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Sailing qualifications - US
On Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:16:23 -0500, wrote:
Two knots of wind is enough to keep my boat moving. Interesting. Have any pictures ? |
Sailing qualifications - US
You wrote:
... point-to-point racing, whether in the ocean or in sheltered waters, is essentially the same as cruising ... And then you wrote: Did I say that racing is the same as passagemaking? ... So, yeah, I thought you were saying the cruising is the same as point- to-point racing. Hmm... looking back, I can see where you got that impression ;) How about this- the skills that are rewarded in racing have a pretty high correlation to the skills which make cruising safer and less worrisome... as mentioned earlier, I am specifically *not* talking about the skill of flogging a boat around bouys as quickly as possible (which doesn't sound fun to non-racers, and they seem to have no idea what is involved), but rather the skills which go into enabling the sailor to do so in the first place.... preparation, prioritizing, boat- handling, knowledge & observation of weather & wind & tide patterns, the ability to know where the boat is going to fetch (and in what time frame) without having to concentrate, etc etc. The thing that most racers concentrate on most of the time... sail set & trim... is much less important in cruising. It sounds like that was your main focus. Also, since we obviously aren't talking about the same kind of cruising, it'd be helpful to me to know what kind of cruising you're talking about. I think an example or two of the kind of cruises you've taken would help me understand where you're coming from on this. Mostly coastal sailing, mostly on the US East Coast although I've sailed a lot of other places, and have done enough passagemaking to know what it's like. Most recently my wife and I completed a Great Loop cruise around the eastern US & Canada, and even on a tugboat the skills I'm talking about contribute greatly to a smooth & safe cruise. It seems likely to me that you either haven't learned the same skills that I did from racing, or that you learned them without knowing that you know them, and thus never learned to consciously fit them into the big picture. I'd be interested to know what kind of boats you raced, and what position in the crew you held. For my own part, I've done a little of everything but generally prefer to drive. DSK |
Sailing qualifications - US
On Mar 4, 7:28 am, wrote:
.... How about this- the skills that are rewarded in racing have a pretty high correlation to the skills which make cruising safer and less worrisome... If you were to add "while underway" somewhere in there I'd be content. Mostly coastal sailing, mostly on the US East Coast although I've sailed a lot of other places, and have done enough passagemaking to know what it's like. Most recently my wife and I completed a Great Loop cruise around the eastern US & Canada, and even on a tugboat the skills I'm talking about contribute greatly to a smooth & safe cruise. Neat. I think I use my racing skills most when we are trying to get someplace say 50-70 miles away in the daylight (generally short tropical days) and less on longer passages. At anchor not at all. I'm guessing that US East Coast sailing involves a larger percent of the day hopping stuff and less of the "how many weeks have we been out here?" stuff. I wouldn't be surprised to find that played a big part in our philosophical differences. I also have this feeling that I'm missing some important part of your thesis. Sorry about that. I'd be interested to know what kind of boats you raced, and what position in the crew you held. For my own part, I've done a little of everything but generally prefer to drive. Yes, I can play most positions competently, too. I grew up racing the family boats which were one designs and the usual youth stuff. I moved on to fairly serious 470 and J-24 racing and also crewed on the big boats. I've done some name brand ocean races and lots of PHRF stuff. I have a "good" collection of horrible silver-plate, tatty flags and miscellaneous trophy things... -- Tom. |
Sailing qualifications - US
On Mar 4, 2:19 pm,
On Mar 4, 7:28 am, wrote: ... How about this- the skills that are rewarded in racing have a pretty high correlation to the skills which make cruising safer and less worrisome... " wrote: If you were to add "while underway" somewhere in there I'd be content. At anchor you should be aware of windshifts & gusts, and especially aware of upcoming changes in weather, nyet? How about tidal currents.... the judging of which is definitely a useful racing skill unless the particular race is on a lake ;) I always use a transit to judge position on starting line, and it's the quickest & most accurate way to tell if the anchor is dragging. Etc etc etc. Mostly coastal sailing, mostly on the US East Coast although I've sailed a lot of other places, and have done enough passagemaking to know what it's like. Most recently my wife and I completed a Great Loop cruise around the eastern US & Canada, and even on a tugboat the skills I'm talking about contribute greatly to a smooth & safe cruise. Neat. I think I use my racing skills most when we are trying to get someplace say 50-70 miles away in the daylight (generally short tropical days) and less on longer passages. At anchor not at all. Oh, I bet you use them more than you think (see above). The difference is, in a race there is quick and sure feedback on how accurate your judgements are, strong motivation, and teachers at the ready. In cruising, it is difficult to learn for many reasons and there is sort of a pass/fail threshold with no real reward other than continued peace & relaxation. I think this is one reason why sailing is a less popular sport in the US, it takes too much "paying attention." People would rather play video games. I'm guessing that US East Coast sailing involves a larger percent of the day hopping stuff and less of the "how many weeks have we been out here?" stuff. I wouldn't be surprised to find that played a big part in our philosophical differences. I also have this feeling that I'm missing some important part of your thesis. Sorry about that. Sorry to have not explained things better sooner. Plus I don't have much internet time these days and have made more errors than usual... due to hurrying, maybe I'd be interested to know what kind of boats you raced, and what position in the crew you held. For my own part, I've done a little of everything but generally prefer to drive. Yes, I can play most positions competently, too. I grew up racing the family boats which were one designs and the usual youth stuff. I moved on to fairly serious 470 and J-24 racing and also crewed on the big boats. I've done some name brand ocean races and lots of PHRF stuff. I have a "good" collection of horrible silver-plate, tatty flags and miscellaneous trophy things... Sounds like a lot of fun. I raced 470s a long time ago, got in some very fun races with some of the big names... I noticed Dave Ullman is kicking butt in Melges 24s these days. DSK |
Sailing qualifications - US
On Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:40:53 -0500, wrote:
Pictures of 2 knots of wind? I'd be willing to make a small wager that I have spent more time sailing up and down LIS looking for wind than you have but it would be a waste of time and breath on my part. What I was really interested in knowing was what kind of boat you had that sailed so well in 2 kts of breeze. |
Sailing qualifications - US
On Mar 1, 12:00*pm, " wrote:
On Mar 1, 5:43 am, wrote: What do you "unlearn"? Well, attitude is certainly an issue. -- Tom. Also unning the engine is not a sin. |
Sailing qualifications - US
On 2008-03-04 09:06:44 -0500, Wayne.B said:
On Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:16:23 -0500, wrote: Two knots of wind is enough to keep my boat moving. Interesting. Have any pictures ? Who take pictures at such times? We're too busy keeping the boat moving, reading the tails, the ripples (if any) and anything else that could help. And the pics wouldn't look "sexy" if the boat were sitting flat, anyway. (Now the *other* pics on days like that..... ;-) -- Jere Lull Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/ Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
Sailing qualifications - US
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Sailing qualifications - US
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