DSK wrote:
Walt wrote:

The new Laser vang is 15 to 1. More and more classes are
understanding the value of a powerful vang. Of course, all that force
can break the gooseneck if you forget to ease it when you bear off...


IMHO most of that purchase is wasted on bending the boom, it's real
benefit is that you can set the vang tension without wrestling for it
and you get a very fine adjustment increments.

It depends on the boom. Yes, the Laser boom bends at higher forces. So
does mine, but I've got an older Proctor boom. The newer SuperSpar
booms don't bend nearly as much. The mast on the other hand...but
that's the point, isn't it?

But what you say is mostly correct. Ease of adjustment and fine tuning
is a bigger part than sheer gorrilla-osity. Especially with the halyard
tension, which I have not found to improve things with increased tension
after a certain point.



The top boats come roaring down the starting line planing on a port
tack with 40 seconds to go before the start, find themselves a gap,
roll tack the boat to a dead stop inches to leeward of the next boat,
and then foot off into the gap to accelerate into the front row. It's
quite the sight.


Heh heh the starting line is too long, or there are too many people in
the class settling for a second-row start. In Laser & Lightning & J-24 &
intercollegiate starts, the line length is the total beam of all boats
in the start - 1.

Yes, there are some RC that set a cruelly short line, but I think you
exaggerate with the total beam -1 figure . It's not musical chairs, you
know.


For instance, I was RC for the Laser districts this spring. We set a
reasonably generous line, and it wasn't even really blowing. This was
at the direction of the poobah District important-sounding title guy.
And at the intercollegiate races we host at our club we shoot for a 1.5
ratio for the starting line. Sometimes we'll deliberately set a too
short line for practice, but the norm is to allow enough room for the
entire fleet to be on the line at once. (and of course they aren't -
second and third row seats abound)

BTW, I think there's always a gap in the line somewhere, bucause with
90% of the fleet camped out with a minute to go nobody can see the
entire thing. Except for the hotshot coming down the line on port...


It's better when the guys who think they're hot stuff
are fighting for the favored end, then you can get a good open slot 1/3
of the way down the line. Although I hate giving up completely on the
favored end, once in a blue moon you can pull off one of those
'win-the-whole-race-in-the-first-5-seconds' starts that are so memorable.

And the other non-blue moon days you're stuffed up with a dozen other
boats trying to win the end. No thanks.

That good open slot 1/3 of the way down is pretty attractive.
Personally, I'll gladly give up a boat length or two for clean air.

//Walt