Re: Here Goes!

Lars S. Mulford (mulford@bellatlantic.net)
Sat, 27 Feb 1999 13:44:57 -0500


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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The Costas wrote:

> feel that the tech stuff is neat, but can put off a potential Potterer if
> they feel that they will need to make $3,000 in upgrades to their boat just
> to make it safe or perform 'like it should'.
>
> anyone on this list to forget why we picked these boats in the first
> place... they are good (and cheap) fun!

Larry:

You said what I have thought for a while, and you said it in far better ways
than I could. Bravo! I agree with you completely, and your comments echo a
fear that I have in that new or potentially new Potter owners could be
frightened off by the tech talk. I too have nothing against the tech talk. I
just wish that it was balanced out with other stuff like it used to be on here,
when we'd all share and swap sailing stories and the like, just as an example..

I would echo your last comments too in that let us not forget what attracted us
to the Potters in the first place, and why as a group of sailors, we are so
loyal and passionate about them..

Just to share for a moment, my sailing background is a mixed bag of sailing
probably 200 different types of sailboats over 25 yrs now, with the "hot and
heavy" parts of my sailing being when I raced collegiately and when I became
introduced to the concept of family-cruising and sailing as a family.. Up until
that point, sailing had been an exercise for myself and the occasional friend.
I came to Potters as the result of a horrible car accident - I wanted to
continue sailing (and sail with my family) but I needed something that I could
easily handle and was quite docile and forgiving.. It also needed to be compact
enough to be towed by my 4 cyl car at the time.. I ended up getting a lateen
rigged P15 and I absolutely loved it.. I have since put in ample time on the
19s and I have had loads of fun tweaking 15s and 19s both to sail and perform
better.. But I don't kid myself into thinking that the attraction to a Potter
is because of performance.. I would like to think (wrong or right) that the
Potter attracts because of it's own merits and that it represents a very good
sailing value for the average joe with a family who wants to make sailing a real
family experience without mortgaging their future.. Larry Brown said it better
than I ever could about these boats, but I think you get the picture..

--
"Sea" ya!

--Lars S. Mulford, President East Coast Potter Association (ECPA) Come visit us at http://members.tripod.com/~SpeedSailor "Forgive, and live. Life is worth the challenge of living." --LSSM