First Race Experience

N

newbie

New Member
Last night was an incredible learning experience! Some history: I've been sailing on larger boats (J105, J120, CAL25) for quite some time. The crews that I am on typically do very well and I have become quite proficient at most positions except for driving. Hence the desire to learn to sail a Laser. I bought a used leaky laser and got it repaired. After four trips, I decided to race.

Man, do I SUCK!!! Not sure where I was for the first race, but it was nowhere near the line. Paying attention would probably be a good idea. I actually crossed the line in time for the second race. After crossing the line for the second, I forgot everything I learned about tacking and ended up doing some nice circles. They were actually quite impressive (so I was told after the races.) I decided to bail and hang by the line and watch. Now, everyone is lining up for the third race and I am actually in position to harden up and cross the line with the pack. (I'm hanging back about 1.5 boat lengths so I don't screw anyone up) We cross the line and I actually make it to the first mark. In DFL. No sweat, I'm a trooper and I know how fast these things are downwind. Then I learned what a deathroll is all about. You know, I've read about these things on this forum, in books, etc. and I couldn't remember a thing about what to do except for how to recover from capsizing. I got my boat up and decided that I was exausted and headed for the dock. What a day.

All in all, it was awesome. I can't wait to get back out. I realized that I need a lot of practice before I can get anywhere near competitive. I will redeem myself tonight on a J-boat, get my confidence back up a notch, and then practice like crazy for the next few days. I'm a complete addict.
 
Keep it up! That sounds like "par for the course" experience on a first try. Watching the other guys and what they actually do on the water will be a big help and you'll learn much more than by swapping e-mails.


newbie said:
Last night was an incredible learning experience! Some history: I've been sailing on larger boats (J105, J120, CAL25) for quite some time. The crews that I am on typically do very well and I have become quite proficient at most positions except for driving. Hence the desire to learn to sail a Laser. I bought a used leaky laser and got it repaired. After four trips, I decided to race.

Man, do I SUCK!!! Not sure where I was for the first race, but it was nowhere near the line. Paying attention would probably be a good idea. I actually crossed the line in time for the second race. After crossing the line for the second, I forgot everything I learned about tacking and ended up doing some nice circles. They were actually quite impressive (so I was told after the races.) I decided to bail and hang by the line and watch. Now, everyone is lining up for the third race and I am actually in position to harden up and cross the line with the pack. (I'm hanging back about 1.5 boat lengths so I don't screw anyone up) We cross the line and I actually make it to the first mark. In DFL. No sweat, I'm a trooper and I know how fast these things are downwind. Then I learned what a deathroll is all about. You know, I've read about these things on this forum, in books, etc. and I couldn't remember a thing about what to do except for how to recover from capsizing. I got my boat up and decided that I was exausted and headed for the dock. What a day.

All in all, it was awesome. I can't wait to get back out. I realized that I need a lot of practice before I can get anywhere near competitive. I will redeem myself tonight on a J-boat, get my confidence back up a notch, and then practice like crazy for the next few days. I'm a complete addict.
Click to expand...
 
newbie said:
I'm a complete addict.
Click to expand...

It starts so innocently.....I got a Laser 2 years ago to bop around Biscayne Bay with on windy days. Well, of course I want to race some. Wow, I really suck. I need to practice more. Hey, I'm getting better! Hey, this is even more fun when you're in the middle of the fleet! I need to practice more. I want to win something someday. Practice more...race more.....practice, race, practice...on and on and on. Now I'm completely obsessed with Laser racing.

Stick with it, it just gets better! Also you'll meet some great people.
 
yeah my first race sucked. it was in a sunfish t the miami yacht club and i was already extremely tired before it started and the wind was like 19 mph and the start was between two docks in front of the club and the regatta was part of the miami race week so other things were also going on like these stupid 40 foot hawain conoes wer going out threw the start line and we were like 35 feet from shore. it was so crazy.
 
Wow... makes me a little nervous about trying a race myself!

That said, how does one find "local" places to race the Laser?

Thanks for any hints,

-Doug
 
Dont' be nervous! I can't wait until tonight so I can try again. I spent some time over the weekend practicing maneuvers, so hopefully I can at least finish a race.

Not sure how to find out about local events in your area. I live in Annapolis, so finding races is fairly easy. Check local yacht clubs/marinas?
 
I just started participating in races a few weeks ago. Finally figured out the flags and how to time the start. My biggest fear is interfering with other boats (figuring out right of way rules isn't easy).

The worst was getting to the finishing line last week on a tack to just clear the marker and getting a nice wind shift, which, in all the confusion, left me in irons for 30 seconds 10 feet from the finish line. At least it was entertaining for those on the committee boat.

