Like riding a bike, right...?

C

carzorthade

New Member
I used to sail when I was younger but stopped around high school. I've since graduated from college and moved away from home and away from my laser , which currently resides in garage with all its parts nearby. I'll be going home in a few days to spend a week at a beach cottage in North Carolina.

My question is... is it a good idea, or bad idea, to dust off my laser and cartop it to the beach with me? I haven't sailed for a good number of years and it would be at the ocean which I understand to be quite different from sailing on a river. My main motivation is I'm not sure when I'll get another chance to use the laser. If it makes any difference I'll be with a friend who also sailed lasers when he was younger, but like me, not since.

Having typed all that out I have a sneaking suspicion it's not a good idea, but it would really help to hear some expert opinions on the subject. Thanks for any advice!
 
It will be perfectly safe, so long as you wear life jackets, stay fairly close to shore and/or help, and don't sail if it's blowing a gale.

Good Luck!
-JC
 
Be prepared to spring for a new mast. :eek:
Explanation: You may well capsize in the surf and stick your mast in the shallow bottom.

PS: Unless the conditions are really light, I am not sure this kind of outing is safe.
 
My expert opinion on being a long time out of a laser and stepping back in... do it. You'll be glad. It was about 25 years for me. You'll remember that when you were sailing lasers often, the controls/balance/handling all felt natural. Responding to a puff or a wave, tacking and jibing, steering the boat in very close proximity to other boats and obstacles didn't take any thought, boat handling after time in the boat is very natural. You want to go "there," and the boat responds. Those boat handling skills do come back.

My first hour or so back in the boat felt completely awkward. I forgot to lead the mainsheet through the eye on the boom and every time I tacked, I got wrapped up in the sheet. The tiller extension, which I always needed to be just a little longer, was too big and just in my way. The hiking strap was too tight and wasn't working for me at all. All those fancy new controls were new to me, so I did it old school... tightened it all up and went sailing. Once I discovered I could actually trim the sail with shape, a whole new world opened up. Once I got the boat set up so it was comfortable again, and felt and listened to the boat moving through the water, it all came back. I'm quite a bit bigger than I used to be. It turns out, that's much more of a help than problem. What used to take a lot of endurance, takes a little more finesse.

Sail it again. You'll have a great time and you'll be glad you did.
 
I last sailed when I was 15. Just recently bought an old Laser2 at age 42. Do the math... 27 years away. I picked it up again real fast. I sailed mostly Sunfish and an occasional Puffer so the Laser2 was a step up. I have not been out in any brisk winds yet. I am glad it was not heavy when was out the first time or two.

Since you are sailing a boat you've been on before I would not be too afraid. Try to go in light breezes the first time back. Try early evening, that time of day has proven pretty light winds in my experience. FWIW I sail on a lake in PA. The ocean may be different....

Personally I would go for it.
 
There's few beach houses in North Carolina that don't have inland waterway behind them. Not that it's any deeper, but it is calmer and no surf. So if you are going anywhere near the OBX portions of NC beaches, you should be fine inland.

There are lots of inland waterway launch points. I'd be glad to share em if I knew which area you're headed to.
 
Hey 203:

Your offer of NC OBX advice caught my eye. I'll be in Surf City, NC for a vacation next week, and I'm trying to decide whether I should bring my Laser from Maryland. I'm a somewhat new Laser sailer so I definitely don't want to sail in the ocean, but rather on the Sound side. Are there good spots in Topsail Sound? Also, where is there a good launch area for me to use? I don't want to drive more than 10 miles or so from Surf City.

Thanks for any and all advice! email: [email protected]
 
Sailing off of any NC beach is inviting gear/boat damage. Nearly all of the coast line has a beach slope that is great for surfing which translates into BAD for getting a sail boat off the beach. Getting a laser out of or back in the surf is asking for trouble. Especially so if you're not experienced at it. Even the smallest of breaking waves, (Remember the Laser only has like 8 inches of freeboard) with decent breeze is an open invitation for a pitchpole. Don't do it.
 
Update! In the end I did not bring my laser. I read more about cartopping and decided that my first try at it should not be across state lines at high speeds. So my boat still sits at home, but I'm patient. I'll just have to find some way to sail in Los Angeles.

And Rob B's right- after having seen and swam at NC's beaches, I am glad to not have tried bringing my boat out to the beach with such inexperience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top