sail at full luff and kicker (vang) off. Just before starting to accelerate he reaches forward and puts the kicker (vang) on for up wind settling. Now quickly “jab” the tiller up wind and hike the boat to windward to turn the boat to below close-hauled course. Flatten the boat, trimming in some and heeling the boat to leeward as you come below close hauled. Sheet in more. Hike hard to flatten the boat and drive it forward. Once the boat is up to speed, trim to block to block and return to close-hauled course. Full concentration now on sailing fast.

Timing, force, direction and rolling all the little things together --- maybe will give you a better start.

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LASERS SAIL FAST

2011-04-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

This is old stuf, recently written, but worth thinking about.

The WOW or words of wisdom as long as I had three wins on Sunday. Topics, so you can judge if interested at all--- 1. Windward heel--- 2. Roll tacks --- 3. By the lee sail trim.

Rob was sailing with windward heel whenever he could manage it, and making it pay off—speed and less leeway. The little lee helm that it requires bothered him, but not enough for him to think that it wasn’t working. I have done that before. The results are not spectacular, but a little better speed and height never hurts unless you are going in the wrong direction.

With the windward heel, the upwind side of the boat that is in the water gets rounder and downwind side in the water gets straighter. Now that is the same as the sail, but working in the opposite direction. A foil in the water working upwind and one in the wind pulling forward.

My 80 year old roll tacks are working better and I thought I was picking up a little on each. It may have been the wind shifts, but…. Turn up slowly into the wind and burn off your speed going in the upwind direction trimming in the sail and roll the boat hard to the new leeside as you turn to the new close-hauled heading or just past it. Ease out some sail, so when you rock the boat back up, you can pull in some sail to pump you forward. You should be putting half the side deck under water when you roll. As soon as you are back up level check the tell tales for fast up wind sailing. With a good roll I think you can take advantage of small shifts and avoid the lay line, till late.

If you think you need better roll tacks, then practice some. Buddy Melges STARTS his practice sessions with 50 tacks. If you can’t come to sail other days than race days, come early or stay late and do some extra practice. If you are practicing before the race be sure to hang near the starting line so you don’t miss the races.

Downwind I got away from Rob several times with careful sail trim by the lee. When you are by the lee, the mast keeps the trailing edge of the wind over the sail straight and makes it faster in light wind and more under control in heavier wind.

Now to trim the sail, get a little vang on but not enough to take all the twist out of the sail. Trim the sail in so that the bottom of the leach flutters a little. Hopefully the full sail at the twisted top will keep the thing from gybing. This is a little like the curl in the windward edge of the spinnaker when you are trimming it, or the luff in the jib when you ease it a little. Now ease the sheet a little so it won’t gybe with a little wind shift and then ease again to be sure you are right on the edge. Rob and Alejandro sail with the sail far out and maybe stalled part of the time. Do that is an airplane and you will fall out of the sky. Then don’t sail dead downwind. Off on some kind of broad reach. Tacking downwind or when the folks one the coast are working waves, I think they just do transitions from by the lee to broad reach and then back again to catch the next wave.

Then in that third race Rob and Patrick went around the leeward mark together with me close behind (a three boat race). They were covering each other and let me go off to the left alone and the three of us came together at the finish. The RC gave me second place, but it could have been anybody. I tried to shoot the line, but don’t know if that helped. It can give you and extra foot or so. (Finish at the downwind end of the line and go head to wind just before crossing the line.)
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LASERS LOSE A RACE COMMITTEE

2011-04-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

The white haired lady on the right is gone and that has complicated the life of some of the rest of us.
I have 5 or 6 entries planned so I may be able to get back to that soon. But maybe a little more personal stuff first.

MARJORIE THOMES CHAPIN died March 3, 2011 at age of 81. She was born April 12, 1929 and grew up in Mohawk New York, attended from the University of Rochester School of Nursing, Rochester, New York, where she graduated as class Marshall. She served as Assistant Nursing Instructor there for three years.

She married Dr. Samuel Chapin in New York City March 17, 1956. They have 3 sons and 6 grandchildren. They lived in Springfield, Illinois for 30 years, where Marjorie was a member of the Junior League, board member of Planned Parenthood, League of Women Voters, and the Springfield Youth Hockey Association. She is a member of the Springfield Youth Hockey Hall of Fame. She returned to college at University of Illinois in Springfield earning a BA in Literature and a Masters in English Literature. In Springfield she worked for the Area Agency on Aging as Nursing Home Ombudsman for the 12 Counties in Central Illinois.

The Chapins sailed from Island Bay Yacht Club in Springfield in Snipes and Thistle Sailboats and after retirement in 1987, they moved to Key West where they raced a J-24 sailboat. In Key West Marjorie was President of the Key West Garden Club, founding member of the Key West Botanical Garden, board member of the Florida Keys Audubon Society, board member of the Key West Friends of the Library, a Florida Keys Master Gardener, active in the Key West Power Squadron and the Key West Sailing Club.

The Chapins moved to Eustis, Florida in 2005 to escape the hurricanes. She was active in the Lake Eustis Sailing Club, Lake County Master Gardener, a Eustis Library volunteer, the Computer Club, several book clubs, the Harris Chain Power Squadron, the Eustis Historical society, the Trout Lake Nature Center, and supporter of the Bay Street Players and the Ice House Theater.

She is predeceased by her parents, 2 brothers, Frank and Paul, and one sister Marceline Vanderwood.

No services will be held at Marjorie’s request. She is to be buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois.

LASERS DON'T NAVIGATE

2011-02-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

This is Key West habor--- no Lasers in sight.

This is not a Laser – How to Sail story, but the Navigation thing (challenge) from Tillerman.

