Laser setup

Well it was a world championships at a venue with no chandlery other than the locked Laser Performance van. My boat did comply completely until 5 minutes before launching when I noticed the wobbly block while threading my mainsheet. So grabbed a bit of string out of my BA pocket and while tying it on the measurer came over and told me off for it. 

Trust me, if I had the time to do the work I would.  Its all very good being told to fix it properly now, a good 5 years after the event. Of course I know that now too! To be fair as soon as I got home I retired the boom to be used for club racing and put the string back on and never replaced the rivets, they never failed! 

All I am saying is there are a few rules like this in lasers which when put together make you wonder why you bother. Obviously the racing is second to none but when other things, such as life, gets in the way of training you fall out of the top of the fleet and even the racing becomes a bit tedious. Nobody likes moving down a fleet do they!? Anyway, that is why I bought the 100, because life has got in the way, at least with that I can rock up to an event and hopefully get a decent result, and if not be sailing an enjoyable boat. As it stands, life has been so in the way that I haven't had a chance to even sail the boat this year although hopefully in the next few weeks that will all be different!

One of the most stupid rules in the laser is the redundancy rule.  I once had a wobbly boom end mainsheet block so tied a line through the outhaul eye round the block and back over the boom in a sort of figure of eight.  It was slack so was not giving me any advantage.  The measurer came round and told me I had to take it off despite a long sail to and from the sailing area.  If this had broken and I had to retire then either one of the very few safety boats would have had to tow me in or it would have been a really long slog in a fair amount of breeze! Surely some consideration for the safety of the sailor should be included!? Apparently not.  It is things like this that made me leave lasers in the end.

193713 is entirely right when he says: "It's an either/or thing." The ILCA Rule 3(g)(i)) states:

"The clew of the sail shall be attached to the boom by either a tie line or a webbing strap with or without  fastening device wrapped around the boom and through the sail cringle, a quick release system attached to a tie line or soft strap wrapped around the boom, or a "Builder Supplied" stainless steel boom slide with quick release system. An additional outhaul extension tie line may be added between the clew of the sail and the outhaul or the quick release system."

In other words, you are allowed one system and one system only. You are not allowed a redundant back-up. The final sentence is to allow a Radial sailor to use the same outhaul system with a 4.7 sail without re-jigging the entire system.

In 35 years of Laser sailing the velcro strap has been one of the most effective innovations allowed on the boat, and certainly the most cost-effective. Keep the fluff of the hooky side of the velcro and it'll last longer.

UK Laser Association Measurer