LASERS SAIL WITH GOLDIE HAWN

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      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.

.

Lasers have PAIN.

 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?


.

LASERS LOVELY LIST FOR 2011 -NUMBER 3

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..

. 

LASERS SAIL FAST

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.)
..

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?
.

LASER SAILORS LOOK AROUND

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"?
.

TWO LASER SAILORS AND THE LEEWARD MARK

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.
.

THE LASER SAILOR AND THE LIFE COACH

  

    The Laser Sailor and the Life Coach.. Chapter One.

In the picture is our local Laser PRO on the left and your “Life Coach” on the right.

We old folks need to be introduced to the idea of “Coaching”. Most of us are familiar with the Football Coach and the Basketball Coach. We called them Coach Jones and Coach Smith. We are familiar with the teacher, instructor, trainer, mentor, leader, captain, professor, doctor, lawyer, accountant, insurance agent, financial advisor, minister, police and judge. They all give advise.

Now we have the sailing coach, parenting coach, physical coach, family coach but/and what is the the “life coach” thing?

Slowly we have been learning about exercise, diet and a lot of other little things that add up to a long and happy life – but they don’t seem to be getting much attention, so maybe we have a need for someone to put it all together for you. Soooo, if you are interested, Laser sailors, here is your LIFE COACH. It will come in multiple chapters. Perhaps better to call it “life instructions”, because we will not be looking over your shoulder and making comments or reviewing your last actions like a real coach should be doing.

What has all this to do with Laser sailing? A smarter, stronger, and happier person is a better Laser sailor, maybe? What do you think? And if you live longer, you might sail more?

Start with exercising. Maybe the most important and most widely disregarded. As long ago as 1971 the German Ernst Van Aaken MD reported marked decrease in cancer in veteran long distance runners. (Figure out that connection?) Easier to understand how running and exercise helps reduce weight, reduces type two diabetes, lowers cholesterol, lowers blood sugar, prevents heart attacks. Stimulates stronger bones and keeps joints moving. Running stimulates the release of “happy hormones” that make people happier and maybe smarter. (The runner’s high after 30 to 60 minutes running.) Exercise simulates formation of new brain cells, something that a few years ago we thought didn’t happen at all. (You had so many brain cells at a young age and only lost cells after that.)

So RUN if you can. Walk if you can’t. Ride a bike if you must, or swim or dance or mix up the bunch. Apparently the body was meant to move and it does better if it is doing it. Do as much as you can. Start out slow if you need to and gradually increase. How much? As much as you can fit into your life. Skip the elevator. Take the stairs. Park further away at Walmart. When waiting, get up and walk around. Turn off the TV.

Maybe do the pedometer thing and go for 10,000 steps (4 or 5 miles). The 10,000 steps come from some Japanese suggestion. Not a bad suggestion, but not set in stone.

Laser sailors will hike longer, work the waves better, sail happier.

When you get past the age of 25 or 30 years, things and strength will start going down hill, but if you keep moving, it will not go so fast.

Listen to your body– if you walk/run and feel tired and sore , rest a little. If you get sore knee, foot, etc – switch to the bike which pounds less, or swimming which unloads the weight while you still use all the muscles. Back to run/walk when the soreness is gone or continue the other activity if you enjoy it more..

Get with your exercise.

Coming later in other Chapters–eat or not eat, think, friends, community, reduced stress, laugh, share, forgive, tolerate, learn, behavior modification, and goal setting.                                                                                                                                                                   
.

LASERS NEED WATER

Lasers need water.

On hot days Lasers need to drink water. It helps to hydrate before going out. The April 2010 Journal of Athletic Training reported that a 2% dehydration before running gave slower times and recommenced 16 ounces of fluid 1 to 2 hours before and another 4 to 8 ounces 15 to 30 minutes before running.



In 2008 the Medical Society in Sports and Exercise found that cyclists that drank cold beverages before and during work out were able to ride longer.


No reason it should not carry over to the active sailor.  So if it is hot, start hydration early and if you can, make it cold. .
.

LASERS HAVE FUN.

LASERS HAVE FUN. Comments on “ Be Your Own Sailing Coach”

A few weeks ago Tillerman had a note about life jackets and a picture of the RNLI crew with all his heavy weather gear and his inflatable life jacket. The note was from the book “Be Your Own Sailing Coach” by Jon Emmett, Copyright 2008. (The is a book written from England with the “kicker” and stuff like that.) Information from the Chapter on Starting was reprinted in the Laser Sailor, Summer 2009.

I have two earlier blog entries, a Long Coach and a Short Coach. I grew up sailing, when there wasn’t any coaches. Well, we had high school kids teaching grade school kids how to sail, and everybody else got in a boat and started learning more.

I got the “be your own coach book” to see if I was missing anything. Some Laser pictures and notes from Paul Goodison. Twenty chapters on things you need to know.

The first chapter is goal setting. Now that is pretty easy for Lasers and most of the rest of us. The goal is having FUN. That is not mentioned in the goal setting section. Nobody is sailing a Laser for a living, unless maybe they are a really good coach. The professional sailors, I bet, started out doing it for fun, and then turned it into money working on big boats.