When I lived in Key West, we made little deal about sending messages in bottles carried by the nearby Gulf Stream to England and France. So I prepared the bottles and one summer when the Gulf Stream was 5 to 10 miles south of the Keys, I went out in my 14 foot Aluminum skiff with a 15 horse power outboard.

Problem #1. I am on my way and the battery in my GPS died.

Problem # 2 My hand held compass that usually in the tool box has been misplaced.

OK. In the keys, a line of clouds forms over the warm water of the Gulf Stream. Go south till you are under the clouds. To go south in the morning, keep the Sun on your left.

Now you get under the clouds. The water in warmer. Put your hand in to find out. The water looks different. Sargasso weeds flowing in it. The birds, Mother Caries Chickens, flitting over the wave tops. You don’t see them near shore. A couple of 30 foot type fishing boats go by trolling for big fish.

Get the “messages in the bottles” over the side and on their way to Europe.

Now turn to home… Problem # 3. The Sun in overhead. Neither right or left. I could wait till it moved west, but use the wave pattern to pick out north direction. Wind direction can change quickly, but the wave pattern hangs on for a while. Trust the waves.

Leaving the cloud bank behind and after a while I meet the west going freighters. (They run southwest several miles out from the reef to avoid the northeast flowing Gulf Stream.) Going fine and it will be hard to miss the Continent of North America.

Then I start to pick up a light house. Right on target –the Sand Key Light house. No. Problem #4 strange Light House. Sombrero Reef at Marathon. 50 miles up the Keys. I have hung out too long in the northeast flowing Gulf Stream current and/or bad angle coming in.

OK, when following a compass course in from the Ocean not a bad idea to head right or left and then when you get within sight of land you know whether to turn right or left.

So I turn left and head for home, in sight of land.

PS. If you send a message in a bottle to be carried by the current, weight the bottle till it almost sinks. Our bottles were all windblown back to Florida.

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LASERS STRETCH

2011-01-28T10:36:00.000-08:00

This should be Lasers Stretch and have Fun.. Look at that smile..

Thank you, John Payne at JOHNPAYNEPHOTO.COM

I have finally found a topic to use with this picture.

If you have more flexibility, you will be able to move about in the boat better.

In Ben Tan’s “Complete Book of Laser Racing”, Michael Blackburn has a chapter on “ Sailing Fitness” with a section of Stretching. Basically he recommends “Static stretch” for sailors. That is a stretch of a muscle gently for at least 30 seconds. He recommends a stretch after a little warm up and then again after a work out and a third time in the evening.

Stretch should be gentle and depend on the time spent with a mild stretch and the repetition to produce more flexibility. You will be tempted to push hard and get it all done at once. That will only lead to sore muscles and delay of the whole process.

I pick out these stretches for you.

1. Hip bent with back straight . This pulls the “hamstring” or the muscle behind the thigh.

2. Then with the back bent, do the same. Now you are reaching for the toes and beyond.

This works the hamstrings and the back flexor.

3. Calf stretch. Pull the toes up with the leg straight.

4. If you don’t have two Lasers in the water like in the above picture, then the push up position on the floor and lower your body with your arms straight. This stretches the abdominals and hip flexors.

5. Elbow up with hand behind the head and reach down your back.

6. Hand behind your back low and reach up toward the
other hand in 5.

Then a few that I add because I have trouble turning and looking behind.

7. Right and left body rotation

8. Right and left neck or head rotation.

Get Michael’s book and read more or go “on line” for a thousand stretches.

DO EASY . DO OFTEN.
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LASERS GET STRONG

2011-01-24T11:05:00.000-08:00

Good bye Jack. You tried to get all of us to be strong and active.

A little bit ago, when we had some big wind and big waves, one of our Laser sailors turned over and had a little trouble getting back up. Then he just sailed home again. When I talked to him afterwards, he said he just knew that if he flipped again he would be on the verge of being too tired so he sailed back to the club. I think that was smart. Know yourself. Add the skills slowly if you need to. But you need to be strong to sail competitively.

On the same note, a few years ago I visited with a Laser sailor who had been an accountant, but for family reasons had taken over a lawn care business. Now he was outdoors working with his body and muscles every day and felt that his Laser sailing had greatly improved.

Get strong Laser sailor.
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LASERS CHECK WITH ROBERT SCHEIDT

2011-01-21T08:36:00.000-08:00

From the 1900 Olympic games, this is the "Lark" an entry in the 0 to 1/2 ton class. I guess they didn't have any Lasers then.
Before we got to far away from the Buddy Melges advice, I want to record part of an interview with Robert Scheidt from the April 2007 Sailing World. Dave Reed asks "In the boat park before a day of racing you're said to be very intense and focused, mainly keeping to yourself."

"I'm a quiet guy and don't like to talk to much before the race. I try to concentrate on the day. I try to keep my routine before the race: washing the boat, checking the gear and going to the course early to check the conditions. After each race I relax, have a quick discussion with my coach, and not think too much about the race. I try to not bring bad feelings in to the next race or the next day and deal with each race at a time. If I win the race, OK, but focus on the next race. If I do badly, I try to forget it."

Anything we have touched on before?
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LASERS COIL THE LINE

2011-01-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

I come across a Laser sailor occasionally coiling up his sheet like the one above. That means that he has put a half turn into each loop as he added it to the coil. No big deal for a ten foot length, but any

thing over 20 feet it means a lot of twists-- that means kinks--- and now the sheet won't

run through all the blocks.

So if you just reach out for each loop with your hand open, and add it to the coil with out a twist, you should have one figure eight coiled on top of the next one.

Now there are no twists that you have put in and the sheet should run fine.

Happy Sailing

LASERS AND THE MELGES START

2011-01-14T06:48:00.000-08:00

This is the last of my notes from rereading Buddy Melges' "Sailing Smart".

1. Start near the favored end or in the middle. Simple, but not so easy. It means that you have to keep checking the wind direction and guessing where the other folks are starting. Buddy doesn't shoot for the boat end or the pin end. Just near it.

