LaserSailorRy
New Member
So I took my novice buddy out for a sail today. It was his first time on his sunfish, and the first time since returning from activie duty that I took my Laser out. It took me a few tacks to re-orient myself with my old love, but it's like riding a bike. He is still learning so I went over the basics and then we headed out into (south) San Diego bay. I spent most of my time yelling advice; "come up, tighten that mainsheet, ok now tack . . ." but he's a quick learner and was soon sailing smoothly. We beached for a snack and to fix a small problem with his rigging. The out again. This time disaster struck. I had just tuned my laser into a nice stbd tack, close hauled, the wind blowing saltwater into my face (this is the best kind of sailing) I turned to check on Josh and saw a head in the water next to a completly capsized boat. Poor guy, he caught a gust and a decent wake (courtesy of the friendy motorboaters) at the same time. It threw him into his sail and before he could roll off it, the sail sank into a vercital position. I made sure he was okay, but I couldn't really think of anything I could from my Laser. Eventually we recieved assistance from some very nice people on a larger sailboat. Josh lost his mast, but not his sail or boom, and had to be towed in. We called it a day after that.
Moral of the story: Josh needs a lifejacket tied to the top of his next mast. . . .
Moral of the story: Josh needs a lifejacket tied to the top of his next mast. . . .