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Back to the real world
Well, I've had two wonderful weeks of dinghy sailing and windsurfing in
Turkey. I'm shocked by the quantity of political crap that has been posted here during my absence. In fact, I'm not going to bother to read most of it. Joe, felton, Walt and Jon all deserve a good kick up the backside!! Anyway, I learned a couple of things in the last two weeks. Windsurfing is great fun, but you really should learn to do it before you reach 40! Lasers are much easier to sail than Topaz's, - AND they go faster .... especially downwind!! Watching the youngsters was very interesting. The kids played a game called "Pirates" using Topper Taz's. The Taz is a bit like an Optimist(sp?). It is a beginner's dinghy. There are two objectives in the game of Pirates. The main objective is to capture your opponent's boat. You have to board their boat and eject the occupant into the water. The secondary objective is to simply capsize your opponent's boat. In other words, Pirates is a game of total havoc! At any point in time about half of the 16 strong fleet was capsized!! At first I was horrified, but I soon realised that the kids were learning about sailing without realising that they were "learning". They were also having great fun. I watched one boy stand on the bow of his dinghy as he approached his target. He was going downwind, and he seemed to be steering by shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He had learned to do this without any lessons!!! On the other hand, I attended a "Beginner's Clinic" before I took out a Laser. Regards Donal -- |
Donal wrote:
Well, I've had two wonderful weeks of dinghy sailing and windsurfing in Turkey. Ok. I'm jealous. I'm shocked by the quantity of political crap that has been posted here during my absence. In fact, I'm not going to bother to read most of it. A wise choice. There's much better analysis elsewhere if that's your cup of tea. Anyway, I learned a couple of things in the last two weeks. Windsurfing is great fun, but you really should learn to do it before you reach 40! Yes, you should. But if you didn't, don't let that be an excuse. 40 isn't too late. I learned after 40. Lasers are much easier to sail than Topaz's, - AND they go faster .... especially downwind!! I'm not familiar with the Topaz. Is it like a Topper? If it is, there's no comparrison with a Laser. Watching the youngsters was very interesting. The kids played a game called "Pirates" using Topper Taz's. The Taz is a bit like an Optimist(sp?). It is a beginner's dinghy. There are two objectives in the game of Pirates. The main objective is to capture your opponent's boat. You have to board their boat and eject the occupant into the water. The secondary objective is to simply capsize your opponent's boat. In other words, Pirates is a game of total havoc! At any point in time about half of the 16 strong fleet was capsized!! The way we play Pirates, the objective is to steal the rudder off the other boat. If you can't steal the rudder, the tiller will do. Yes, I'm still a kid at heart. So, where did you stay? More importantly, where can you rent Lasers & windsurfers in Turkey? -- // Walt // // There is no Volkl Conspiracy |
On Tue, 24 Aug 2004 01:32:31 +0100, "Donal"
wrote: Well, I've had two wonderful weeks of dinghy sailing and windsurfing in Turkey. I'm shocked by the quantity of political crap that has been posted here during my absence. In fact, I'm not going to bother to read most of it. Joe, felton, Walt and Jon all deserve a good kick up the backside!! Sinc when did this become a sailing newsgroup? I must have missed that memo:) Otherwise, congrats. I'm jealous:) Kick away...I have been numb back there for quite some time.... Anyway, I learned a couple of things in the last two weeks. Windsurfing is great fun, but you really should learn to do it before you reach 40! Lasers are much easier to sail than Topaz's, - AND they go faster .... especially downwind!! Watching the youngsters was very interesting. The kids played a game called "Pirates" using Topper Taz's. The Taz is a bit like an Optimist(sp?). It is a beginne r'sdinghy. There are two objectives in the game of Pirates. The main objective is to capture your opponent's boat. You have to board their boat and eject the occupant into the water. The secondary objective is to simply capsize your opponent's boat. In other words, Pirates is a game of total havoc! At any point in time about half of the 16 strong fleet was capsized!! At first I was horrified, but I soon realised that the kids were learning about sailing without realising that they were "learning". They were also having great fun. I watched one boy stand on the bow of his dinghy as he approached his target. He was going downwind, and he seemed to be steering by shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He had learned to do this without any lessons!!! On the other hand, I attended a "Beginner's Clinic" before I took out a Laser. Regards Donal |
Kids at our yacht club do that with the Melges 24's...they straddle the boat
and rock it back and forth while using the tiller for direction so they can make the tight turn into the crane well.... "Donal" wrote in message ... Well, I've had two wonderful weeks of dinghy sailing and windsurfing in Turkey. I'm shocked by the quantity of political crap that has been posted here during my absence. In fact, I'm not going to bother to read most of it. Joe, felton, Walt and Jon all deserve a good kick up the backside!! Anyway, I learned a couple of things in the last two weeks. Windsurfing is great fun, but you really should learn to do it before you reach 40! Lasers are much easier to sail than Topaz's, - AND they go faster .... especially downwind!! Watching the youngsters was very interesting. The kids played a game called "Pirates" using Topper Taz's. The Taz is a bit like an Optimist(sp?). It is a beginner's dinghy. There are two objectives in the game of Pirates. The main objective is to capture your opponent's boat. You have to board their boat and eject the occupant into the water. The secondary objective is to simply capsize your opponent's boat. In other words, Pirates is a game of total havoc! At any point in time about half of the 16 strong fleet was capsized!! At first I was horrified, but I soon realised that the kids were learning about sailing without realising that they were "learning". They were also having great fun. I watched one boy stand on the bow of his dinghy as he approached his target. He was going downwind, and he seemed to be steering by shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He had learned to do this without any lessons!!! On the other hand, I attended a "Beginner's Clinic" before I took out a Laser. Regards Donal -- |
