Adults racing Laser Radials?

SailingBkids

New Member
I think i know the answer from studying other threads but is there an active group of adults racing radials? I am 140 pounds so the full rig is out of reach.

Thanks!
 
There is, but common. (If you are female disregard this) You are taking away from the kids who race the boat. I was at the districts last weekend, and the guy who won was some 30 year old. You don't give any younger kids (like myself) a chance too win. Sail fulls. Eat another taco or something.
 
if you want to sail radial, go ahead, i know plenty of adults who sail radial, who just arnt built for full rig. and if your fleet is big enough, they will run two catigories junior and open radial so if your a junior you wont get thrashed by a vet.
 
There is, but common. (If you are female disregard this) You are taking away from the kids who race the boat. I was at the districts last weekend, and the guy who won was some 30 year old. You don't give any younger kids (like myself) a chance too win. Sail fulls. Eat another taco or something.

Fred's a lot older then 30 - try around 50... If nothing else, you should have been able to outhike a 50 yr old
 
There is, but common. (If you are female disregard this) You are taking away from the kids who race the boat. I was at the districts last weekend, and the guy who won was some 30 year old. You don't give any younger kids (like myself) a chance too win. Sail fulls. Eat another taco or something.

Stop moaning and sail faster
 
Or course, I will be able to keep up with someone who's been racing atleast twice as long as I have been alive. Why don't you go race against some kids in the radial fleet and tell me you dont feel like a complete ass for beating them.

I'm only 20, been sailing full rigs for 3 years, when I sailed radials before that for 2 years, I was beating all the 30 somethings in regattas and club racing after a year or so.

Once again, stop moaning and sail faster
 
Um..... no. I'm too big for an opti.



Or course, I will be able to keep up with someone who's been racing atleast twice as long as I have been alive. Why don't you go race against some kids in the radial fleet and tell me you dont feel like a complete ass for beating them.

For your information, I regularly have my ass handed to me on a plate by kids half my age. Kids may be smaller and have less experience, but they also have faster reflexes and much, much more free time to practice. The way I look at it, it kind of evens things out.

If I were six foot two, weighed 200 lbs. and were crashing a juniors-only event, yes I would feel like an ass sailing a Radial. However at 5' 6" and 150 lbs., the Radial is a much better suited for me. I relish any opportunity I get to race against other Radials, be it against teenagers (most of whom are larger than I am anyway) or geezer great-grandmasters.
 
Or course, I will be able to keep up with someone who's been racing atleast twice as long as I have been alive. Why don't you go race against some kids in the radial fleet and tell me you dont feel like a complete ass for beating them.

If I was a teenager and was getting beaten by 50 year olds, I'd be embarassed that they could still go faster than me with their creaky old bodies.

Until you are world champion, there will always be someone faster than you. You can make excuses for it (they're older, younger, heavier, lighter, luckier, richer, more experienced, etc.) but at the end of the day it's simple - they outsailed you. That's what Lasers are all about - no excuses. Instead of complaining about it, use it as motivation to work harder and get faster.

And most importantly, always be gracious in defeat.
 
Geezerette here. Um no, I don't feel like an ass sailing and racing against kids. Who is going to teach them otherwise? One thing I love about sailing is the mixed aged fleets. We had a holiday race series at our club on Sunday with 3 races, 30 boats from various fleets. The youngest sailer may have been 7 year old crew. The Laser fleet with 6 boats ranged in age from 13 to 55, all sailing standard rigs in light and flukey air. Weight range was probably 100 to 175 pounds. The "heavy" guy won with pure knowledge and cunning in 1 to 4 mph winds. We are generally a friendly fleet, so I don't think anyone resents any age difference. If anything, the kids may get distracted from the sound of my creaking joints, but hey, there's their chance to learn to focus. Why should I not sail against the youth? I am regularly looking at the transoms of a couple of them. They give me advice when we practice, and if I see something to improve someone else's game, I'm happy to pass it on.
The guy who won the race has the attitude that he always wants someone better than him out there. That's how he improves his sailing and stays mentally sharp.

At 155 pounds, I sail a Radial also when the wind comes up.
 