Occasionaly I see our high school sailing team out sailing in circles and strange little short courses that don’t seem to be related to anything. When I ask, I am told they are just having FUN. We want to keep them happy.

Yes, when I started sailing, I just wanted to get the boat to do what I wanted it too. Have it under control. Sail to someplace and back. Make all the parts work. Take somebody out for a sail. When we first got Lasers and the wind was up, it was just reaching back and forth on that wild unstable ride. We weren’t racing just ripping back and forth.

So what can we do to have FUN when sailing? 1) Sail back and forth. 2) Sail backwards. 3) Turn over and then right the boat. 4) Sail fast. 5) Sail slow. 6) Sail to some place and back. 7) Race a little, like there is another sail boat and see if you can catch and pass them. 8) Join a Yacht Club, Sailing Club or Cruising Club for socializing. 9) Tired of just sailing across the harbor, then try sailing around the world.(I don’t think that will all be fun.)

Avoid too much wind and not enough wind Experience will widen that gap between too much and too little in which you can have FUN.

Maybe you want to sharpen your skills of boat handling. You might want to do some type of racing. That will work better in a one design class, where you can match your boat against one that is very similar. Do the Portsmouth or the PHRF thing, but you may get lost in all the rating questions.

One of the best things about racing is the schedule. You have a time to race and a place to go. You don’t go to the picnic because everyone knows you will be sailing. Then when you get out and sail with other boats you get a feel for what you might be able to do better. Because it is on a time and place situation, you will be sailing in lighter winds and in stronger winds than you would other otherwise. Your world expands.

Maybe you do just a little racing, expand your skills, and then go back to things that seem more fun to you.

Don’t forget. If you get into racing, that the primary goal is having FUN. Not fleet champ or that sort of thing. OK, win all the races, but don’t forget the goal.

THE LAST CHAPTER IN THE BOOK IS ABOUT MONEY.

So how much money are you going to spend to have fun.. How big is the boat. Where are you going to keep it. How often the haul out and how much does it cost. New Sails? New boat? Trips to regattas if you get into racing. Hire a coach.

So those are the best parts of the book.– Chapter 1 Goal Setting and Chapter 21 Money.

Now you judge of what you want. Spending money and time sailing, against the other things that you could be doing.

Will it “Save Sailing”?

It will, if sailing deserves it!

THE SHORT LASER SELF COACH

THE SHORT LASER TRAINING SAIL
My Self Coach Note was long and complex because there are a lot of things that you could be practicing if you want to get your boat handling to a higher level.

This is a note suggesting as short version to work from.

It helps to have a mark to take out in the Laser with you. I was going to tell you what to use for a mark, but this is to be a short note. Don’t use a big government mark that could bust up a Laser if you hit it.

The mark will be your starting mark to practice starts, your windward mark to practice windward rounding and your leeward mark for that mark rounding. If you sail at a place that does triangles or Z courses then it can be the gybe mark.

I throw out the mark. Ignore it and start with the tacks. As many as I can stand. Then I do gybes back down to about where I started. Then do it again till sick of the whole thing.
Now try to find that mark that you dropped off before all this started.

The "stop, stay and go" of the start may require the most practice. I have the most trouble with the leeward mark rounding and practice it most. Probably why in the races my starts are so bad and leeward roundings are better.

Then when you get tired of those start on 360, 720 or what ever you want to add from the long list or stuff that you want to practice.

What is you favorite practice routine?

