Hobsons choice or Morton's Fork

Oh for goodness' sake!  Firstly, even at my height I'm not scratching my nose on the cockpit floor at any point of the sailing, secondly, two foot reaching a contender usually requires two hands and an engaged brain, so not much time for arse scratching - you have done this James?  Totally successfully?

I shouldn't think anyone who has has mastered a contender would want to go back to one - no challenge.  But the number of those who have totally mastered it  is quite small, because it's very easy to belittle it, but not so easy to really sail it well.

Grumpf, please buy one so that you can learn to appreciate a decent single trap boat.  If you get to grips with it as quickly in reality as you do in your dreams, then sell it - you won't lose any money because the second hand market is so strong.  Then you can move up to the MPS for a day or so before you fall flat on your backside again.

I'm not saying the contender isn't easier than a musto; I'm sure it is.  what I am saying is that it's not as easy as you think.  I can't comment on the 700 because I don't like to pass judgement on boats I haven't sailed.


Edited by winging it

Originally posted by Ian29937   I just can't see the fun in scraping your nose on the cockpit floor every tack......

There..

That's what I mean, why would you want to do that all the time?

So ungainly.

And what if you broke a nail?

Well in all my Musto time I don't recall stacking it down wind, but then I
didn't get to go down wind much on account of the 18 capsizes I'd have
upwind per race.

I guess I should have taken it out to practise sailing it 1st, rather than
just launching it straight into a race in my customary arrogance..

So I'll be able to just get right on the Contender then?

Shall I go out 1st or wait for the 10 and allow myself five minutes to get
acquainted.?
(The contender fellow has come back to me now I really am on the spot I
might have to wander down there and have a gander.)

Originally posted by G.R.F. Originally posted by Peaky Originally posted by winging it that vid is useless and not a class promo.  8638397849528913806">This is a class promo! What a great start from GBR700! I saw that, but... It's totally the wrong way, if that's just off Concadora you have to ignore that and go exactly the other way riding the knock into the cliffs. Then its the first one in is the first one out. Horribly predictable course is Garda, classic wind bend into the cliffs with a venturi induced lift coming out, and it's the same in reverse the other side, horrible place. Percentage sailing never seems to pay, you have to commit and be damned if you don't do it early and fast enough. But if you're lucky like they were in that video and its cloudy then a bit more sailing normality comes into play. I watched it all the way through, excellent variety of conditions, they were lucky, lots of contests in Garda it's exactly the same day in and day out, unless they get up early and race the North Wind, which doesn't happen that often, least it never did back in my day.

That was Riva so he's headed for the cliffs.  The variety of conditions was as much to do with them trying to sail us outside the Ora window as the natural conditions. 

I'd bought a cheap Contender whilst the 700 was on order and got talked into attending the Worlds for the first time along with 146 others.  I arrived having only sailed the boat in a F3 so it was interesting but a lot of fun!!!  I think I was the only person to measure a sail which still had a 1975 Plymouth worlds stamp on it so every boat I passed was a therefore a moral victory in my eyes.

I had a guy spend 10 minutes videoing my banana's which I'd taped to the lowers. I couldn't be bothered to watch the video all the way through again.  Did the banana's make this cut?

Cheers

Ian

RS700 GBR960

www.sail4cancer.org

Originally posted by Peaky Originally posted by winging it that vid is useless and not a class promo.  8638397849528913806">This is a class promo! What a great start from GBR700!

I saw that, but...

It's totally the wrong way, if that's just off Concadora you have to ignore
that and go exactly the other way riding the knock into the cliffs.

Then its the first one in is the first one out.

Horribly predictable course is Garda, classic wind bend into the cliffs with
a venturi induced lift coming out, and it's the same in reverse the other
side, horrible place. Percentage sailing never seems to pay, you have to
commit and be damned if you don't do it early and fast enough.

But if you're lucky like they were in that video and its cloudy then a bit
more sailing normality comes into play. I watched it all the way through,
excellent variety of conditions, they were lucky, lots of contests in Garda
it's exactly the same day in and day out, unless they get up early and race
the North Wind, which doesn't happen that often, least it never did back
in my day.