2. Room to leeward at 10 to 20 seconds to go. If you don't have Buddy's experience you may need to be practicing stopping the boat, holding position, turning cross wind and then back up to close hauled and stopped.

3. Hang close to the line in light wind.

4. Don't barge.

Now you can go out and do the Melges start. Don't forget the bow even and then sail faster. Have Fun..
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LASERS CHECK THE LINE

2011-01-12T13:10:00.000-08:00

This is an Etchells start in Miami from our favorite Photographer. I think that the right end of the line was favored from the look of the angle of boats crossing the line down close to us, but I imagine that the boats are tacking in less than 90 degrees, so it may be more even. And there is a crowd at the other end.

We are still checking out Buddy Melges' "Sailing Smart" so we are going over more that you know all about... Spend some time checking out the line as soon as the RC or PRO sets it up.

1. Time the line. That will help you know how to set up for the start and also help you get a feel for how fast you are traveling and how long it takes you to get from A to B. Do it several times because the time will change with wind strength.

2. Check for the up wind end. Go head to wind and see which end of the line you bow points toward. Check it with your compass. Check the flags on the committee boat. Check the angle you cross the line when you are closehualed.

3. Get on the line and pick out a range. A spot on shore that lines up with the pin end. Maybe a spot on shore that lines up with the committee boat end (the flag they sight the line from). No shore in sight, then use your compass to get a bearing. Maybe pick out a range from two boat lengths behind the committee boat. Then when you are on the range, you will be one boat length behind the line when you sail up to the middle of the line. Try that for a midline start.

4. Check the pin for current. If you are sailing in tidal stuff, I hope you have the tide tables down and some local knowledge and your local time watch on.

5.Check right and left laylines to the starting line. Keeping checking wind heading right up to the start.

6. You want to know what to do next.. Keep tuned in. That will come up next..

LASERS SAIL EARLY

2011-01-10T06:45:00.000-08:00

Lasers get out and sail early. Maybe half hour before the scheduled race start. Yes, you have heard this before but we are reviewing the advice of Buddy Melges via his book "Sailing Smart".

He wants you to get out 30 minutes before the start of the race.
1. Warm up with some tacks and gybes.
2. Get you sail set up for up wind and down.
3. Check for current at the marks.
4. Check the right and left sides of the course for the best winds. Do this with another boat, if you can arrange it. One sail the left side of the course and the other the right.
5. Don't forget to stand up to look for the pressure. The good sun glasses helps you to see it.
6. Keep track of the starting time and be sure to be back at the committee boat before the start.
7. Yes, I know a lot of good sailors that just arrive before the race and can still win.... but not sailing against Buddy and the better sailors.
8. You think this is too early, but if it is an important event at a new place the good guys arrive a week or so before to get some local knowledge and familiar with the conditions.
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LASERS LOOK OUT FOR THE RULES.

2011-01-06T10:39:00.000-08:00

Thanks again to John Payne Photo.com for the great pictures from Orange Bowl Regatta.

Now we are back to advice from Buddy Melges and "Sailing Smart"... "My basic racing rule now is that I will never steer myself into a situation that I will know will create a discussion after the race... Any jam up can easily effect my race results no matter who is right."
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LASERS FINISH THE YEAR.

2010-12-31T05:53:00.000-08:00

The Laser District 13, 2010 winners at Lake Eustis Sailing Club.

Are they all Youths?

The Number 2 post for the year. LASERS DO NOT ALWAYS WIN, May 21, 2010. I can't get the link to work, but this is the long post about how you can have a good time racing without winning. Lots of strange things to do. Most of it I made up myself..

The Number 1 post for the year. LASER SAILORS AND THE FUN PROBLEM, September 11, 2010. Maybe the link will work again next year. I chose this as the best because it will be more useful in everyday life. It is always that the great banana peal is spread out.

BEST LASER POSTS 4 AND 3.

2010-12-30T06:37:00.000-08:00

The Lake Eustis Sailing Club RC signaling the "B"course. They are the best. In the far distance you can see the old man himself.

Most of our posts have been how to sail your boat better. How to sail faster. How to win more races and things like that. We steal Ideas from other people. Occasionally they get credit. But there is not much out there about how to have fun. Now take a look at

Number 4 LASER SAILORS HAVE FUN, September 10, 2010 The link gadget didn't work, but this is the picture of Paul Elstrom sitting on his capsized boat (probably a Finn) and saying that "No mater what happens when you are racing, remember to have fun." Paul was not always able to do that-- it is really hard sometimes. He also said you should love sailing your boat, or get a different kind.

Number 3 LASER FUN TURNS TO EXCITEMENT AND TERROR, September 15, 2010. I chose this post because it demonstrates and talks about the difference between fun and terror, or at least fun and not fun anymore. And how one can change to another.

TOMORROW I WILL TRY TO GET THE TOP TWO FOR YOU.
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LASER STUFF 6 AND 5.

2010-12-29T07:44:00.000-08:00

Now I am in the midst of pointing out what I think are my best posts of the year. I will tell you about the picture a little further down..

Number 6. LASER SAILORS MAKE NOTES, September 9, 2010. I have several posts on how we learn from mistakes, but here is the one that will let you remember the mistakes longer and give you a chance to review them from time to time. No big deal but an important step to being better.

Number 5 LASERS RESCUE RACING, October 9, 2010. If you click on that link, you will have to scroll down a couple to get to THE RESCUE. That was as close as I could get. OK, now we have been improving our sailing, but what if we are the only ones out there. Above in the picture is Claire A., our look into the future. I think we are going to do OK.
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LASER STUFF 9,8, AND 7.

2010-12-28T05:52:00.000-08:00

This picture is not related to my best 10 posts of 2010, but I like it. Everyone working hard. Maybe a gate because they are going around to starboard. Maybe a team race with S and B shirts on.

