How much sailing is too much sailing?

[nolatom]

I was lucky growing up racing in Marblehead and at BU. Evening or weekend races in the Townie fleet during summer, Frostbiting Interclubs wintertime. In April could race (or coach) NEISA regattas at say MIT on a Saturday then skiing New Hampshire on Sunday.

But those were student days. Worklife had a way of taking precedence. Now mostly retired but doing much more teaching sailing than racing.

Good luck to OP, though you’re kind of trying to eat two desserts at once.

 

[The Q]

Except for a few occasions, I've sailed one day a week for 43 years plus regatta week and a few two day events each year.
I'm now considering adding a afternoon/evening event each week of the summer. But I wouldn't want more than that.

I suspect trying to run a double campaign might make it feel more like work and less like something to enjoy.

A question what happens when both have an event the same time or the close to each other with a long distance between?

 

[LB 15]

Yah I'm single.

No shit?

 

[knh555]

Yah I'm single. I work remote most days, its pretty laid back. I have plenty of PTO as well. If I was independently wealthy I'd live in Europe or snowbird it and sail 100+ days a year. Maybe someday. The boat bum route is not for me. I have two crews lined up, one for each boat. I could find another snipe crew in a pinch but 5o crews don't grow on trees. I think I should clarify I'm talking one weekly series, not one for each class.

I think I'm gonna do both, so the question is how many regattas... If I did only the local events it'd be 6 regattas I think. Spread over the next 7-8 months that's a pretty low commitment. There's a couple options in the 4-6 hour range and the rest are about 8.


That's pretty rich coming from you. Thanks for the laugh slut.

I think you’re overthinking this. You said you don’t expect be out there winning everything in this “campaign”. These are two great boats that each give you something different. Sail both with as much time as you can/want to give them.

Go sail and have a good time.

 

[blurocketsmate]

Are you single? If you are, expect to stay so. If not, she's gonna leave your ass.

Not if she likes to sail too! A lot of my peer-couples grew up sailing together - or similarly, then met through sailing. SCOTW can be yours, if you keep showing up!

A Snipe is a great couples' boat.

12 events a year is not a heavy load, if sailing is your only hobby.

A well-sorted Snipe is very low input, but every 505 is a work in progress. Do you have the time and money for endless boat projects and parts?

 

[@last]

Yah I'm single. I work remote most days, its pretty laid back. I have plenty of PTO as well. If I was independently wealthy I'd live in Europe or snowbird it and sail 100+ days a year. Maybe someday. The boat bum route is not for me. I have two crews lined up, one for each boat. I could find another snipe crew in a pinch but 5o crews don't grow on trees. I think I should clarify I'm talking one weekly series, not one for each class.

I think I'm gonna do both, so the question is how many regattas... If I did only the local events it'd be 6 regattas I think. Spread over the next 7-8 months that's a pretty low commitment. There's a couple options in the 4-6 hour range and the rest are about 8.


That's pretty rich coming from you. Thanks for the laugh slut.

Well sounds like this is all doable. Probably a final thought is a phrase I use "reasonable expectations". I think you are probably there but some food for thought. Defining success/goals might be useful-it could be finishing each race, learning something little about each boat each time you go out, working on specific skills (ok today we will concentrate on getting a good start/being in a good position on the line/coming off with speed, etc.). It will be helpful if 1-the goals are attainable 2-that you are competing with folks of similar time/ability so as not to be too frustrated. On the flip side if they are of better ability and willing to share speed/tactical/boat set up tips post race that could also be fulfilling. An extreme example of this I think was the last AC (I know probably not really relevant for a variety of reasons) but you are watching a race where one boat is off foils/floundering around at like 5-6 kts or something while the other boat zips away doing 20 plus. It made no sense from a spectator point of view and I can't even imagine how frustrating it must have been to be on the slow boat as your competitor literally zooms away. Good luck and sorry for the long response.

 

[Code 2]

Do it now..... Work will always be there for the rest of your life. All these old geezers are jealous.

 

[Howard Juno]

What did Ted Turner say about Dennis way back?

.....something along the lines of......."245(?) days in a sailboat........and him a fully grown man...."

 

[The Dark Knight]

If you fall OB, sink or have some other fatal accident, then you have done too much sailing.

 

[mustang__1]

No shit?

You two seem perfect for each other.

 

[LB 15]

You two seem perfect for each other.

A poofter joke? How very 2006 of you...

