LASERS HAVE FLASHY PANTS

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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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