Picking the best 10 have been tough for me but here are the next three.

9) LASERS CONSOLIDATE, November 22, 2010. This is Buddy Melges after getting a short lead looks for the first chance to move over in front of some of the fleet. Not trying to win the race, but to stay in contention.
8) LASERS TACK AND GYBE, November 9, 2010. Buddy Melges takes us on practice sail and starts out with 50 tacks and then 50 gybes. Wow! If I did this a couple of times!

7) THE LASER SAILOR AND 10,000 HOURS, October 29, 2010. This is a look at the time and experience that is necessary to be good at anything. Another WoW!

So I will leave that for today and try and fit the others in to the next few of days.
Still can't get the link to work.
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LASERS LOOK FOR THE BEST TEN OF THE YEAR.

2010-12-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

I am thinking about all the fun we have had this year sailing Lasers and this is a picture of the two most important fellows in our fleet. They sail regularly, often fight it out for last place and keep smiling. They are getting faster and faster, but still need to work on keeping the boat flat. If we didn't have them then it would probably be me and then I hope they will be holding the fleet together in several years.

We still have four more posts on Buddy Melges's book "Sailing Smart", but I will hold those off while I tell you about my ten favorites that I have made in the past year. It was hard for me to get it down to ten, but I want to start with LASER SAIL TO RULE OF THUMB, September 13, 2010. That was about sailing the long tack first until it wasn't the long tack anymore and then think hard about getting over the other way. I keep thinking about that now in every race although is nothing really new.

If I knew what I was doing you could click on that capitalized title (Like in Proper Course) and go right to the post.

LASERS GYBE IN HIGHER WINDS

2010-12-26T05:59:00.000-08:00

The recent note about sailing in high winds did not talk about the gybe. So let me touch on some points. 1) Get the boat going fast. Down a wave or in a gust, you want the apparent wind with less force. 2) Induce the turn with a little windward heel (let out some sheet). 3) Turn with the rudder into a shallow S turn so that you are turning straight again as the boom is coming over and you are moving to the new windward side. 4) Then level the boat as you turn more downwind and make the hand exchange.

You will be toward the back of the cockpit to help keep the bow up. The turn with the rudder into the gybe with the windward heel, will help elevate the bow so the boat turns more easily on the stern sections.
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LASERS IN HIGH WINDS.

2010-12-22T09:16:00.000-08:00

CAPSIZE AND HIGH WIND ADVICE.

If your life jacket can catch on the boom, then wear a shirt over the jacket to hold it down.

If you fall out of the boat, let go of the tiller extension and hold onto the sheet. You can pull on the sheet to get back to the boat and don’t have to swim after the boat.

Don’t sail alone on windy days.

To Manage storms. 1) Turn down the boat and sit on the high side until the wind gets lighter. Then right the boat and sail home.
2) If home is down wind, let the sail out in front of the boat and let it luff, while you broad reach or run under control. If you have standard sheet, you will have to untie the knot at the end, pass the end through the racket block and retie the end. If you don’t retie the sheet will run out and hard to get back. If you have the knot at the boom block, you can change your mind about sail direction. You can head up and get the sheet end back. If you have a 50 foot sheet you can let the sail all the way out without fooling with the end, but you have to put up with the extra 4 to 6 feet of line in the bottom of the boat the rest of the time.
3) If you need to go upwind in survival situation, get the vang all the way off or unhook it so when you ease the sheet a little the boom will rise. Then close reach back and forth, driving the boat with the bottom half of the sail full and the top in a luff.

Tacking in high winds 1) Be moving fast when you begin the tack. 2) Tack in a flat spot or on the down side of a wave. 3) Turn fast to a close reach, hike, trim in and then get back to close-hauled. 4) If caught in irons, fall off to almost beam reach, trim in fast and try and get going before the wind cranks you back into irons again.

UP WIND AND DOWNWIND.. Try to keep the boat balanced– near flat. If a gust makes you heel, ease the sheet to keep flat before the end of the boom hits the water (too Late). If the boat heels to windward, trim in and bear off or both.

When on a run or reach and fast planing, get the board half way up. A full board can plane up to the surface if it gets a little angle.

When planing move as far back in the boat as you can to get on the more stable stern sections and the bow up.

When on a reach or a run, control the heel by sheeting in or out. If a gust catches you, heeling and forcing you up, sheet out to flatten the boat and gain control.

On a run you are more stable by the lee. Keep the boom in at 70 or 80 degrees from hull midline. You may want to put an extra knot is the sheet there so it won’t go out further if you drop the sheet. Not too much vang as you want some twist at the top of the sail to help prevent accidental gybe.

By the lee is a little more stable, but dead downwind can be really unstable. So go downwind by the lee or broad reaching.

If the boat heels too much to windward, turn the boat toward the boom with the rudder. This will tend to sink the transom and twist the boat more upright. The worst that will happen is a gybe. Don’t try to head up, like some of us did years ago.

The “death roll” happens when the top of the sail get pointed to windward and starts the boat rolling, and then the apparent wind at the top of the mast kicks in and accelerates the capsize to windward. “Death roll” because it happens so quickly it is hard to control. When the roll starts turn the boat toward the boom with the rudder – see “if the boat heels too much to windward” above.

Now if you turn over to windward and are righting the boat, think about holding onto the centerboard as the boat rights, going under the boat and coming up on the windward side to again right the boat or to just get in. (The San Francisco roll)

In Lake Eustis we have especially sticky mud in the bottom at about 12 feet deep. If you get you mast head into it, it may take two people on the centerboard to get it free or a motor boat to pull the bow forward and downwind.

