Feeling Dirty.. (Contender Content)

Originally posted by iGRF   Here's one of me sailing and it's got a special message just for you H2..

Is he sailing an aRSe?

If he only knew the truth of it, operation yewtree would be in full swing, I think the female helm was only fifteen at the time, but I wasn't there, I was at a Pizza restaurant in Woking.

Well finally I got the Contender on the water today, very little wind in the first race, which I completed 2nd to last, and not much more in the 2nd race but began to get the feel for it and as usual once the races were over the wind came up enough to get on the wire.

What can I say, well for starters I wasn't really firing on all cyclinders, this damn covid is lingering, going through the lethargic can't be asked phased so I kind of forced myself out there.

Couldn't get it to point, it doesn't handle like anything I've sailed before, not that it's difficult to sail, but it just doesn't work with my normal techniques, like stuffing it off the line, and as to trying to row it with a bit of kinetic input, by Christ it's heavy and takes it out of you, I lasted one reach then thought I was going to faint.

In the occasional puff you sort of have to free it off, the first tiller extension out of the bag was this plastic tube wobbly thing which was a right pain in the neck and trying to apply lee helm was a ball ache so I couldn't induce the flow over the foils to get it to the point I could harden up to where I thought it ought to be.

The next race was a little breezier and I minaged to hook in enough to sit out, and managed to piss it in during a tack with the bloody main sheet re-engaing after I'd uncleated it, it's one mother of a boat to get back upright, I hate to think what's going to happen when there really is some wind. As it was it was all I could do to beat the fastest laser out there who took me up wind and I had to jiggery pokery him sailing low back offwind so I wasn't exactly last in both races, but nowhere near the other Contenders, I'm going to have to take it out and maybe practise in it.
Straight on the water into a start line after a long layoff and illness perhaps not the way to approach things, but whatever it was better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick and at least I'm now on the mend physically, think I might have to pound the pavements this week try and rebuild my fitness, I'm going to enjoy learning how to make this thing go.

Edited by iGRF - 10 Apr 22 at 8:08pm