Yes, it can be addictive.
 
Never, never, never hang back on the line for fear of screwing someone else up. Be aggressive on that line. Be right there, luff your sail, and if anyone tries to enter your space, yell at them "No room, no room. Don't go in there". If you notice alot of line sag, reach across the line just before the start so that you have more of a rolling start.

Starts are important. Get up on the line and get clean air. Doing those two things will help you improve your results greatly. I promise.
 
Starbord over Port.
Overtaking Steer Clear.
Leeward over Windward.

5 Minutes - Class Flag up, One sound signal.
4 Minutes - Prep Flag up, One sound signal.
1 Minute - Prep Flag down, One sounds signal.
Go - Class Flag down, One sound signal.
 
I'm also a newbie.

I thought I was a good sailor -until I got the Laser. My balance sucks, Ive got lines all over the place, Im getting bonked in the head all the time etc etc etc.

All I can do is think about sailing the Laser. Ive been crewing on scows and Flying Scots this summer ... next year, Im just going to race Lasers. Im even thinking about joining the Frostbite Series in October and November on Lake Michigan just so I can keep on sailing a little later in the year. "The Year" ends painfully early in Wisconsin.

I race with Geoff S and a bunch of other very helpful fellows. Things come so easy, so automatic for them. Hopefully someday I wont be such a near capsizing klutz. I think they like it when I race ... because they dont start the next race until I finish ... which gives them plenty of time to rest!

Bill B
 
Yeh it looks so simple to begin with. Put the pole in the hole, main in one hand, tiller in the other and go sail. Then the fun starts, reality check. Its like a 5 year old learning to ride a bike, you fall off heaps, but also like riding a bike, once learned, you don't forget. Better than riding a bike, the challenges keep coming, more wind, bigger waves, go faster, bigger fleets, and the intricacies of that deceptively simple looking rig... thats what feeds the addiction.
OH Yeah, and the sailors...good folk, good vibes, after sailing party hard!
 
has anyone ver noticed that laser sailors a general a clean sort of bunch like thety all have good paying jobs never really say anyhting bad about people. i have but that may just be becuase i'm an aussie. anyone elses thoughts on this?
 
First race experience in 13 years:

Our boat club sponsors one small boat race a year on Memorial Day. In previous years I had sailed my American 16 Daysailor so that my girlfriend could compete too. Also, there is no one design for the A-16 so I thought I should take advantage of the rare opportunity to race it (Portsmouth yardstick racing hasnt really caught on down here).
So last year I decided to race the family laser. This is the boat that I sailed growing up. I never really raced though. I went to sailing camp at Old Dominion Univ. a couple summers, but that was the only time I raced a laser.
I had been PHRF racing on a friend's Pearson 26 and just recently bought a J/24 which I race PHRF (no one design races yet). My friend with the Pearson and I are VERY competitive. He borrowed another guy's old beat up laser for the regatta.
A few weeks before the regatta we began getting the boats ready. We tried to clean them up and get the bottoms fast. Also we got the deck hardware in somewhat better shape than it had been, but these two boats really were not pretty. Both had been sitting for a very long time. The sails sucked too.
I am sure that if we showed up to race in Hampton the other racers would have been in hysterics.
Anyway, I ended up with 3 bullets. I am not bragging. I had to work hard and every race was close. there were 4 boats total. t was very windy. I was very surprised that my boat did as well as it did because it is old and leaky and the sail is blown out. The other 2 boats looked new and the sails were crisp. The other guys were great sailors. I was straight leg hiking up wind the whole time and trying my best not to fal over while healing downwind. It was a fantastic day and it is the sailing trophy that I am the most proud of because the boat had never been raced before and I hadn't raced a laser in 13 years.
I know that the other guys in the race are not avid racers either, but we all had fun. My friend with the Pearson got 3rd. Not bad for his first laser race.
In hindsite, I had forgotten what a little rocketship the laser is!! I think the sailing I did on the other boats made me appreciate the laser even more. I don't think that it is a coincideince that I have since sold the daysailor. It is slow and does not respond like a laser.
I am trying to get my boat in better shape this winter so maybe I can do some "real" laser racing next summer.
I may do some frostbite stuff here.
-Jack
 
my point exacyly true compeditiveness (bit tired cant spell) but haviung a gr8 time in the process. i wouldn't mind doing a frostbite regatta what are they like?
 
he he he, its not that cold up in queensland alloy, it wouldn't be that cold, well, compareds to down here, where its like 0-10C & the water is like 0-10C, its nice when there is less wind because you dont get as wet. & down here its either blowin its tits off or its blowing like 5 knots at max.
 
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