The Solo

So, today we had a bit of a drifter with barely an odd gust of 3-5 mph out of the North and West, in those conditions generally it's just down to concentration no to sudden movements and keeping the boat moving sadly without that useful tactic we employ of air rowing.

My club mate in his Laser ghosted me at the start straight out from under followed also out from under, our up and coming star windsurfing lass and her dad in their Snipe and it was the three of us that pulled out front after the first mark with me struggling to hold on to them due to an incorrectly adjusted sail as I was to find out right at the very end of the race, however, none if this is my point.

My point is the irritating turn of speed this old wooden coffin with a sail that came from way back over took me then continued to trade tacks mark roundings all the way round, despite some defensive sailing on my part starboarding him away from the lay line, shutting the door when he hadn't established an overlap, obviously I'm not even in the match on handicap but nor should he have even been there, where does that speed come from?

Another chap who's response to recent heart surgery has been to get one of those new fangled epoxy foam jobbies, I'd been examining it with him prior to setting up and other than all that old fashioned nonsense I still have on the Alto, self balers, elasticated plastic barn doors over gaping holes on the stern, I must admit it looks a tidy affair, but it didn't show, yet the old wooden tub was the light air equivalent of a rocket sled on rails at times.

Are they known for light air performance? Those new ones, look all sorted, then you see a really ancient metal mast and boom, crying out for carbon. Those slots where you used to put your feet, why bother when you have toe straps, is it just to emulate the old wooden ones, no don't tell me, the class rules mean you have to have them.

This sport so desperately needs a decent new single hander, I can't wait to see that RS, but in the meanwhile I may have a go in one of these chariots of the grave if it can be arranged next week, I can't have this nonsense keep bothering me in conditions i would normally do OK in, if I learned to fiddle with that kicker thing a bit more.

Edited by iGRF - 01 Dec 13 at 8:35pm

Yep, Solos are pretty unbeatable on handicap in the light stuff.

Those holes are useful for those of us too tall to use the footstraps. Jam your toes in with your feet against the centreboard, means you can get rid of the straps altogether.

You can have mine Graeme... Light wind sailing, bandit or not = Boreddotcom

I'm with James, so much so that I will no longer sail in less than 8 knts.  I just don't enjoy it.  Let's be fair that's why we do it after all.  Much rather earn brownie points, go for a ride even spend my day picking the dog sh*t up from the local park with my mouth than drift around the lake in the cold.

That's what kissed windsurf racing goodbye, minimum wind speeds, first it was 5 mph then it was 5 kts, then it became 15 its.

Right now, on that lake I'd rather it be 5kts than 15kts and I'm swimming, it's still fun, at my stage in the learning curve. You have to be a lot sharper, everyone can sail in light wind, just not everyone can do it consistently, regattas are won and lost by a light wind result. Get it wrong in light weather and you lose dozens of places, get it wrong in a breeze and there aren't often enough folk around to force a bad result, used to be the mantra.

As it was I didn't stay for the 2nd race, so what did i end up with, nagging woman and more leaf clearing, ask me where and what I'd rather be doing on a Sunday in November.

So, now, what you need to do is swap that Lavendar Solo for my V Twin, put a f**k off big rig on it and see what it can do on Datchet.