Laurent Giles 'Jolly Boat' Exeter |
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The Best Singlehander I've sailed this year |
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davidyacht
Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345 |
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Topic: The Best Singlehander I've sailed this year Posted: 04 Oct 21 at 10:28am |
Presumably can also do the sailing the Windsurfer on its side thing too
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Happily living in the past
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CT249
Far too distracted from work Joined: 08 Jul 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 399 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 21 at 10:51am |
Nope, definitely no centreboard-on-the-arm thing. That went out in about 1983, when the Windsurfer had its first major revamp. The modern board has a fully-retracting centreboard.
Yep, you can railride the LT quite well, although the rocker prevents the stern-first clew-first tack on the rail. It's not quite as easy to railride as the earlier shape, but the extra stability makes other moves (pirouettes, etc) easier. |
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L123456
Really should get out more Joined: 30 Apr 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 500 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 21 at 11:13am |
No footstraps?
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iGRF
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6496 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 21 at 1:34pm |
I have so far resisted my signature move of railriding it down the beach to launch, given it's a bit more shiny and less resistant to damage than the Original which was made of Polyethylene. The sail however is is very much dinghyesque in it's ultra old school tight leech design, but it is much improved with a new mast with a high percentage of carbon (can't remember exactly how much) but it even has a line inscribed at the join so the mast can always be assembled exactly as it was built I assume. Not that I imagine it will be the right thing to do if it's warm weather and the rig is left fully rigged, they can develop memory and stay a bit bent.
Sail works great for clew first manouvres if you're mucking about pretending you're not the wrong side of seventy and can still do everything you could the last time you sailed one at thirty.. Edited by iGRF - 04 Oct 21 at 2:55pm |
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iGRF
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6496 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 04 Oct 21 at 2:59pm |
No, very grippy all over traction pad, but I must say, there have been times when the wind's been a bit brisk I'd have liked the option... But that was never what the Windsurfer was about and they'd get in the way doing all the other freestyle stuff, now if they came out with the Original Windsurfer Rocket LT.. |
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CT249
Far too distracted from work Joined: 08 Jul 06 Online Status: Offline Posts: 399 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 05 Oct 21 at 12:23am |
Nope, as said above the soft deck is very grippy. The '80s Mk 2 Windsurfer had a retracting 'board and footstrap fittings, but basically almost no one ever used them because you sail Windsurfers by moving your feet around a lot more than on other boards. Many of us love that way of sailing; it's as if you're using more finesse and less the simple force you can apply by straps. That may be one reason women tend to do very well, along with the ban on upwind pumping in course races. Straps get in the way a lot, especially in light winds, and even in strong winds downwind when your stance on an LT puts your hips fairly close to 90 degrees to the centreline. The whole idea of the board is for simplicity and to be as good in light winds, when you don't need straps, as in strong winds. There's also a considerable saving in on-the-water weight, since wet footstaps and their mountings are not particularly light. The LT is rather like the Aero of boards, and the lack of straps is similar to the Aero's lack of wings or a trap; it's just not that sort of kit. It's certainly a successful approach; the WS reports show that the class is outselling everything but the Opti and kites (although windfoils are selling well, no numbers are available). There were 10 national titles scheduled this year, from Finland (about 100 active racing boards) to Oz (about 350 class members IIRC) and the growth is probably accelerating despite Covid.
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L123456
Really should get out more Joined: 30 Apr 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 500 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 05 Oct 21 at 10:06pm |
Looks good to me, maybe they should ban the harness too.
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rb_stretch
Really should get out more Joined: 23 Aug 10 Online Status: Offline Posts: 742 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 11 Oct 21 at 7:13am |
Wonderful to be reminded of all those windsurfers that I had long forgotten. I learnt on the original windsurfer at Hamoaze in Plymouth and was fished out of the water a number of times by staff at the Mayflower Marina, after the vicious tide had dragged me in and pinned me to a boat. Completely unsuitable place to learn, but the only place I had access to water - those were the days!
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Old Timer
Far too distracted from work Joined: 05 Jun 13 Online Status: Offline Posts: 370 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 21 at 12:43pm |
This looks a fantastic rebirth of a classic.
What would the dinghy equivalent be?
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Sam.Spoons
Really should get out more Joined: 07 Mar 12 Location: Manchester UK Online Status: Offline Posts: 3398 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 13 Oct 21 at 4:00pm |
Water Wag
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Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish" |
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