In general, it takes PRACTICE to make these adjustments and keep the boat level. If you get over a little the boom can quickly get in the water. Time then, to practice “right the boat”

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To practice in higher winds you might want to try the 4.7 and radial and to work your way up to full rig..
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LASERS POLISH THE BOTTOM

2010-12-18T14:40:00.000-08:00

We are still in the Buddy Melges Book-"Sailing Smart". We have just covered the three times to slow up. The rest of the time sail fast. It can make up for a lot of dumb moves as long as you are not sailing fast in the wrong direction.

Before Buddy does any of these other things he gets the boat over and works on the bottom. Get the scratches out. Really fine wet sanding and a soft block, never just with your fingers. Then rubbing compound with a soft cloth. He wants to do it himself, so he know when he gets in the boat he has the best bottom in the fleet. Then he polishes the mast and boom and cleans the stays. He is not sure that reducing windage makes any difference, but he wants to be sure that his boat is better than any of the others.
Do you have the best prepared boat in the fleet?
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THE THIRD LASER SLOW UP

2010-12-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

The red boat needs to slow up so it will not be on the outside in the turn around the leeward mark. Trim sail in to lose power, move to the back of the boat to drag the stern, or easiest steer right and left to take a longer course. Now you can go behind and maybe get an inside overlap or at least follow around the mark with the ability to tack at will.

THE FIRST LASER SLOW UP

2010-11-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

First a little report on the weather in central Florida. 80 degrees out today and it is going to be 60 tomorrow. So this is the last warm day of the year and I was able to get some Laser sailing in this afternoon.

Well if you had a jib, you could have the crew back it while you eased the main to slow up, so not to be over the line at the start. In the Laser it is luff up, vang off, and back the sail by pushing on the boom if necessary. Bow even with people around you. A little room to leeward if you can arrange it. Heal to lee so you can get a pump in when your time is expiring, vang on and sheeting in.

I know this in old stuff, but we hit the slow up button from Buddy and just trying to touch the three slowups that I know.
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LASERS SLOW UP

2010-11-25T06:53:00.000-08:00

It is Thanksgiving Day and I am thank full that I will be able to go down to the lake and sail a Laser with a son and a granddaughter. And I still have time for this blog.

We are still working on Buddy Melges's book and suggestions. Working up from the last bit on the windward leg, he wants to delay going to the starboard tack lay line at the windward mark. You save the wind shifts till the end, but now you may face a long string of starboard tackers going to the mark.

When he is looking for a gap to tack into, he does not bear off and sail down the line. That is the wrong direction and makes the turn into the tack too much and too slow. Just ease the sheet, slow the boat and wait till the gap comes to you. This is the second of three times during the race that you should slow up.

Also if you can arrange it, come in on port tack more than three boat lengths from the mark to preserve some of you rights around the mark by entering the ZONE on starboard.

LASERS CONSOLIDATE

2010-11-22T19:28:00.000-08:00

When Buddy Melges works out a little lead toward the left, he will be looking for the first opportunity to tack toward the middle to consolidate what ever lead he has. Maybe a little header. Take as much as you can he says. Hang with the fleet and somewhere in the middle of the course if you can. From that position you won't loose to much on big wind shifts. The goal is to be in the top few boats at the windward mark.
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LASERS SCALLOP TO WINDWARD

2010-11-19T08:48:00.000-08:00

After the start, Buddy Melges will scallop to windward. Head downwind just a bit to gain speed and then with more water moving over keel or board, he heads up a little to pinch to windward. The boat to leeward will limit how far down he can head to gain speed, but then he pinches up to clear them and to free his wind. When he has headed down to gain speed, he is footing out away from the boat to windward and then pinches up to deflect air into the wrong side of their sails.

Keep the boat flat and sail fast for that first minute or so after the start to work a clear lane. Then look for a header or opportunity to tack and consolidate your lead (Oops, that is the next hint.)

Sure, this is old stuff. Many people will be doing it. You just need to try to do it better. Practice??
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LASERS PRACTICE STARTS

2010-11-15T12:06:00.000-08:00

More Buddy Melges suggestions: Practice the START. From stopped to close reach and changing gears to going fast close hauled. It is at the start, that you have the first chance to get out in front with clear air and ability to tack with the wind shifts.

This is the time that the boats are the closest together and a little more acceleration will really pay off. You need to practice this alone and in all kinds of wind conditions. And you can practice it with a friend and after you get all the details worked out.

It needs to be automatic, so you can be keeping track of your competitors, time and wind shifts when the real starts come up.
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LASERS HOLD THE TILLER

2010-11-11T08:02:00.000-08:00

Another tip from Buddy.

In "Sailing Smart" Buddy Melges tells us to hold the tiller lightly. A little weather helm and lightly so you can feel the right angle for the boat and not over steer.

If you are going to fall out of the Laser, drop the tiller extension and hold onto the sheet.

Smile, you are having fun.
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LASERS TACK AND GYBE

2010-11-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks, John Payne, for this neat photo of Laser action.

One of the Sailing World hot shots tells us to read Buddy Melges's "Sailing Smart" book. I have an old copy and was able to find it in the midst of a collection of other sail fast type of books.

They were right. It is worth keeping under your pillow so you look up stuff. Lots of Jib trim stuff, that I can skip these days, but then when he goes out to practice---- starts out with 50 tacks and 50 gybes..

Wow. I loose count after about 17. Last week we had some big wind and big shifts along with colder weather (40 degrees at night and 55 during the day, frostbitters) and I sure needed some better boat handling. Things get harder when you are moving faster.

OK, Buddy. First I have to practice counting to fifty.
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LASERS HAIL PROTEST

2010-11-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Lasers hail “protest”.

Lake Eustis had a Youth Regatta this past weekend and it is worth reporting we had two protests that were judged invalid because rule 61.1 was not followed— “she shall hail ‘Protest’ and display a red flag” 61.1(a)(2) “less than 6 meters, need not display a red flag.” (Maybe Flying Scots need the red flag at the ready.) Note that it takes 60 rules before you get to that one. (And Sam doesn’t even have it in his simplified free rule book, yet.)

