Fitness

Having full leg length battens....um, might make taking (and gybing) rather more difficult though

Originally posted by JimC Originally posted by Chris 249 I wonder if they'll notice if I put the International Canoe sliding seat on the Laser for heavy air races?� Perhaps some special hiking pants that have battens that hook under the toestrap and one end and you sit on at the other...

When my brother was Laser sailing he was fast enough to make the Open big-rig worlds at 19 and win the open big-rig Districts against the guys who were 3rd and 1st in the world at 18, but because he was young he didn't have their hiking power. So he sketched up a special set of hiking pants. You didn't hook them under the footstrap (that would be an outrigger and therefore too naughty), instead they had battens that went all the way down the foot, and up to the bum. There were, of course, hinges and a little lever that was meant to lock the hinges when you had finished your tack and wanted to lean back and relax.

It never went further than some fairly serious-looking sketches. After the worlds he decided he'd done enough Lasering. And it would be banned quick smart, but it's still something I dream of upwind in the Laser.



The idea was that you could hit the lever before a tack and the hinges wo

I think if you sail a laser either get fit or put up with the pain.

So stop whinging or get a boat that is supposed to have a hiking aid like a trapeze or a sliding seat!!!!

Do not try and cheat by sliding hinged planks of wood down your trousers.

Isn't Jon inland champion etc.? You may be good Stu but i reckon Jon knows what he's doing

What in particular offends you about it? There's not a lot of steering aroound the  waves going on, but the waves are coming straight at him and not straight downwind. Sometimes it seems that when you're going straight into the waves (rather than the usual 45 degrees) there's no hope of steering into the normal soft landing so any steering is simply causing drag.

If that IS Jon in the clip I'd have to agree that the standard of that bit of sailing is not up to Olympic level (I was lucky in that I did Lasers in Sydney pre 2000 when you could train against EVERYONE and watch them), but he looks a bit tired and it's not bad "end of the day" sailing.


 


Edited by Chris 249