How to safely increase weight
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Choosing a boat
Forum Discription: Ask any questions about the sport!
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10940
Printed Date: 13 Jul 25 at 12:58pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: How to safely increase weight
Posted By: Eminoxon
Subject: How to safely increase weight
Date Posted: 28 Jun 13 at 11:10pm
Hi guys, my daughter is a really keen sailor and crews in a feva or sails a tera. Trouble is she is only 23 kg( and 8 1/2 yrs old). She struggles to right the tera ESP when it turtles! Any ideas on safely increasing weight (apart from eating more pies!) or an alternative boat? Even the oppie has recommended weight of 40kg, with tera at 30. ------------- Newtothis RS feva 4624, share Rs200 1317, daughters RS tera 798 rs aero 1301 |
Replies:
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 7:34am
| Has the boat got righting lines? Not sure how you'd arrange them in a Tera but probably possible. If you have a thickish rope each side of the boat attached to something solid you can lean back on those to get more leverage. |
Posted By: Eminoxon
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 8:24am
|
yes it has got righting lines, perhaps youre right and she just needs to get a better technique... ------------- Newtothis RS feva 4624, share Rs200 1317, daughters RS tera 798 rs aero 1301 |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 8:43am
| Well, assuming we get a summer sometime and the water warms up there might be a need to practice... |
Posted By: alstorer
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 8:45am
|
I realise this sounds a bit unhelpful, but I reckon the best could just be to keep a good idea on her- and she'll soon be heavier and taller!
------------- -_ Al |
Posted By: Wiclif
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 11:25am
| How about a bit of buoyancy (an empty milk carton?) at the masthead so a capsize doesn't become a turtle |
Posted By: Eminoxon
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 12:55pm
|
how do you fix the milk carton onto the masthead? it is a sleeve sail and doesnt have a hole at the top as far as Im aware.. but yes you are right, they work brilliantly on the feva ------------- Newtothis RS feva 4624, share Rs200 1317, daughters RS tera 798 rs aero 1301 |
Posted By: Eminoxon
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 12:57pm
|
"I realise this sounds a bit unhelpful, but I reckon the best could just be to keep a good idea on her- and she'll soon be heavier and taller!" Alstorer, you are most probably right! she is so keen she will probably learn quickly how to sort it out, and her reactions are already fast enough to prevent most capsizes  i wish mine were!------------- Newtothis RS feva 4624, share Rs200 1317, daughters RS tera 798 rs aero 1301 |
Posted By: sargesail
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 1:36pm
| Weight? Wait. |
Posted By: Mister Nick
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 1:49pm
| Probably isn't very safe or healthy to go trying to change her weight at this age, might not be the best thing for her in the long run. As the others have said, I'd wait it out until she's bigger or work on her technique. Technique is a pretty big part, I've watched 2 girls right a 49er before, which is a task that pairs of 80kg blokes sometimes struggle with! |
Posted By: Eminoxon
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 5:39pm
|
Your right Mister Nick, wasnt thinking of bulking her up, more along the lines of weight belts (!) I think its the technique, definitely the way to go ! will work on that. Thanks guys ------------- Newtothis RS feva 4624, share Rs200 1317, daughters RS tera 798 rs aero 1301 |
Posted By: Andymac
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 6:36pm
Please tell us that you were joking! I was going to post some facetious comment about force feeding her Mcdonalds burgers and administering intravenous steroids but thought better of it. |
Posted By: Eminoxon
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 7:14pm
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hence the exclamation mark in brackets..... no seriously, some people I have spoken to had suggested wet woolen jerseys as the weight is neutral in the water, so wondered if anyone else came up with ideas along those lines but was mostly wondering about other boats suitable for lighter kids. doesnt take long on this forum for the self righteous to show themselves though does it... ------------- Newtothis RS feva 4624, share Rs200 1317, daughters RS tera 798 rs aero 1301 |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 29 Jun 13 at 8:07pm
|
Heavy sailing clothing, including multiple woolen jerseys is banned under the racing rules anyway. RRS 43.1a. This was introduced long ago because of the safety problems caused by excessive clothing, even multiple woolen jerseys. Neutral weight in the water it might be, but the more clothing you have on the quicker you run out of energy, especially if you're trying to move about in the water, so its a sensible rule, even though highly controversial when introduced.
Well worth having a session with the righting lines on a warm day: you may well find that some fairly subtle adjustments will make things a whole lot easier for her. For example I found when I had a fairly extreme singlehander that setting the lines up so I grabbed the rope with it anchored at shroud and stern, so I was pulling on a loop, was much easier than just grabbing the end of the rope from the shroud. I'm sure length will be fairly critical for a youngster, and some sort of loop far easier to hold than just the end of a rope, even with knots in. |