Since the big rule change about 12 years ago with rules 14, 15, and 16 included to stop boats from bumping into each other, protests have gone way down and maybe learning the rules have suffered also.

In the protest business it is often a fifty-fifty thing, about who is right. Maybe the protest committee just flips a coin, and decides who to throw out.

So if someone hails (shouts) “protest” at you, you have an opportunity to do the 720 turns or go to protest meeting. In our own Laser fleet we have not had a any protests. Folks do 360 and 720 turns and we keep sailing. We could make up a P committee, when ever we need one.

If you get tangled up in a boat to boat conflict, it slows you progress around the course and interferes with watching the wind, watching other boats, and stay on the lifted tack to the next mark. You generally do better to keep sailing fast, and not worry about one person that doesn’t know the rules yet. Some time though, you will think you need to protest someone, or someone that “hails” protest to you– and you would rather run the risk of the flip of the protest committees coin to doing the 720 turns. Remember if the P committee throws you out you get worse than last place. A couple of turns maybe will loose you a couple of places and maybe none..

So we should have “a make believe protest and hearing” so our youth and “not so youth” can see how it works? Maybe a Saturday after the racing. Serve ice cream so we can keep the youth around?
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THE LASER SAILOR AND 10,000 HOURS

2010-10-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Malcolm Gladwell in this book explores the lives of people like Mozart , the Beatles, Bill Gates, and other really successful people to find that before success, they had put in at least 10,000 hours of practice (or trial) before they got really good at what they were doing.

10,000 hours is what? It is an 8 hour day, 5 days a week for almost 5 years with no time off for Christmas or sickness.

Now that is his 10,000 hour rule. That is the minimum that great performance needs.

He thinks no one is just born with the talent.

You have to pay your dues.

So how much sailing

practice and regatta

sailing will you

be doing this

week, month,

or year?

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LASERS SAIL FLAT

2010-10-25T09:12:00.000-07:00

This note stolen from Sailing World (November- December 2010) Steve Hunt “Open Your Bag of Tricks”. He notes 10 tricks and I just stopped with number one. “Sail the boat at the optimum angle of heel”.

I love this picture of Steve Cockerel sailing in wind and waves. He is almost flat. Flat is fastest, but with waves and spray, a little heel encourages the foredeck spray to roll off and not all come into the cockpit. He is rocking back and heading up to go over the next wave. Most importantly with the supervang, he is sheeted out a foot or so past the transom, to keep sailing fast and hold the angle of heel. Don’t let the gusts increase your heel. Sheet out and if you are supervanged the mast doesn’t straighten when you sheet out. Now you are going faster. If you heel, you will be doing more leeway, slower and rudder dragging more, as you try to keep going straight.

In less waves try to keep the boat flatter. You might even be able to sail with windward heel which makes the a asymmetrical hull work to weather. When the wind is very light, then weight forward and big time leeward heel to reduce wetted surface. (When you are going slow and not making any waves, then wetted surface is holding you back.) Going down wind, it is max windward heel to get the sail up into more wind and the center over the boat so you don’t need much rudder.

If planing, move way to the back to get the bow up and boat flat. You will be more stable planing on the flatter surfaces at the stern.

So the optimum heel changes around the course, but if you think more about that and get it screwed into your bottom automatic brain, you will have more time to look around and see what is happening on the course. Now you are sailing faster and keeping your “head out of the boat” and into the rest of the race.

Remember sailing fast makes your tactics look great.

Practice “think heel”, if you don’t already.

Now check out the boats ahead of you.

What are they doing?

What heel?
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LASER SAILING CONFUSES

2010-10-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

In the September 2010 “Sailing World” Dick Rose gave a “Competitors Bill of Rights” that he extracted from the sailing rules. Three pages with 10 major parts and 17 extra notes about your possible dealings and appeals to the Protest Committee.

My take, after reading most of it — forget it... If you are not a professional, you came to have fun sailing. With our current sailing rules — particularly 14, 15, 16 and 17—you always have a 50% chance of losing. Maybe yell at the other boat and forget it. This is just a game! Not life and death.

Most of us don’t make a living at it. Most of us are not at the World Championship or at the Olympics with a shot at the top. If you are one of those folks going for the big stakes stuff with dreams of glory and the big prize, then maybe you need to cut out those pages and glue them to the back of you appeals book to carry along with your two rule books. (Yes, two rule books so that when one rule refers to another by number, you can read the second and third rule with losing your pace in the first rule book. It helps.)

Yes, and maybe you may need to protest someone that keeps doing stupid things. Maybe you just need a rules session in your fleet or club.

At one time, with different rules, we learned the rules in the protest meetings. Now we hardy have protest hearing for the above reasons.

I think that grown ups just act like they know what they are doing. Could CATS do better?
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LASERS RESCUE RACING

2010-10-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

I am not sure about saving sailing, but we can do a lot to advance it.

Teach adults to sail.
Teach youth to sail.
Teach the rules.
Teach and promote racing–that is where you learn to sail better or well.
Can we teach sailing without “certified instructors”?
Encourage crewed boats. Crews often move into boat owners.
Have a crew series–when the crew skippers and skipper crews– how about a big prize.
Lasers sail double. Lets get three on the Laser.
Contest– how many can you get on a Laser before it capsizes?
Newspaper articles.
Open house at the “Yacht Club”. Offer food. Offer sailboat rides.
National “Bring Your Neighbor Sailing Day”.

Build your fleet programs–but don’t forget people move from fleet to fleet. The more the merrier. We need all the fleets to grow.
             Fleet instructors.
             Fleet repairers.
             Fleet loaner boats.
             Used boats for sale.
             Family participation.
             Women’s program
             Kids program
             Social events.

