dougking opined:
There are some skills in cruising that are not needed in racing, but
anyone who thinks racing doesn't develop a full set of seamanship
skills has simply not payed attention.


Doug,
I would maybe be inclined to agree with you in concept *IF* you were
talking about frequent open ocean racers. But if you think the big boat
racers on Long Island Sound who mostly have never been on the ocean
(except maybe the Block Island race, if that could count) are
automatically better sailors than guys that spend significant time ocean
voyaging...
From what I've observed, I wouldn't trust even sailing on the Sound
with many of those racers unless they were relagated to rail ballast.
Not saying I'm as experienced or even as good as many of them, but many
(certainly not all) I've observed while sailing are quite a few bricks
short of house with tempers like a longshoreman who's told his pay is
getting reduced. They are dangerous, arrogant, they take way too many
chances, and they will not necessarily follow the rules if they think
they can get away with it and that's just barely scratching the surface.
Judgment is, in my opinion, at least as important as skill and I'm not
just talking about judging the racecourse. In addition, races there in
the main regattas usually call the race in any kind of inclement
weather, so they do not get that experience. I think your comment above
was just too general to properly make your point.

Red

Salty said:
Perhaps in your home waters they call races for inclement weather. They
don't do
that up my way on the LIS. I often observe and photograph the local
racers since
I'm always out anyway. I remember one race in fairly wild weather... The
wind
and waves were picking up rapidly, and rain was coming down in buckets.
Then it
got bad. One of the boats radioed the commitee boat and advised that
"Lightning
is now hitting the water all around the boats. What do you want to do?." The
committee boat didn't reply for about a minute, and then came back with,
"Okay,
I'm shortening the course".

Sheeesh! Not where I mostly sail- western LIS. If it rains but the wind
remains ok they will stay out, but if it gets real windy or rains hard
they usually call it. While I can't see any reason to call a race for
most weather, lightning still bothers me after nearly getting hit as I
left a boat. The boat's electronics got fried, and another boat had the
hull pierced over a hundred times.

Red

On Mon, 03 Mar 2008 07:06:13 -0500, wrote:

Up my way, there's a lot of "Newport" influence. A lot of the local guys are
from there. They actually hurt their local racing organization by being so hard
core that newcomers are intimidated and don't stay after one or two races. I
raced as a kid, but although I'm good friends with the locals, I don't bother
being a part of their program. It is far too serious and they sort of suck the
joy out of it.

Translation:

The other boats were far better prepared, used the racing rules to
their advantage, had better tactics and strategy, and you got tired of
finishing at the back of the fleet. With the possible exception of
Annapolis and Newport, Long Island Sound racing is probably the best
on the east coast.

On Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:05:43 -0500, wrote:

Keep yapping, stinkpotter!

Dawg, if you are cruising Long Island Sound in the summer, then you
are under power almost as much as I am. But your diesel smells
better?

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 ?

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/

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.

On Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:08:57 -0500, wrote:

I've been sailing in the LIS since about 1959. How much did I win?

You got me, I was still sailing Lake Ontario in '59. How long is that
in dog years ?

On Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:16:23 -0500, wrote:

On Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:43:01 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:05:43 -0500, wrote:

Keep yapping, stinkpotter!

Dawg, if you are cruising Long Island Sound in the summer, then you
are under power almost as much as I am. But your diesel smells
better?

My diesel? I don't got no steenkin diesel. And I know that as a powerboater, you
think sailboats can't sail when there is no wind. The problem with that is
simply that you are not aware of the wind at all when it is light. There almost
always at least SOME wind. Two knots of wind is enough to keep my boat moving. I
don;t have to be anywhere on a schedule. I'm out having a wonderful time. I also
sail in weather that would keep you in port. Taking advantage of tides and
currents is also something you are unaware of.

Keep yapping, stinkpotter!

Knew a guy used to talk like you.

He left Phi Phi Island, in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand, bound for
Langkawi, Malaysia, about 100 miles away with nothing on the way but
uninhabited islands. About 5 miles out of Phi Phi the wind died.
Started his engine and the sail drive crapped itself - engine ran good
but the prop doesn't turn.Almost two weeks later he arrived off
Langkawi and got a tow into a marina that had a travel lift. Told me
his good days were 10 miles mostly drifting with the tide and
anchoring when the tide turned; sailed a couple of hours every once in
a while. Ran out of food and was eating saltine crackers the last day,
or so.

He spent $3,000 fixing the sail drive before he came back :-(




Bruce-in-Bangkok
(correct email address for reply)