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.

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LASERS COUNT THE NUMBERS.

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

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. 

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LASERS LIST 8

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.

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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 USE THE CHECK LIST

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 SAIL THE "WALLY"

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

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 LEARNING

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".

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LASERS SLEEP

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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LASERS DON'T NAVIGATE

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 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 CHECK THE LINE

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..                                                                              

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BEST LASER POSTS 4 AND 3.

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.

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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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 SAIL FLAT

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 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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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.                                                                                                                                                                   
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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!