Feeling Rusty...
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Banter
Forum Discription: For all those non-sailing related discussions
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=6920
Printed Date: 31 Oct 25 at 4:21pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Feeling Rusty...
Posted By: JimC
Subject: Feeling Rusty...
Date Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 4:34pm
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Having been asked to do a bit of coaching on spinnaker handling for a club member the other night I jumped in the boat and found myself feeling unaccountably rusty on some of the finer options of running a boat with a pole kite and bags...
"This is ridiculous" I thought, and apologised as advice mutated a bit as I worked things out. "How long", I wondered "Can it be since I sailed forward hand in a boat with this setup?" I worked it out later - I reckon its thirty five years since I last raced with that setup... The other combinations of bags and pole I've all used pretty recently! |
Replies:
Posted By: Jon711
Date Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 5:02pm
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Which class of boat Jim? Having done a fair bit of Squib
(bag) and Merlin (chute) sailing, I find it fairly easy to switch between them, although I will admit bags are easier on a stable keelboat, than an unstable dinghy... Why do not all classes allow chutes, it just makes the whole system so much easier and stress free??? Jon |
Posted By: winging it
Date Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 5:14pm
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This will be me tomorrow when I do soem 420 coaching.... Personally I've never had a problem with bags, and I have found chute boats to present difficulties of their own. The ultimate test will be the simoun, where the kite is stowed in a little plastic box (open ended) under the fore deck. Now that will be interesting. ------------- the same, but different... |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 5:27pm
It was a Wayfarer as it happens but it doesn't really matter what class it was, it was just strange that I hadn't happened to sail a boat with that config for such a very long time. Comes of mainly sailing high performance boats I guess.
Well there are lots of possible reasons that classes might think justify a restriction,
And anyway its just boring if every class has the same kit! Having once made a through deck and bulkhead kite chute I vowed *never* to do it again. It was a ******* job! |
Posted By: Skiffybob
Date Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 8:56pm
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and of course, don't forget the weight in the bow of a chute with a wet kite in it. ------------- 12ft Skiff - Gordon Keeble and the Furry Fly-by AC - GBR271 - Whoosh B49 - Island Alchemy |
Posted By: Skiffybob
Date Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 8:58pm
Oh yes, and somethimes the kite is too big to fit into a chute  ------------- 12ft Skiff - Gordon Keeble and the Furry Fly-by AC - GBR271 - Whoosh B49 - Island Alchemy |
Posted By: winging it
Date Posted: 08 Jul 10 at 9:59pm
Very true, I have the chute from the Marauder in my shed. It weighs a lot on its own, never mind full of wet kite. and Jim is right about the job of putting it in. I may actually just go for bags. ------------- the same, but different... |
Posted By: Steve411
Date Posted: 09 Jul 10 at 6:12pm
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Quite so. I had bags rather than a chute in my last Lark (a few years ago now), decision taken following a particularly wet nationals when the waves wouldn't stop coming through the chute upwind. Bags are actually easier I find with a bit of practice. Certainly it makes for a more stable drop in a breeze as the helm can concentrate on positioning the boat for the leeward rounding instead of trying to drop the kite while steering with the tiller between his knees. ------------- Steve B RS300 411 https://www.facebook.com/groups/55859303803" rel="nofollow - RS300 page |
Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 09 Jul 10 at 6:32pm
Putting it in wasn't that bad: it was making the d*** thing in the first place that was the real nightmare! |
Posted By: winging it
Date Posted: 09 Jul 10 at 8:22pm
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My day went reasonably well, it slowly came back to me,.. but it does seem like the 420 has some rules designed to make life especially difficult for the the crew. ------------- the same, but different... |
Posted By: Jon711
Date Posted: 09 Jul 10 at 8:41pm
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As a sometime crew, I feel that ALL two person boats have
rules designed to make the crews life difficult!! Maybe the crews should write the rules - now that would be fun!! Jon |
Posted By: Skiffybob
Date Posted: 09 Jul 10 at 9:16pm
Mayb you should just burn the rules and do what makes sense and works best  ------------- 12ft Skiff - Gordon Keeble and the Furry Fly-by AC - GBR271 - Whoosh B49 - Island Alchemy |