LASER SELF COACH OR WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU SAIL ALONE
Learn something every time you sail.
Sail often versus long.– your choice – as often as possible and as long as possible.
More wind and waves– when ever you can find them.
Light to no wind— yes, that also.
Take one two small marks out with you.
On shore spend some time checking rigging and the wear on lines etc.
Mark or knot line settings.
Tacking – 1) roll tack in light air.
2) modified roll tack for medium air.
3) duck low tacks for strong air with super vang on.
Gybe 1) roll gybe for light air
2) gybe from by the lee to by the lee ( pull on aft sheets)
3) high wind gybe
4) in between gybe or beginners gybe - pull from boom block or rachet block when boom coming over.
Tacking 5 to 25 tacks in a row.
Come out of the turn at near 90 degrees– a little more won’t hurt. Avoid stopping with head to wind. If necessary look for a spot on shore to turn to. After each tack get the boat sailing "low and fast" (bow down). Windward and leeward tell tales flowing. If you can’t see the leeward telltale, then head up till the windward one is just lifting and then head off just a liittle. Not generally recommenced, but I find telltale just in front of window helps some as you can always see both.
Interesting to see how the tacks feel after about 15 in a row.
Go downwind with multiple gybes. Lets stick with one type until you are sick of it.
Then go upwind with multiple tacks and come down wind with a different type of gybe.
Then go up wind with a one minute "sail fast" between the tacks. Flat, tell tales flowing, outhaul, Cunningham, vang all set properly. Sheet right– two block if needed.
Do the upwind one minute "sail fast" and concentrate on looking around (head out of boat). Look
for pressure look for the mark, look at what the other boats are doing, look under the boom for other boats.
Now see if you can find the marks that you set out.
Windward mark rounding with vang off, maybe outhaul and Cunningham, hike, sheet out and weight aft with rapid turn to downwind by the lee.
Go hard by the lee as if someone was right behind you.
Then transition back and forth from by the lee to broad reach with good rolls to initiate the turns.
Gybe and rounding of the leeward mark.
Back upwind just focusing on wind shifts. Tack on every header that you feel. Stay out of the corners and delay going to the lay line.
Now after all the gybes, go downwind focuses on the wind shifts. Broad reach or by the lee to stay closest to the leeward mark. Avoid the dead downwind. Look around 360 degrees. Look for wind lines. Look for competitors that may be behind.
ROUNDING LEEWARD MARK. Tactical rounding= enter wide (one or two boat lengths) and exit close hauled next to the mark. Helps to visualize the close hauled angle as you sail into the mark.
Sail to the left side of the zone and then make a sharp turn toward the mark at the zone to shake off any marginal inside boat overlap. This leaves a gybe and tactical rounding.
Then practice putting the gybe in some time ahead. If you are by the lee just gybe over and go for the tactical rounding. It will be easier with the gybe first. (You can’t do that with a by the lee boat close. They on starboard tack and you going to port.)
When you have that down, then do gybe-tactical rounding and tack at once onto starboard.
Now come in to the leeward mark on port and do "seaman like rounding" (sharp turn close to mark) as if you are the inside boat without right of way.
AT THE WINDWARD MARK, practice luffing around the mark when a half boat length below the lay line. The wind and waves will have something to do with if it will work or not. In any case be sure you have the bow down and good speed before the luff– don’t try to pinch around the mark. (Old folks called that "head reach".)
Practice the double tack around the mark in case you need one or two boat lengths to make it.
Practice tacking into windward mark on port at four boat lengths out (not in the zone) so you will remember to do that unless you are well ahead or well behind.
Practice deep bear off before tack to pass behind a starboard tacker that has you "pinned" so you can’t tack.
Practice 360 and 720 circles both upwind and downwind. Try to come out of the last tack or gybe on course to next mark and get sailing fast.(Try with the board up some, drop the tiller and be counting the tack and gybe) Good boat handling skill and you should need it occasionaly i.e. try to squeak out port tack crossing the doesn’t work– don’t cheat, just do your turns.
STARTING; Set out your two marks as start line. Do the four steps–1) Up wind end? 2) Time the line 3) Get a range. 4) check for current.
Stop at the starboard end and wait 30 seconds. Then vang, leeward heel, rudder pump, trim flatten at bow down, trim in and sail fast for one minute.
Repeat with start at the pin.
Repeat with start at the midline.
Repeat with port tack approach at 30 seconds.
Repeat with port tack approach at pin and mid line.
Repeat with "over early" and around the ends restart.
SAIL WHEN IT IS TOO LIGHT.
Up wind sit forward with good leeward heel. (Reduces wetted surface and gets gravity working on sail shape)
Keep boat moving with boom out past the transom and some vang on as necessary.
Change gears in and out of the puffs.
Work out the tacks....
SAIL WHEN THE WIND IS UP.. All the vang that is necessary. Duck low tack with the vang on. Sheet out as necessary to keep near flat. Vang off going down wind. By the lee with boom not out more than 80 degrees.
Test the turn toward the boom to fight the death roll. When planning move back in boat to get the bow up.
IN WAVES up to 18 inches, bow down and muscle through them. Probably with waves at 2 feet, be working the up the up side and down the downside with weight shift. Body aft with the up side and body forward with the down side.
STAND UP TO LOOK AROUND. Look for the pressure. Look for the waves.
Stand up and sail up wind, squat and duck under the boom while tacking.
In light wind step to in front of the mst and roll the boat to make it go and steer with exaggerated heel.
TURN OVER and sit on the high side of the boat.
TURN OVER and duck under from leeward, pull on CB and right the boat.
TURN OVER and dive over the high side to reach the CB and right the boat.
TURN OVER to windward and right the boat with the San Francisco roll (hold on to the CB as the boat rights and then come up on the windward side and get in.
TURN OVER and drop the tiller extension and hold onto the sheet.
In higher winds let the luffing sail out in front of the boat. Follow it on broad reach or run. Know how far out your sheet will go out. If necessary, untie the knot, let the sheet through the ratchet block and retie. Then drop the sheet if necessary to get straight down wind. Then head up and retrieve the sheet.
Watch the clouds. Shape (especially the tall towering ones) and movement. Are the wind gusts coming down from the edge of the clouds? More important on long courses.
Survival upwind= vang off and top of sail luffing. Survival down wind= follow luffing sail.
Short term survival- turn boat down and wait out storm. Work the sheet to stay upright –out if turning over toward the boom and in if turning over to windward with rudder turn toward the boom.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY.?