There is, but common. (If you are female disregard this) You are taking away from the kids who race the boat. I was at the districts last weekend, and the guy who won was some 30 year old. You don't give any younger kids (like myself) a chance too win. Sail fulls. Eat another taco or something.

Seriously, go tell Fred that to his face. He sailed a great regatta, no one else could really hang with him on the course.

Back to the OP, yes there is, masters sailing especially. You are allowed to switch rigs in those regattas so you will see a mixture of people sailing.
 
to whoever the kid that said that adults should not be racing with the kids please understand that you are wrong. it is the job of the adults to teach the kids that they do not know everything and need to work on their skills. last regatta i was at the radial kids were horrible and needed a serious spanking on the coarse. if the boat fits you then sail it. i personally wouldnt sail a radial based on the the amount of dumb kids in the fleet. so teach them a lesson. please
 
Some adults will never be big enough to sail full rig - and not just the ladies. I'm 28 and sail a radial and love the fact that there is a good adult fleet racing in with all the youth sailors. Why shouldn't adults sail with youths, makes the fleet bigger and more competitive for everyone.
 
Steve Cockrill always comes in the top 10 at the radial worlds and he is 45. Not many teenagers beating him! More people in a fleet the better it gets.
 
Seriously, go tell Fred that to his face. He sailed a great regatta, no one else could really hang with him on the course.


he did sail an amazing regatta, However I would think they they would atleast separate the 2 groups, junior and..... Not junior. Unless they did this, and i am completely oblivious.
 
he did sail an amazing regatta, However I would think they they would atleast separate the 2 groups, junior and..... Not junior. Unless they did this, and i am completely oblivious.

My region has a junior traveller's series through the I-LYA, Inter-Lake Yachting Association, so juniors can sail separately through that agency. Do you have anything like that in your area?
 
My region has a junior traveller's series through the I-LYA, Inter-Lake Yachting Association, so juniors can sail separately through that agency. Do you have anything like that in your area?

We have the mayra, but it's far to drive, and you get the same exact people every time.
 
I've also seen adults and juniors share a start, but then be scored separately.

You can get a bigger start, more boats on the course and at the mark roundings, and benefit from the stronger competition (whichever way it goes) but the "official" scoring on paper is adults vs adults and juniors vs. juniors
 
At our club, we mix youth and adults in both fleets, full and Radial. I find that many of the youth are also involved with very active youth programs (Texas Youth US Sailing) and get more time to practice, thus they put us adults at a disadvantage, even when the weight/height difference is absent/negligible. Most regattas with youth in the Radial fleet are fun, and the youth appreciate the competition, and kicking us masters ages' asses! At only 125 lbs/5'6", I rarely break out the full-rig, and I stay competitive with the Radial. At club series races, unless we have a big fleet of Radials, full rigs and Radials share the same start. In regattas, each class gets its own start. Just having the extra start adds a lot of time to race management, so think of the ADULTS who are running your races and give them a break and don't make them work harder than they already have to. (Kudos to ANY youth who regularly contributes to race committee duty! It's one of the best ways to learn without actually sailing, plus you make your elders happy by not being selfish with OTW time while others sit out races to work race committee.) Sail with the adults if you're a kid and vice versa. We all have the same age/weight/height/experience dis/advantages, so the more out on the water, the more fun for all!
 
I'm 54, 5'7" and 160. The Radial rig is perfect for me. It is also perfect for a lot of young people who are not yet big enough for the Fulls. I count it a priviledge to race against anyone, young or old. I am happy that there are plenty of boats to race, regardless of the age of the bodies that race them. I love to see all the fresh faced kids out there not playing video games or hanging out at the mall. I love to beat them and offer advice, and I love it when they beat me and are thrilled to do so. I have met some of the nicest kids on the planet because I race Radials. I think I've met some future Olympians. They make me feel young, and I hope they see that I take pleasure in according them the respect due any athlete. I don't hold back in competing against them, and acknowledge their superior talent when it shows. I can't think of a better way to connect with young people, frankly, and it would be a shame if we thought it necesssary to spit the fleets.
 

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