Anna on port tack in China. Is that the big yellow faced watch on her right wrist? I think that is a dark faced one on the mast.
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In the second picture at a start, I see masts of five boats and four of them have the watch on the mast. If you are on port tack you can't read that baby.
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Maybe when I go to the Olympics I will get a second watch.
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Well spotted. I think a case can be made for two watches, even for us weekend warriors.
ReplyDeleteIf you only have a watch on your wrist you have to look down at it to check the time to the start when you should have your head out of the boat, looking forward to see what other competitors are doing, how close you are to the line etc. etc.
But as you rightly say, if you put a watch on the mast you can only really see it on one tack, so you set it up so you can see it on starboard tack as you approach the start line. But then, if you have to be on port tack with only a minute or so to go you are clueless as to time.
Now some folk claim to "just" know how long there is to go in 5-minute sequence. John Kolius once told me that he could do this. Hmmm. Not me.
Or you could use one of those watches that beeps. But we get deafer as we get older. I knew one old Laser sailor who use to have one watch on his wrist and one in his hat (so it would be nearer his ear and he could hear it!
And the other reason for two watches, is that sometimes these fancy sailing watches just fail. Not a good feeling at the start of a long day of racing on the water if you are suddenly totally without a watch!
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