Lasers - Applying a Blow Torch

[Xeon]

If I'm honest once it blows over 25kts 4.7 if I'm just knocking about, weeknight racing will be a radial, large weekend events though will be a full rig.

I rather like the sight of a Laser half submerged in the back of a wave when you accidentally stuff it on the downwind. If it breaks, one less Laser in the world and I've taken two to the dump so far.

This thread drift brings us back to why I was so positive about the new rigs ( and yes I totally understand why so many ILCA sailor love the status quo. I am NOT restarting that discussion, I understand why things will NOT change 😀)
A modern rig totally changes heavy weather sailing.
As I keep saying I am a very average sailor but last week I sailed in 20mph winds gusting 30mph in a D-zero with a 8.1 rig and had no problems . If I still owned a ILCA a full rig this would be out of the question and I would have still had problems if I had sailed with a radial .

Anidiot does describe what happens a lot with in the RYA system . Which produces a lot of gold medals but means a lot of young people leave our lovely sport at a certain level . Luckily the RYA are renewing their focus to try and retain these young people in our sport . 😀

 

[Foredeck Shuffle]

Agreed. The C8 rig on the Laser never needs changing out. Considered picking up a C6 but decided I would never sail it.

In a year the C8 has only flipped me once and I was being extremely lazy on a 10kt gusting to 35kt day, trying to never hike going upwind into the harbor to get out of the puffy madness.

 

[Gouvernail]

Take a radial out in 25kts+ and see how you feel about it compared to the standard?

Either one is overpowered over 20.
However, masters pussy out when the breeze picks up. …. As well they should. It isn’t much of a contest above about 15 as those of us who are still strong enough to deal with it just win while the less durable guys have no gun at all.
About 20 years ago I rounded every buoy first in the masters division at the North Americans.
That really wasn’t much fun
Everybody, including me, knew I wasn’t the singular best sailor. I was the biggest strongest guy who knew how to stay upright and happened to sign up for the contest.
Meanwhile, there were three apprentices Faust, Hopkins, and Eldred who managed to keep me in third or forth overall just enough times so Eric could win the handicap scoring by a point.
The four of us had a lot of fun but for everybody else it wasn’t really so much sailboat racing as self abuse.
I like the rule they have played with where a person can switch to the smaller sail in big breeze but I would like to see the rule tweaked some.
Maybe the big guys should be allowed to switch up to one of those giant Rooster rigs in light breeze… or use a trolling motor.

 

[Martin T]

I rather like the sight of a Laser half submerged in the back of a wave when you accidentally stuff it on the downwind. If it breaks, one less Laser in the world and I've taken two to the dump so far.

Love the anticipation of will it pop back up or am I going over the handlebars!

 

[Emilio Castelli]

 

[Jono]

Sorry been away.
The sailor concerned aged out of youth sailing in the 6. As he is now an Open sailor he has gone to the 7.
I totally agree you don't age out of Laser / ILCA sailing. I got my first Laser in 1983 at 16. About to do the NZ Nationals as a GM at 56. 10 GMs sailing 7s so I should pull a top 10! Another 14 sailing as GM in the 6. 7 GGMs sailing.