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Anyone for Freestyle ?

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12894
Printed Date: 28 Mar 24 at 8:33am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: Anyone for Freestyle ?
Posted By: Do Different
Subject: Anyone for Freestyle ?
Date Posted: 28 Oct 17 at 8:40am
Looking at developments in some other outdoor activities there seems to be an appetite among the young and wannabe young for a more freestyle side to express themselves in.

Gymnastics has Parkour, Skiing now has Freestyle, Snowboards began as freestyle and is only now dabbling with racing, Cycling has the legend of Danny MacAskill.

Is there any ground to develop between racing (could be seen as anally uptight) and cruising (often sneered at as old giffers with pipes) ? 



Replies:
Posted By: Oinks
Date Posted: 28 Oct 17 at 8:51am
I remember back in the 70s, QMSC ran a slalom event, just off the shore in front of the clubhouse, that included celebrity competitors. It was featured live (I think) on BBCs Grandstand over a few Saturdays. Anyone else remember that?


Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 28 Oct 17 at 10:06am
Banger racing, using abandoned boats.


Posted By: Sam.Spoons
Date Posted: 28 Oct 17 at 10:55am
Drag racing, anything goes but specials have a £500 buy out rule.....

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Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish"


Posted By: PeterG
Date Posted: 28 Oct 17 at 11:21am
Do you mean something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5ZLlS71Psc" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5ZLlS71Psc

or this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoW7zCo-CCA" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoW7zCo-CCA


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Peter
Ex Cont 707
Ex Laser 189635
DY 59


Posted By: Do Different
Date Posted: 28 Oct 17 at 12:25pm
Yes kind of, perhaps doesn't have to be monster wind and waves though. But broadly yes, skilled boat handling for the fun of it. 


Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 28 Oct 17 at 1:59pm
First video, good fun but must be wearing on boats and equipment. 
Second video, looks fun.


Posted By: salmon80
Date Posted: 28 Oct 17 at 10:59pm
When I had my canoe i used to try to do tricks on the end of the plank. Try sailing facing backwards, outboard facing, handstand (very comical)





Posted By: sargesail
Date Posted: 28 Oct 17 at 11:00pm
No


Posted By: Presuming Ed
Date Posted: 29 Oct 17 at 9:24am
Originally posted by Do Different

Is there any ground to develop between racing (could be seen as anally uptight) and cruising (often sneered at as old giffers with pipes) ? 

There’s the Everglades Challenge in Florida, the various sail and oar raids (Sail Caledonia, Morbihan Week etc) Stockholm Archipelago Raid (cats), (More racey) the sadly deceased Worrel 1000. 

Combination of people racing and people looking for the challenge. 


Posted By: Chris 249
Date Posted: 29 Oct 17 at 10:08am
I like a bit of Laser freestyle; trying to plane backwards, hanging ten standing off the bow while steering with heel, etc.

As P Ed says there's an increasing interest in Raid, including the F18 cat Raid World Championships. The first was such a hit they have decided to run them annually rather than bi-annually. Maybe it's dinghy sailing's equivalent of cycling sportifs?

It's interesting that when yacht clubs first started they used to do "evolutions" together rather than racing; at a signal from the commodore they'd all hoist topsails or pick up a pretend man overboard, whatever. Whenever such stuff is mentioned it's with a barely suppressed snigger but it actually sounds a lot like what many coaches do, in that you're actually concentrating on carrying out a manoeuvre rather than racing. Maybe the pioneer yachties were not all twits as so often implied?  


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sailcraftblog.wordpress.com

The history and design of the racing dinghy.


Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 29 Oct 17 at 10:22am
I have taken part in a challenge where two boats have to rotate around each other, one boat heaves to, the other boat then goes round clockwise, then anti-clockwise, once complete, first boat heaves to , then hove to boat starts their rotation.


Posted By: sargesail
Date Posted: 29 Oct 17 at 12:27pm
Yes but Raids are just racing from place to place....


Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 29 Oct 17 at 2:16pm
And sound much more interesting because of it.


Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 29 Oct 17 at 5:41pm
One day I'll get to the Tewkesbury Picnic race, where they race from club to club on the Avon. Non round the cans races seem to have a lot more camaraderie.

But they aren't freestyle, of course. One of our Minisail sailors from Belgium managed a headstand on his sliding seat whilst the boat was rigged with an RS600 main, sailing along. THAT is freestyle!

I've been wondering about taking my Minisail from the first floaty bit of the Severn, using it first as a punt or SUP, then sailing, all the way to Gloucester. Is that possible? Can't really sleep aboard, of course!

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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686


Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 29 Oct 17 at 5:50pm
Can't see why not, Jackman rapids at Iron Bridge, interesting.
Bridgenorth, can be a bit shallow, but should be ok.
I can only think of one major obstacle, that's the lock just south of Stourport, not sure if they will let you take a sailing dinghy through it though.
This was reason I got the Tinker Traveller, after reading "The legendary voyage of Jack de Crow"
Was going to start at Shrewsbury and go down to the Severn Bridge.


Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 29 Oct 17 at 6:15pm




(Photos (c) Robert Muller)


Posted By: Oli
Date Posted: 30 Oct 17 at 12:47pm
would this be classed as freestyle?

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https://skiff-media.teemill.com/" rel="nofollow - T-SHIRTS
https://www.photo4me.com/profile/23908/" rel="nofollow - PRINTS


Posted By: H2
Date Posted: 30 Oct 17 at 2:37pm
We used to handstand on the side of our 420s when I was a kid sailing at the nationals in Weymouth Bay. Not many managed the whole leg back from the finish but it was fun trying!!


Posted By: Do Different
Date Posted: 30 Oct 17 at 5:42pm
Link may work:   https://www.facebook.com/hskakatemia/

Not working quite as hoped, scroll to 21st Sept.




Posted By: turnturtle
Date Posted: 31 Oct 17 at 12:12pm
Yes- definitely... advanced boat handling would be the anal way to describe it, but kids have been messing around standing on the sides of Oppies for as long as I can remember.  Also anyone who hasn't attempted to run around the front of topper mast when tacking it rather than going under the boom can't even call themselves a sailor in my book ;-)  

 It's a damn shame to lose that 'freestyle spirit' into youth and adult dinghy sailing.  Whether it needs formalising into a competitive format isn't something I could answer, but certainly a recognised movement, especially in the media rich world of Facebook and Instagram, could add something dynamic to dinghy sailing's offering without necessarily facing the same barriers that racing does.


Posted By: getafix
Date Posted: 31 Oct 17 at 1:53pm
I thought owning and sailing an assy international canoe would keep that spirit alive .... turns out what I was lacking* was time to practice, a lot,  rather than a lack of adventure Wink

*now I'm older with responsibilities - not more responsible, you understand


Posted By: turnturtle
Date Posted: 31 Oct 17 at 4:23pm
definitely understand that sentiment... half the benefits of getting on the water is to forget the responsibilities for an hour or two.  Standing on the transom and providing a 'Cherub Salute' to a passer-by on her Laser Radial still has some wonderfully puerile connotations....  


Posted By: Do Different
Date Posted: 31 Oct 17 at 5:17pm
Yes quite so, probably exotic freestyle moves are most ably performed by the young. They needn't have sole rights though, even us senior railcard holders may want to throw in a couple of moves now and again, some intentional and some less so.
I got into the habit of landing my Contender by running down the foredeck and stepping off into shin deep water holding the forestay, when I changed it for a MkII Rondar I failed to appreciate that the foredeck was no longer textured. Embarrassed


Posted By: turnturtle
Date Posted: 31 Oct 17 at 10:15pm
Well at least a contender is built well enough to stand on the foredeck - much as the maligned Laser, I’m sure launching in an offshore breeze, sail backed square with the boom in hand, sailing in reverse whilst perilously balancing on the foredeck, rudder skyward, tiller flopping around up there and the imminent death run to the cockpit that will mark you hero or chump ... well it makes for a more interesting anecdote than another whinge about ‘the b**tards in the RYA messing with my handicap’


Posted By: Daniel Holman
Date Posted: 31 Oct 17 at 10:27pm
Once saw Robert Scheidt shimmy up a laser mast (boat floating) and got to the top before hitting the water.
Don't think I'd get past the gooseneck!
Insane.


Posted By: Sam.Spoons
Date Posted: 31 Oct 17 at 10:35pm
In my teens I used to run up the foredeck of my OK and step off onto the beach. Not sure I could have shimmied up the mast though. I was only around 60kg though and my old boat was not a lightweight......

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Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish"


Posted By: turnturtle
Date Posted: 01 Nov 17 at 10:18am
Originally posted by Daniel Holman

Once saw Robert Scheidt shimmy up a laser mast (boat floating) and got to the top before hitting the water.
Don't think I'd get past the gooseneck!
Insane.

We have mutual acquaintance who mastered tacking a laser with the outhaul off and stepping through the sail and the boom.... knackers still in tact given the two little munckins that occupy his time these days.

And maybe a tad before your Soton days, but I recall a windy Plymouth BUSA nationals watching a former Olympic gold medalist win the Laser class by hiking yacht style up the final beat.... at least two legs ahead of the next dude.  


Posted By: Eisvogel
Date Posted: 01 Nov 17 at 10:57am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWBPfXc-o_8

"supersl*g" -- I assume 'sl*g' means 'tack' in Swedish.


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Enterprise 20361 (Eisvogel), Laser 102727 (Halcyon), Laser 121986


Posted By: Eisvogel
Date Posted: 01 Nov 17 at 10:58am
Gee, thanks for censoring my foreign words, forum software! :)

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Enterprise 20361 (Eisvogel), Laser 102727 (Halcyon), Laser 121986


Posted By: Do Different
Date Posted: 01 Nov 17 at 10:03pm
Now that Contenders have gone loose footed they could be prime for that boom leap tack move.


Posted By: PeterG
Date Posted: 02 Nov 17 at 8:49am
I never thought to try it, but perhaps it would have been easier than trying to get under the boom at times!

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Peter
Ex Cont 707
Ex Laser 189635
DY 59



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