Recent content by Dennis Connor

Well, I am Dennis Connor, and I do enjoy busman’s holidays - all I do is sail, sail, sail. I read your idea. We tried an idea like that on Stars and Stripes one time. While the boat pointed higher, the flatter (not flat) sail kept stalling and losing lift. So we went back to our more...

This year’s sails will have a big Olympic graphics sticker on them once again. What is interesting is the sails are said to be new old stock sails with the Laser, not ILCA logo on them. The starburst will be covered by the Olympic stickers, and the plan was to add a small ILCA logo near the head.

One of my operatives reported to me that someone was trying to sell some hot "ILCA 80s" to the unsuspecting parents of youth sailors at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Hope our guy wasn't involved!

What part of Pennsylvania? What year is the boat, and what condition is it in? I’ve gotten tired of big, high performance boats and am thinking of a Sunfish again.

From what I have heard, those in the know say LP came up with the idea for a new class, then approached Heini to lead it. The website and LP imply it’s the other way around, but LP has often been thought to use alternate facts. My additional perspective is LP failed with ISCO when they tried...

Wow! Kent, is that you? So you’ve become fascinated with these little boats?

Early in my sailing career, Lowell North once told me, “Dennis, to get what you want sometimes you have to be creative.” To that point, you could save a lot of money by having the dealer with the beach buy one of those used boats, Mark it up by maybe $800, and then sell it to you. You get a...

Have your son be careful with the swivel cleat the first few times out. Even on a little boat like the Sunfish, once the boat starts tipping, if the sheet is cleated it can be hard to uncleat. Back when I was designing the Stars and Stripes catamaran, I had the idea of using a swivel cleat...

Hi, the inspection port is probably needed for access. A little-known fact is that on Stars and Stripes we used thick plastic cutting boards as backers. They might be good for your need too.

I agree with Wavedancer. You will need all of your focus to keep your little boat sailing along. On Stars and Stripes I never permitted music on the trip to the race course or during practice, and of course not as I was defending the Cup. We needed all of our focus on our sailing. DC

We used a similar contraption on the Stars and Stripes catamaran so I am sure it will fit on that little Hobie 17.

I have never sailed a boat that small, but I did spend time on a Sunfish, which is almost as small. One thing I learned on the Sunfish that I carried over to all my Stars and Stripes was to not drill any unneeded holes in a boat. They are nothing but trouble. Some might leak, some can weaken a...

Fortunately I have always had plenty of money for only the best equipment on Stars and Stripes. But I understand your plight, and have some comments: - Bow handle - previous writer had good thoughts - Hiking Strap - you don't need it. They have only come from the factory with one for maybe 20...

I take great pride in the names of my boats. Stars and Stripes is almost universally known, and people like to support my campaigns due to the patriotic nature of the name. I don't understand why you named your little boat Dixie. In the Civil War, the north was the "blue" and the confederates...

Wayne, I think we should encourage the lad. I wish I had had a videographer with his enthusiasm onboard Stars and Stripes. If you would like to provide him video lessons, perhaps my private jet can swing by and take you to the Bahamas so you can mentor him. Dennis