Fun sailing in the evening or other times other than racing.
Full moon sailing.
Sail canoes, catamarans, sail boards. Sail the cruisers. Charter in Carribean or Mediterranean.
Be active in the Community so people know you are there.
Community Sailing programs.
When money is short.....
             Co or multiple owners.
             Community sailing program
             Build your own boat or better yet, get a group.
                           PD racer
                           Cape Cod Frosty
                           Optimist pram
                           Moth
                           Pacific Pelican
                           Or one of Phil Bolger’s designs.

Add to my list. Maybe we need help.....

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LASERS SAIL BY THE LEE

2010-10-07T11:42:00.000-07:00

But not with the Spinnaker up.

Remember, sailing downwind in lighter wind. Weight forward with radical heel to get the sail up into more wind and reduce the wetted surface.

Think about transitions. Avoid straight downwind.

If you have some waves catching up to you, then dive into the deepest hole in front of you, pump the sheet and angle down the side of the wave to stay with it.

If you are sailing faster than the waves are moving, going around the big ones.

If you are not leading, what are the folks ahead of you doing?

Look behind. Maybe you want to keep your wind clear.

Look behind for more pressure that you might want to move to.

Wind increasing -- be a little more conservative. Practice, maybe doesn't make perfect, but it helps.
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LASERS HAVE FLASHY PANTS

2010-09-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

Sarah, Where can we get pants like that??????
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LASERS CHANGE THE CUNNINGHAM

2010-09-25T17:32:00.000-07:00

In our local fleet we had one of those days when the wind was up and down and we needed to shift gears a lot. In our discussions after racing, Tom McNally who was visiting and had dusted us off pretty well, said he had been adjusting his Cunningham a lot.
Thinking about that lead me to pull the Cunningham line out of the last two turns in the tackle. It still has plenty of power to set up hard, but less friction, so when I let it off it really goes loose. Nothing new. Good sailors have been suggesting that for some time. Yes, it really helps.
Tom was doing something else extra also that day, because now my Cunny works a lot better, but am not dusting them off yet.

PS. Tom just called on the phone about another sailing problem and says he rigs his full for windy days and a turn out on light days. Something else you can change between races.

FIVE WAYS TO SAIL THE LASER BETTER

2010-09-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

Five ways. Well, I started out to number some quick ways to sail better and when I got to number 25, I figured maybe I should make a really short list. So here it is:

1) Get Ben Tan's book "The Complete Introduction to Laser Racing."

2) Buy the Advanced Laser Sailing DVD, but don't be intimidated by the fancy boat handling. Just to let you see the stuff you can be practicing.

3) Try to get out practicing with a friend or alone.

4) Race as regularly as you can. If you have not been practicing, then try to get out sailing early and/or stay late and sail some more.

5) Talk to as many sailor as you can after racing. How did they do? What did they do right? What did they do wrong?

6) Ops, but those 5 will keep you busy for a little bit.
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LASERS SAIL IN HIGHER WINDS

2010-09-20T07:28:00.000-07:00

Steve Cockerell (the Boat Whisperer) going up wind. He called the last day of racing at the Masters a "walk in the Park".
John Bertrand struggled to stay in third for the regatta. Read John's blog "Bertrand Racing". Steve had been sailing close by this sight in England in winds in the 28 kt range. So do you suppose it is just what you are used to doing? Does practice pay off??

Notice he is sheeted out a foot and a half from the stern. I think that is a compass on the deck. He has his watch on this left hand. Maybe he uses that coming back down the line on port and has another watch on the mast to look at when he is on Starboard. Anybody know???
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LASER SAILORS LOOK AROUND

2010-09-18T06:03:00.000-07:00

John Bertrand stands up to look around. Find the pressure. Plan the course. You can see things better standing. John is sailing in England on big water and has his compass handy. That takes a lot of experience to be able to sail the boat, keep track of the other players, and not be looking at the compass all the time.
There are two guys ahead of him today-- and I wonder if they are "compass guys"?
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LASER FUN TURNS TO EXCITEMENT AND TERROR

2010-09-15T08:42:00.000-07:00

Laser fun turns to excitement and terror.

At the first day of the Master Worlds in England, Tillerman and a lot of his friends sailed the first race in the big wind and the big waves and then got the heck into shore.

No more “FUN” out in that stuff. More fun back on shore drinking Irish Coffee.

But our buddy Steve Cockerel of the “Boat Whisperer” was sailing in the stuff he loves. He had two bullets that day (sailing a Radial).

It takes practice to have fun, when the wind is really light and when it is really strong. The waves add more challenge. Comfort comes with more experience, a little at a time. If it is not fun– take a break.

(The drawing above is in honor of the England... Anyone know what it was going to be?)
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LASERS SAIL TO RULE OF THUMB.

2010-09-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

Lasers and the Rule of Thumb.

The Last “Speed and Smarts” by Dave Dellenbaugh was on the “rule thumb” helps. He gave a list.

Rule of thumb is an old English expression perhaps to Judge Roger Thumb’s rules or the measurement of small distances with the last section of your thumb–about an inch. Now just the quick easy answer.

Most of the rules refer in some fashion to playing the shifts of wind direction. My most important one being “foot to the headers” which gets you some separation as well as on the best wind angle. The one I had not thought about before was “if you are going slow, change something.”

Actually David picks “sail the longest tack first” as the most useful and puts a new twist to it.

As you sail the longest tack and approach the the lay line, that tack gets shorter and the other longer. Now he applies that rule again, and sails the new longer tack. OK, that brings in the other rules of thumb, stay out of the corners and delay going to the lay line.

Nice job, David.
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LASER SAILORS AND THE FUN PROBLEM

2010-09-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

It would be fun to win the big trophy, but even Paul Elvstrom got “down” when he didn’t win. How do you handle the “not so good” racing finish??

