LASERS MARK THE BLOCKS

I use a Harken ratchamatic block on my Laser, but often hold the sheet directly from the boom when going downwind.  To help pick up the correct side of the ratchet block  when I go back to it, I mark the "pull" side of the block with white.  I have used paint, but it rubs off too quickly.  White 5200 works best for me.  Any other suggestions??
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LASERS CHECK THE LINES

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.

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LASERS PICK THE YEARS BEST.

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.

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LASERS AND A LOT OF LITTLE THINGS.

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.

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 CHECK WITH ROBERT SCHEIDT

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 POLISH THE BOTTOM

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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LASERS LOOK OUT FOR THE FLIP UP

We have had two Lasers with holes punched under the roll lip where the flip up on the Seitech Dolly rests. Maybe some one sat on the boat on the dolly with the flippers up? Maybe the cockpit filled with water and that punched it through..

I called Andy Levine at Tackle Shack near St. Pete. He handles the Laser things over there. Has he had any trouble? Oh, yes. When he sets up the dollies for the new boats for charter, he doesn’t put the flippers on. If some one buys them after, he hands them the flippers, so they can put them on if they want.

I have taken my flippers off and will do the same for the LESC youth foundation boats. The repair of the holes is not difficult, but you have to lay down on the ground, or turn the boat over to see the damage, or be looking for the leak into the hull.

Will hanging on the strap deform the hull. I will see. There are no hard spots, so I think it will be fine. The strap is just behind the centerboard trunk, so there is some support.

Does anyone else have some experience?
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LASERS PATCH THEMSELVES.

C.J. broke the rubber connector between the tiller and tiller extension. 

He had to drop out of the rest of the day's racing.

We missed him.

Long time Laser sailor Randy Rea from Crystal River, Florida told us several lyear ago to wrap about 2 feet of light line around the back end of the hiking strap to use for various repairs.

Tie the tiller extension on with a rolling hitch or camel hitch or or just wraps and two half hithes should do the job.  Hang in there. Sail the races.

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LASERS GO CHEAP ON THE SHEETS

We have had some sheets wear out at the ratchet block close hauled position-- that is about ten feet from the end.  Not much wear else other places.  End for end the sheet and wear the other end a little at both ends and it should double the life of the sheet.

I would guess it will take 2 to 4 years to wear one out depending on the block, how much wind you sail in, how long you sail and how strong you are.

Suggest end for end each Spring and maybe Anna will do it every regatta when she gets back to sailing Lasers.

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