couchsurfer

Dang,, this reminds my of when I had my van loaded for a trip the Gorge,, and some crackheads swiped it. My best 49er sails became decor all over the downtown eastside.

That'd be Mary Helen? How's she doing nowadays? I spent summer of '79 at FWBC working with her. Helped get that roadshow goin.

I suppose that's what keeps folks at it. Personally, I moved on as my knee arthritis took over. Replacement knees don't bend like a laser sailor needs, and there's something about the 'sheering force' of hiking that I dont want to experiment with., but life after laser obsession is actually all good! It's now ~30years since my prime, but I still get regatta dreams, lots of preparation getting to the event, just as it was,, with the dramas of the racecourse in technicolor. I can't say I've missed a thing!

I dunno,, that's a memory lane I don't really want to go down. At 20yrs, I certainly didn't have ego perspective to finish 172nd,, or was it 272nd,, even if it is the biggest OD regatta ever.

Ooph,, did the first Kingston world's in ~'82 or something..... a deadly format of ~400 competitors divided into 8 groups that were doing a round robin,, except there was little wind. It'd be 2-3 days of standing by between races. That's when the lads figured out the magic # for mast rakes. 160 fairly identical boats, except little control on rakes. All being rotated randomly between sailors.

Gawd,, they should practice more,,, keep wiping out!

The Caribbean night!? You see the bit,, 'I'm Robert, from Brasil' ? I enjoyed Falmouth so much, went back for the winter. A bay inside a bay inside two more,,,, get out those and there's often 45knots. Those were the daze! Those worlds boats had some solid spars.

... certainly keeps the sport in perspective.

Woww,, memory lane! I remember thinking for all the helicopters buzzing the fleet, there's be some great coverage. Footage released 20 years later, now 32yrs,, great footage? Not so much. How can an archive of laser vids not include,,,, this!? ......

....as the boat hit, they both simultaneously called out........ Where's Wouter!?

Yahh, sailing is a verb, especially for the mainsheet. Cleats just get in the way. Modernize the sheeting with a bit more purchase, sort a more powerful vang, and you can lose the headknocker and kneebanger all at once.

Heyy,thanks to those of you dropping videos here. For those of us that aren't here so often any more, it's a good way to keep up to date as these rather amazing boats evolve. Cheers!

This seems a landmark

Not old news if you ain't seen it before,, thanks Stingray

If I hear that song again, I swear I'll be spittin blood. It's as bad as the Reid Stowe clip.