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Silver Dream racer article |
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Oinks
Far too distracted from work Joined: 24 Oct 14 Location: Bandol Online Status: Offline Posts: 267 |
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Topic: Silver Dream racer article Posted: 31 Mar 16 at 9:19pm |
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Without knowing what a Silver Sailor quite is (I might qualify, in my early 50s) but the 400 (which seemed to be a bit dismissed in the article) is very competitively sailed by a number of notable couples who almost certainly fall into that category. But class alliances aside, I do wonder if a factor in the loss of many silver people to other pastimes (cycling has really pulled away quite a few good sailors that I know) is the constantly changing and ever complex racing rules that govern our sport. Unless you're at the front of the fleet they are a constant source of bad feeling and uncertainty. More so thn most sports/passtimes. Could something be done to make it simpler for your average club sailor?
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Rupert
Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 31 Mar 16 at 10:02pm | |
Trouble with simple rules is that you don't account for the many, many ways in which boats interact, so you end up with grey areas which need decisions made, and then you end up with a huge set of case notes to trawl through to decide who is wrong when there is doubt.
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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Bootscooter
Really should get out more Joined: 15 May 07 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1094 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 31 Mar 16 at 10:08pm | |
Excellent post DD. I've not read the article yet, but I've got to say that there are quite a lot of Silver (and perhaps Salt-and-pepper) sailors that are spending their pennies and getting out on the circuit in the Finn Class. I know this because most of the buggers snot me on a regular basis on the BFA TT circuit, and it's an absolute pleasure sailing against such quality. The perhaps unintended consequence of us sailing such large, heavy beasts is that we have a tremendous "community spirit" as we help each other to lug the beasts up the shingle, and this spirit goes much further. Last summer when the Yoof snapped his mast at the Nationals, leaving him without a stick for the French Nats the following week, one member lent him his spare. This spare was actually the mast that Sir Ben used to win the Gold Cup twice, and would have cost £4-6K to replace (never mind the history!). I should point out that we'd been in the class a mere 6 months at this point! So you see, as well as the beneficial handling characteristics that a bit of weight brings, there are other aspects it brings out that many moan that we've lost in the sport.
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Rupert
Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 31 Mar 16 at 10:12pm | |
Like. |
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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Dougaldog
Far too distracted from work Joined: 05 Nov 10 Location: hamble Online Status: Offline Posts: 356 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 16 at 9:26am | |
Do Different (and those who have also commented) - I hope that you will not object if I exercise something of a 'right of reply'.
Those who have read this (as you have) and some of my other articles will know that not only am I rabidly independent, but I try to be non-judgemental. There are people out there that are much better positioned than I to be banging out opinions. Instead I try to entertain a little and at the same time, lay out a line of reasoning that will get you all thinking. But thank you anyway for your comments, I do read them and those thoughts that make ME think - well, I add that to my repertoire for whatever I'll be doing next. BUt - thinking aloud here....Flying 15? That cannot be the answer, launched by car or not. Although people from the 15 fleet will start leaping up and down in indignation, this is not a fleet that is showing rapid development or expansion. Weight...with or without a car - is not the way forward for dinghy sailing. Now you may have noticed that the picture I used of someone lugging a boat around on shore featured a Contender. This is a boat that I can claim to know intimately - I've have sailed them for 40 years come next year and if that is not enough, I wrote the book on the history of the class. But you don't need to have been sailing a Contender for 40 years to know that however delightful the boat is ( and if you've not sailed one, it is one of the great sailing experiences) BUT - just like the Laser, it is the other bits that are flawed. You need another 9" (who doesn't?) air gap under the boom and the hull could do with a Supernova like 20% weight reduction. So 30 years or more ago I was helping a well known builder of contenders when he was making a boat for a World Champion hopeful - even with the maximum amount of correctors the boat was still significantly underweight! We ended up pouring resin in under the cockpit floor to bring the boat up to the measurement weight. Does it make sense, as I said in the article, to be building boats at one weight when they could easily be lighter - or worse, building them and then making them heavy again. But in the end does it matter? The very fact that you felt moved to reply suggests that the article has achieved its primary goal. I can only hope that you enjoyed it. Better beware though.... there are more to come including one that will fill the t'internet up with heated comment...but I'll leave all that to others! |
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Dougal H
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Do Different
Really should get out more Joined: 26 Jan 12 Location: North Online Status: Offline Posts: 1312 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 16 at 9:49am | |
Absolutely Dougal H. I try to be respectful and reasoned, thank you for your reply in kind.
Contenders eh. Always admired and now eventually owned and sailing, not well to racing standards but safely and enjoyably. One thing among a few others I suspect we have in common. |
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jeffers
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3048 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 16 at 9:56am | |
One thing that does strike me is that there is the gulf in sailing ages. There is a vibrant youth scene at many clubs in the country which then disappears as they hit their late teens/early 20's. You then see people returning to sailing in their 30's and sometimes 40's.
I don't think people will ever sail constantly from their teens right through until they can no longer sail (unless they are very dedicated which there are a few). However the 'Silver Surfer' generation do have a responsibility to the sport to make sailing clubs a friendly place to be and encourage youth, new and returning sailors out on to the water and to demonstrate that the start line is not as scary as it looks. I know of some people who would turn up to sail and if they saw a certain person present they would turn round and go home. This is not how it should be IMO. I am the first to admit that out on the water I am a competitive and race hard but fair. I do try to cut the less experienced some slack though (often best to stay out of trouble) and I will admit a somewhat grudging sense of pride when someone I have taught/coached gets the better of me on the water. So to come back to the article, yes we do need the Silver Sailor generation and they need to have boats they can sail (certainly the Solo seems to have a good proportion of Silver Sailors I know a guy who was awarded a certificate on his 50th which congratulated him and said he was now allowed to own one. All done in humour of course). But we also need the youth, I know it sounds cliche but they are the future Silver Sailors, instructors, coaches, mid-week club members who do a lot of work.
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Paul
---------------------- D-Zero GBR 74 |
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Dougaldog
Far too distracted from work Joined: 05 Nov 10 Location: hamble Online Status: Offline Posts: 356 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 16 at 10:41am | |
Jeffers, just as with Do Different, thank you for your considered copmments. Yes, of course the sport needs yoof, but there is a danger that so much of the activity is now Yoof related, that it is in danger of pushing the current mainstream of support out to the margins. However, this falls into another popular topic for debate on here - the 'what is wrong with sailing' discussion. Of course clubs, individuals, the RYA are all right to be promoting youth related activities BUT there may well be a very real danger that this has been going on at the expense of the 'rest'. But as I say - a very different topic and one worthy of its own thread. D
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Dougal H
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gordon1277
Really should get out more Joined: 24 Mar 10 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 665 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 16 at 10:49am | |
Hi Dougal
As a club I think we get far better returns on the training investmet from Adult training. I think to much of our time is spent introducing the youth who then go onto another sport 6 months later. Just my opinion not one supported by the club. Gordon |
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Gordon
Lossc |
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jeffers
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3048 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 01 Apr 16 at 11:01am | |
I agree, there needs to be a youth programme but perhaps not to the extent that the current one it. I think sailing is trying too hard to emulate football and other sports where you have U16, U18, U21, U23 categories at international level. Sailing it not a big enough sport to support that plus there is so much more to sailing than racing. One of my most memorable sailing experiences was half Decker sailing on the broads, real swallows and amazons stuff. I was in my late 20's at the time and just getting back in to sailing.
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Paul
---------------------- D-Zero GBR 74 |
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