tural
New Member
Just thought Id share my first two races ever in a Laser, in a blizzard.
After much discussion in the club house looking at the snow hitting the window from the gusts, and unsettling white crests on the waves created from water bouncing off the dam wall, four of us launched in Laser'. Never seen boats rigged so quickly as the race was on before hands numbed.
Pre-start "warm up" saw the minimum of jibes with all of us concentrating on not falling in before the five minutes as that just would of been too demoralising. One fleet member sailed to the start and hovered for ten minutes waving circulation back into his hands threatening to go in. Wind was perfect- steady with a few gust not going over 25. All of us took standard rigs so caution not complete priority.
The countdown to start saw a lot of interboat communications between ourselves/committee and safety trying to actually make the windward mark through the fall. Upwind keeping a bead on where we were going was a constant theme. It was replaced in urgency in later laps, as we race before GP's, as our little glorified-windsurf-board fleet trying to spot the clump of heavy spinaker-laden tanks bearing down on us on the cross.
Brilliant racing and very exciting. Downwind the obvious advantage to the conditions was very acurate wind indication. Snow and ice gathering on the boom and sail made it feel like we'd done something on a Saturday "and those in bed shall think themsleves acursed and hold their manhood cheap..".
Days like this make Laser sailing an activity I don't think can be bettered. Golf in the snow? I think not.
After much discussion in the club house looking at the snow hitting the window from the gusts, and unsettling white crests on the waves created from water bouncing off the dam wall, four of us launched in Laser'. Never seen boats rigged so quickly as the race was on before hands numbed.
Pre-start "warm up" saw the minimum of jibes with all of us concentrating on not falling in before the five minutes as that just would of been too demoralising. One fleet member sailed to the start and hovered for ten minutes waving circulation back into his hands threatening to go in. Wind was perfect- steady with a few gust not going over 25. All of us took standard rigs so caution not complete priority.
The countdown to start saw a lot of interboat communications between ourselves/committee and safety trying to actually make the windward mark through the fall. Upwind keeping a bead on where we were going was a constant theme. It was replaced in urgency in later laps, as we race before GP's, as our little glorified-windsurf-board fleet trying to spot the clump of heavy spinaker-laden tanks bearing down on us on the cross.
Brilliant racing and very exciting. Downwind the obvious advantage to the conditions was very acurate wind indication. Snow and ice gathering on the boom and sail made it feel like we'd done something on a Saturday "and those in bed shall think themsleves acursed and hold their manhood cheap..".
Days like this make Laser sailing an activity I don't think can be bettered. Golf in the snow? I think not.