Dinghy sailing

Most enjoyable though were the Melges24’s

Meh. J24 was the boat to be in during the 80’s and 90’s. It attracted the best sailors in the world and the racing was pretty amazing with >100 boats at the major regattas.
I was fairly heavily involved and was lucky enough to be crewing for Laurie Smith when he/we won the Europeans and then got asked by Ken Read (possibly one of the best US sailors ever) to go to the states and crew for him for 6 months (various wins Inc the J24 North Americans which was arguably more important than the World’s).
So it’s very true that sailing will open doors for you if you want.

It’s all about the size of the mast… or the waves… 🤗

Just on the off chance someone here knows of one for sale.. Im after an RS 500
Well actually Mrs Cloudnine wants one (she’s a dinghy instructor.. and wants me as her victim crew.)

HS she posted a wanted ad on the Dinghy and dinghy bits Facebook page?  Usually get a good response.

HS she posted a wanted ad on the Dinghy and dinghy bits Facebook page? Usually get a good response.

Yep.. and apollo duck.. annoyingly missed a really nice cheap one about 6 weeks ago that someone bought then re sold on for £1k profit

Most enjoyable though were the Melges24’s

Meh.

Meh indeed 🤷‍♂️

Can I just drop a proud dad moment in here….

My 10 year old has been out racing this afternoon in a Topper and has pulled off his first proper dry capsize. He is dead chuffed and I’m really proud of how he’s developing his skills.

This is his first season sailing solo since doing his Stage 2 during last year. We’ve been building up the skills and confidence carefully all year and despite his light weight he is sailing the standard 5.3m2 rig (not the little one).

Today the wind was comfortably peaking into f4 and very gusty with some big 20-30 degree shifts on the beat and watching him he just looked so in control and measured (and unlike his dad wasn’t OCS at the start 😭).

Oh and if we’re doing sportsboats can I give the Bull 7000 an honourable mention? Not the same size of fleet racing of Melges or J’s but great fun to sail and enough space to sleep aboard for a few days too.

👏👏 to your son, that’s a very good step forward and builds loads of confidence….

Bull, never sailed one… by the time i’d sort of packed in sports boats the SB3 was well underway, did half the Warsy Spring Series with a guy from the club…

So what’s the Bull like ?

Not a lot to compare the Bull too in sportsboat terms but it was really good fun downwind especially in a blow, lots of volume in the bow and a curvy transitioning to flat shape at the rear. That and the swinging bowsprit that meant you could soak down really deep when the 1720s and Melges were still heading up to fill the kites. Hardest bits were going to windward in a blow (the voluminous bow and higher sides worked against it) and coordinating the swing of the gennaker pole from side to side at the exact moment the kite came over. Just realised it’s been well over a decade since I set foot on one! I sailed with a really nice and talented skipper who then bought a cruiser and to my embarrassment I lost touch with him (and a number of others there) a year or two after that as I slipped away from the sport and HISC due to personal circumstances.

I also had a one off trip on a Mumm 30 back in the mid noughties on a very windy Warsash Spring Series day when all the smaller stuff got canceled. I think the core crew were ex European champs in the class and that was a phenomenal day out. Total calm and control aboard on a really brutal day.

Oh and if we’re doing sportsboats can I give the Bull 7000 an honourable mention

…. Not really 😉

Cheeky blighter ^ but seeing some of your former sailing compatriots I’ll allow a whiff of class one-upmanship from you.

Adjustable bowsprits (wingwangs) are dead handy. I used one on a proto trailer sailer thing somewhere between a Bull and a Melges in aspiration and performance, and it made a hell of a difference to be able to tack the pole up to windward. It was scratch built by the designer / builder and worked an absolute treat. We ran it in a very light airs Cowes Week one year and the ability to sneak up on our compatriots in our class, all of whom had at least 15 more WL feet on us, while they weren’t looking and zip by to windward was giggle inducingly-fun.

Oh, and good on your son, G-D; that must have been a satisfying day for all involved. My dad has somehow acquired a spare Topper for us for peanuts, but both our boys are still a little bit too little for it and it’s salted away down in Dartmouth for a bit. The gunwhales are a bit ragged so I need to do a pressure test to see how leaky it is, but it should fix up with a bit of white spirit and some new hardware.

Got me a laser. Nice 2010 boat with road trailer, trolley, 3 sails (including 1 unused genuine laser) and few upgrades. Let the fun begin.

🤠

👍

Good choice… enjoy playing in it…

So what options are there for renting a dingy?
I don’t have anywhere to keep one and I’m more interested as a leisure activity than seriously.

I looked at this (a bit) before but it all seemed like you need certification to rent and I really can’t be arsed. I was sailing dingies from 7 or 8 to 13-14 and just took out a big Kat with my brother a couple of weeks ago.. and much as I get it might be techy for someone never done it before it was like riding a bike.

My club rents them.. mainly RS Fleets (Zaps/Varios/Fevas/Ventures/Laser2000) for about £40per day.

First race yesterday. A solid 7th out of 7 with probably half a dozen capsizes.

7th out of 7? Congrats on the first step!

I’ve been sailing for years and years, but not competitively until about 3 years ago. In 3 years I’ve made steady progress from last in every race to about 2/3rds down the fleet. It’s definitely one of those sports that you have to work at to improve. I even bought a Gopro to film myself so I could see where I’m going wrong. Simple stuff like being smoother on tacks make a huge difference – and makes it much less likely to fluff it up that one time (you know – that one time that happens 2 or 3 times a race and costs you 5 places!!)

Keep going – racing is the only way to really improve IMO.

Haha, been there……

Next tips:
1) do not underestimate fitness. The most experienced guy in the club will be going half the speed of a spotty teenager because he isnt hiking as hard.

2) get a decent book on laser sailing and pick one bit of more advanced technique to practice each day. There really isnt a huge ammount of physical stuff to learn, its mostly stringing it together whilst exhausted (see point 1) and making tactical decisions.

First race yesterday. A solid 7th out of 7 with probably half a dozen capsizes.

Whoop 👍🤪🤪

Gybing in a bit of breeze ???
If so, grab the main by the traveller and fling it over your head but don’t let it all the way out.. keep a good arm full for the pump…. then let go.

Awesome 👍

Thanks for the words of encouragement guys. Capsizes weren’t just limited to gybing, I think I got the full set, including what felt like a massive wipeout on a run downwind. Even Managed a few during the day without getting wet. I’m only about 75kgs, and reckon I need to eat some more pies to help balance the boat. I’ve been recommended the boat whisperer Cds ??

Boat whisperer vids are good, but the temptation is to try and do all of the tips at once. It’s best to work on getting something right consistently and then move in IMO.

75Kg is ample for a laser… You just need to work harder.
Basically the harder you hike the fast you’ll go!

Wiping out downwind: board up too far or main/vang eased too much. If you let the leach of the sail (at the top) get too far in front of the mast you’ll enter death toll territory…. Apply a bit more vang (if you’re easing it downwind) or don’t sheet out fully.

This is a bit of a mad old long shot, but is anyone or does anyone know anyone interested in crewing a Scorpion at a club in Dunford Bridge (near Sheffield, Manchester and Huddersfield)?

Now I’m in Scotland my dad is left crewless and would like someone who has a bit of an idea about what they’re doing to go in the front of the boat for club sailing.