 

[Grande Mastere Dreade]

Well, between a wife and a girlfriend, how much sex is too much? Seems to me that would be a lot of sex, and I've never heard anyone say they had TOO MUCH. Just my .02

I like having both, then each will think I'm with the other, that way i can either go work on my boat or go sailing..

 

[he b gb]

^^

 

[(p)Irate]

To paraphrase the words of the famous HG Nelson and Rampaging Roy Slaven, too much sailing is barely enough.

 

[shanghaisailor]

Is it possible to sail too much?

 

[Grande Mastere Dreade]

Is it possible to sail too much?

well, there was the one time, friend calls me as he "had" to go sailing to relieve stress, on the lake , mid Feb, 27* , 15-20mph winds, nobody knows we're out there.. the old mainsail rips a seam across the whole sail.. as we are being pushed into a huge rock breakwater.. i'm messing with the mainsail he's getting the engine started.. he starts put putting along and I yell at him, "give it some throttle we need to get out of here"
he goes, "i don't want to stress the engine, i just had it rebuilt"
i say "in five minutes it won't matter and i'm not hauling your 400lb butt up those rocks"
a second later... varoooommmm as we bolt away...

so as we're walking off the dock later... i go " so same time next week?"

to answer your question, NO

 

[Grande Mastere Dreade]

well, there was the one time, friend calls me as he "had" to go sailing to relieve stress, on the lake , mid Feb, 27* , 15-20mph winds, nobody knows we're out there.. the old mainsail rips a seam across the whole sail.. as we are being pushed into a huge rock breakwater.. i'm messing with the mainsail he's getting the engine started.. he starts put putting along and I yell at him, "give it some throttle we need to get out of here"
he goes, "i don't want to stress the engine, i just had it rebuilt"
i say "in five minutes it won't matter and i'm not hauling your 400lb butt up those rocks"
a second later... varoooommmm as we bolt away...

so as we're walking off the dock later... i go " so same time next week?"

to answer your question, NO

and I miss Dave, his 400lbs finally got to him... funny guy

i took him sailing one time on a friends boat.. he calls me a month later and goes "guess what?"..
"I don't know Dave"..
"I bought a sailboat".. one time sailing and he goes out and buys a Tartan 27..
we go out to see it the next evening.. he steps aboard all proud.. "you coming on?"
"nope"
"why not?"

I reach out with my foot and shake the boat, about 200 spiders about silver dollar size start to move at once.... you've never seen a 400lb guy move so fast...


another night, we have about 7 people on board.. about a 10mph breeze... boat is heeling over

I go: "Dave , guess what?"
he's in a fine mood.. "what?"
I say: "were not moving?
he looks up at the mainsail, full of breeze, boats heeled... "aw your full of shit"
I spit in the water and it sits there... we had run up on a mud bank in the middle of the lake, noone noticed...

I miss Dave..

another evening, at sunset, we're sailing along in a nice breeze.. bald eagle with a wing span around 8 feet comes gliding down paralleling the boat for a bit, dips down and grabs a big fish with the sunset behind him and flies off ...

so no, there's never too much sailing , you'll never know what you'll miss

 

[Curious2]

Thinking about running a snipe AND a 505 campaign between now and late fall. Relatively new to both classes, not expecting to win anything. Thinking about 8-12 weekends of racing plus a weeknight series and practicing when the weathers nice. A little concerned I'm going to burn myself out. May also burn out my debit card. Also have to consider my social life outside of sailing. I'm in my mid 20s.

O great SA hive mind, give me your wisdom, your insight, and your snide remarks.

Doing a regatta one weekend in three plus a weeknight series isn't really much commitment; if you ever get serious you'll need more than that in many classes. The main issue could be that by sailing two crewed classes, you are locking yourself in to the schedules of other people, and to boats that require a bit more rigging time. One crewed class and a simple singlehander could be a much easier package to manage.

Spending more training time on the water and less time travelling to regattas could also be more efficient. At every race you'll find more things that you need to work on than you can fix by practising "when the weather's nice". Practice tends to be more valuable than racing, but it also more flexible.

 

[knh555]

Since the Snipe is one of the two classes you're considering, I'd say go for it. Rigging time isn't too bad once you've learned how to set up and tune, and the boats are pretty robust. Not only do the hulls last forever, they don't chew up hardware and lines too fast. It's a good choice in a two-boat program. I suspect the 505 is, well, the opposite, but the Snipe won't need constant maintenance and rigging. It's also a great class in terms of people and will keep your tactical skills tuned.

 

[Rawhide]

is this a trick question?