The problem with my sail adventure on Sunday (which
started this whole thread), was that I was out in too
much wind with too much chop. I did have the
daggerboard (unweighted) locked down. We didn't
capsize or get knocked down, but we weren't
comfortable. We almost decided not to put the sail up.
But ended up going for it instead. Your comment of
"wild, out of control jibes/tacks (like beginners
do)..." is how my sprit sail ended up going around in
*front* of the mast and tangled.
I do think I learned something from the experience.
1) Believe people when they say "Don't run with the
wind dead astern"
2) Pay *a lot* more attention to the water conditions,
before even launching the boat.
3) Our boat can take more than we can.
Things I actually did right:
1) We were wearing our life vests
2) We stayed close to shore (NOT rocky)
3) We didn't stay out and try to "make the best of it"
and exhaust ourselves - we didn't need to make
mistakes because of exhausting ourselves ON TOP OF
beginner's mistakes.
4) Even after some very stressful moments, as we drove
home, we said to each other "overall, that was fun."
We will be much more cautious in the future. That's a
problem so far this year, since its been windy almost
everyday since the weather got nice.
So far, the responses have been great about P15/P19
suggestions. I think I've gotten a good sense of what
the owners of each *really* like about their boats.
Thank you all for the great feedback!
Brian Maddux
Judy said:
*snip*
> He made some wild, out of control jibes/tacks (like
> beginners do -- have you
> ever watched kids learning to sail at a sailing
> camp? <grin> Talk about
> going in circles!! ) which knocked him down
> sideways. *And* the keel wasn't
> locked down. The knockdown turned into a turtle.
>
*snip*
>
> It's not the boat -- it's the sailor. Beginners
> don't learn fast when the
> wind is much greater than their abilities and they
> scare themselves to death.
> And they can capsize because they make foolish
> mistakes (like leaving the
> keel unlocked). That's why we call them beginners.
> <grin>
>
> Best,
> Judy B
>
> Judith Blumhorst, DC
> P19 Fleet Cap'n, Potters Yachters
> 1985 WWP19 #266 Redwing, Force 5 #7951 and #1333,
> And a pile of windsurfing gear.
> Sailing on SF Bay, CA
> (5-35 knot winds, 2-4' chop, 2-6' swells, and
> currents up to 6 knots)
> Visit Judy B's West Wight Potter Pages
>
(http://members.aol.com/jblumhorst/HomePage/index.htm)
> and The Official Web Site of the Potters Yachters
> (http://songbird.com/potter_yachter/)
>
>
>
===
Brian Maddux Whidbey Island, WA
brian_maddux@bigfoot.com
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/5308
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