End of Year Highlights

I bought mine at a similar age- you're very lucky to have a fleet to practice with; I think it will make all the difference to how quickly you get to a point of just loving it rather than loving it and falling in all the time.

Originally posted by RS400atC Originally posted by iGRF The final shame of it all? I couldn't sail it any better now than I did back then, because fundamentally, just like the 49er which I've since been proved correct in my assumption that even super good guys cannot ever fully master, it is flawed. When I say 'fully master' that means come what may, whatever condition whatever the course you race round without falling in or over. Racing isn't , or should never be, about wether you piss it in or not. .... Aren't all boats flawed in some way? The MPS looks less flawed than most, particularly when you see a well sailed one powering along in conditions where lesser boats are struggling. In the limit, any performance dinghy is going to be at risk of capsize. One price of performace is increased risk of capsize. If you come up with a boat more resistant to capsizing, people will just sail them in more wind. I think boathandling is an important element of racing, if someone beats me because we capsize and they don't where's the problem?

+1

I enjoy boat bimbling as much as next person, but a bit of practice can go a long way.... and you can spend ££££'s trying to get a few seconds round the race course versus the minutes you can lose capsized or by going the wrong way up a beat

The final shame of it all?

I couldn't sail it any better now than I did back then, because fundamentally, just like the 49er which I've since been proved correct in my assumption that even super good guys cannot ever fully master, it is flawed.

When I say 'fully master' that means come what may, whatever condition whatever the course you race round without falling in or over. Racing isn't , or should never be, about wether you piss it in or not.

So sorry BristolMPS, not right or proper of me to crush your dreams, you might be younger, taller, heavier, a better sailor and could well go on to enjoy what looks like a super boat and I sincerely hope you do, but I can never do that with that boat because of physical limitations beyond my control and that doesn't sit well with me.

Originally posted by pondmonkey Originally posted by Neptune Because he couldn't sail it! which is no great shame in the scheme of things.  I could barely sail mine as soon as a 6 week hiatus from the club set in- especially upwind where I was just too damn slow to get in in the lulls. BUT, to not be able to sail it 'cos you're a complete novice and you go to the class training and tell them they're all wrong (and ladyboys), that trapeze harnesses are gheey and that your DakKine windsurf harness with some crazy attachment to the wire would revolutionise it for them.... well that's just a tad potty.

Because he couldn't sail it!