The Rev. Robert Fulghum gave us some interesting thoughts.

“In an occasion in life, anything can happen. The great banana peel of existence is always on the floor somewhere.

Not only that, anything might go right.

Some times the unexpected is an unforgettable moment that transforms it to memorable.

The sweetest memories are seldom the result of planning.

Forget Fashion Shows! Forget performance!

Whatever happens gets acknowledge and included.

Whatever happens, we work it in!

Be there! Notice each other!

Sail through the day together.”

Thank you Robert!
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LASER SAILORS HAVE FUN.

2010-09-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

NO MATER WHAT HAPPENS, WHEN YOU ARE RACING, REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN!
Paul Elvstrom

Maybe excitement--- or bored ---- but always FUN??

Can you help me out? Any suggestions?
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LASER SAILORS MAKE NOTES.

2010-09-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hold onto the sheet! How did this ever happen?

We learn from our mistakes, but how are we going to keep track and remember all of them?

1. You can keep thinking about them.

2. Write them down.

3. Get out and sail, so you can collect more.

4. If you have a coach, he is probably making a list.

“Smart Laser Sailors Keep Record” September 22, 2009 has check off list of many of the things you might or should check in each race. But at least keep a written note about the big mistakes.

5. Then you need to put the big mistakes together so you can review them.

6. Review them often.

7. Some will need practice. (Like leeward mark roundings. Or 720's)

8. Maybe organize into “Do This” and “Don’t Do This”.

9. Review and visualize.

10. If all that is too much work, just forget it –let us go racing just to be sailing with the other folks. Most of us are doing it just to have FUN.
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SAIL A LASER BETTER

2010-09-08T06:04:00.000-07:00

Tom Slingsby wins in England and tells us how to do it! The 22nd place in the Olympics in China gave him the instruction. You learn more from your bad races than you do from the ones you win. Now all you have to do is remember not to do all those dumb things....It probably could be a long list.
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TWO LASER SAILORS AND THE LEEWARD MARK

2010-09-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

Two of our Laser sailors. The one on the right has had some success winning various sailboat races. He tells us, "half way down the the downwind leg you need to be thinking about heading not at the leeward mark, but to the left of it, to enter the zone on the left (inside)". Waves and "pressure" may lead you other places, but always think left.
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THE LASER SAILOR AND THE LIFE COACH CHAPTER 10

2010-08-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

THE LASER SAILOR AND THE LIFE COACH CHAPTER 10

I am rolling a patch work of things in Chapter 10, so I get them in the record. It is time to get back to more simplistic sailing remarks.

Well, maybe I really don’t need to get back, because I think I have covered about every thing — but this stuff keeps popping up. We need more reminding. I need to be practicing some of this sailing stuff so it comes off better.

So to finish off Life Coach:

1) Drink 2 cups of green tea daily. Some stuff in there that is good for you.

2) Listen to music. (Good for the brain.)

3) Keep flowers around. (Probably ditto)

4) Brush and Floss –something to do with immune system. Then did you ever see our multiple world champion bite the sheet?

5) Visualize pleasant times.

6) Visualize perfect Laser maneuvers.
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THELASER SAILOR AND THE LIFE COACH CHAPTER 9

2010-08-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

THE LASER SAILOR AND THE LIFE COACH CHAPTER 9

Don’t miss an opportunity to share thoughts and if necessary to forgive and tolerate. Yes, those bad dumb things, ideas and actions of others.

So you didn’t approve. So you think your way would have been better. Did you notice, that things don’t always work out the way you think they should?

Maybe you are angry? Anger is when you are upset with someone that does a thing that you think is stupid and it affects you. (Maybe if it doesn’t affect you , it is just funny.) Actually doing stupid things and making mistakes is how we learn. Remember? Did you have that learning process? OK, don’t be upset when others are learning. Education is a long road sometimes.

Take a moment to consider where the other person’s thinking originates. They might be right. They might be wrong.

Turn the problem around and go at if from a different angle, if you need to, but don’t miss the opportunity to forgive and tolerate and discard any anger.

Those hormones that are good for you will circulate through your whole body.

Will it make you sail faster? Happier anyway....
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THE LASER SAILOR AND THE LIFE COACH CHAPTER 8

2010-08-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

THE LASER SAILOR AND THE LIFE COACH CHAPTER 8

Behavior modification and goal setting.

Sit down with a big pile of paper, pencils and erasers.

On the first sheet list these five areas- 1) Relationships, 2) Work, 3) Play, 4)Money, and 5)Health. List what you would like to do in each area. List and revise. Erase and scratch out.

On the next sheet write down where you would like to be with each of the five areas in 5 years. That is the 5 year plan. The next sheet after the five year plan is the one year plan.
The following sheet is the 6 month plan. Another sheet is the one month plan.
Then another sheet for the one week plan.
Now we are down to the one day plan. You might divide that up into Monday, Tuesday, etc. Whatever you think will work.

Review all this tomorrow and next week.
Change the plans if necessary.
Simplify if you can.

You are not perfect– just trying to get there. Keep working your system.

Welcome criticism. The Chinese symbol for crisis and opportunity are the same. Don’t be afraid to change the goals.
Close your eyes and visualize the long term results and the the daily activity of each.

Plan a reward (some special treat) for making a goal in a month or two months. Maybe something related to one of your goals. The carrot on the end of the stick.
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THE LASER SAILOR AND THE LIFE COACH CHAPTER 7

2010-08-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

THE LASER SAILOR AND THE LIFE COACH – CHAPTER 7

Enjoy your sexuality. You will find it linked to exercise, (increases it ) and to longevity and good health (increases it). The bonding and the touching releases oxytocin which increases attentiveness, ameliorates depressive symptoms, ameliorates pain, reduces stress hormone production, and improves immune function.

What’s not to like about it.
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