Walt wrote:
I'm not familiar with the Topaz. Is it like a Topper? If it is, there's no comparrison with a Laser. The Topaz is beamier - more like an arrowhead shape in plan. It's a sit-on, wet dinghy with an open transom. I haven't sailed a Laser, but my experience of the Topaz was that it was okay in a breeze, but frustrating in light air - too slow and too tippy. I found it rather cramped and uncomfortable when I couldn't lean out. Review, blurb, photos, at... http://www.ybw.com/sp/features/topaz/ http://www.splashdance.com/topaz.htm -- Wally www.artbywally.com www.wally.myby.co.uk |
Welcome back. Didn't know you were gone, thought you were in the
politico threads, which I've KFed. Scotty "Donal" wrote in message ... Well, I've had two wonderful weeks of dinghy sailing and windsurfing in Turkey. I'm shocked by the quantity of political crap that has been posted here during my absence. In fact, I'm not going to bother to read most of it. Joe, felton, Walt and Jon all deserve a good kick up the backside!! Anyway, I learned a couple of things in the last two weeks. Windsurfing is great fun, but you really should learn to do it before you reach 40! Lasers are much easier to sail than Topaz's, - AND they go faster ..... especially downwind!! Watching the youngsters was very interesting. The kids played a game called "Pirates" using Topper Taz's. The Taz is a bit like an Optimist(sp?). It is a beginner's dinghy. There are two objectives in the game of Pirates. The main objective is to capture your opponent's boat. You have to board their boat and eject the occupant into the water. The secondary objective is to simply capsize your opponent's boat. In other words, Pirates is a game of total havoc! At any point in time about half of the 16 strong fleet was capsized!! At first I was horrified, but I soon realised that the kids were learning about sailing without realising that they were "learning". They were also having great fun. I watched one boy stand on the bow of his dinghy as he approached his target. He was going downwind, and he seemed to be steering by shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He had learned to do this without any lessons!!! On the other hand, I attended a "Beginner's Clinic" before I took out a Laser. Regards Donal -- |
Wally wrote:
The Topaz is beamier - more like an arrowhead shape in plan. It's a sit-on, wet dinghy with an open transom. I haven't sailed a Laser, but my experience of the Topaz was that it was okay in a breeze, but frustrating in light air - too slow and too tippy. What a great combination... it's slow, but at least it's uncomfortable! I sailed a Topper Buzz a few times and that's a fun boat... bigger, faster, real fiberglass, I liked it more than a 420... it's not a Johnson 18 but then so few boats are. ... I found it rather cramped and uncomfortable when I couldn't lean out. Review, blurb, photos, at... http://www.ybw.com/sp/features/topaz/ http://www.splashdance.com/topaz.htm I notice they put a metal structural member to hold the mast. I guess that's how they get away with putting a jib & "genaker" on a molded plastic boat. Those rotomolded 'Escape' boats can't get any horsepower, they deform instead. Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
DSK wrote:
The Topaz is beamier - more like an arrowhead shape in plan. It's a sit-on, wet dinghy with an open transom. I haven't sailed a Laser, but my experience of the Topaz was that it was okay in a breeze, but frustrating in light air - too slow and too tippy. What a great combination... it's slow, but at least it's uncomfortable! It's slow, uncomfortable *and* liable to fall over. :-) Maybe the Topaz is slow due to wetted area - it's flat-bottomed. Not a heavy boat, it can be righted easily just by pulling down on the dagger board, but you have to get the head into the wind first, or it'll just fall over again. I sailed a Topper Buzz a few times and that's a fun boat... bigger, faster, real fiberglass, I liked it more than a 420... it's not a Johnson 18 but then so few boats are. I might have seen a Buzz - is it similar to the Laser Stratos? Modern dinghy, openish transom, probably has a spinnaker chute, maybe roller furling jib. About 14', I think. I notice they put a metal structural member to hold the mast. I guess that's how they get away with putting a jib & "genaker" on a molded plastic boat. Those rotomolded 'Escape' boats can't get any horsepower, they deform instead. I didn't feel that the Topaz was anything less than very sturdy. It's moulded, but flex or deformation never entered my head when I sailed one - more like tough as old boots. -- Wally www.artbywally.com www.wally.myby.co.uk |
OoozeOne wrote in message ... Sounds like fun Donal. Where did you stay Bodrum, Kusadasi? About 30 minutes from Bodrum - on the Northern side of the peninsula. The resort is called Mar Verde. The dinghies and windsurf boards boards were free - as were the "Day Boats". The Day boats were 32 foot Oceanis ex-charter yachts which were available to guests. Regards Donal -- |
"Scott Vernon" wrote in message ... Welcome back. Didn't know you were gone, thought you were in the politico threads, which I've KFed. Idiot! I don't know anything about American politics - apart from the fact that GWB is a complete idiot. Regards Donal -- |
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