Beaten By A Sunfish??

B

BayLazR

New Member
Had some good play racing on the river yesterday - stayed out for hours and the the breeze varied from 4-12 knots.

I always thought a Laser would kill a Sunfish in just about any condition, but I guess that was a misconception. Got my butt kicked by a very good, very experienced, Sunfish racer, on his very competitive boat.

It was a straight windward / leward buoy deal, nothing formal. This guy is lighter than me, but seemed to be able to point a good bit higher going to weather. Downwind, we matched speed.

We had 5 or 6 of these matches and, although some were closer than others, the end result was always the same.

I'm experienced, know how to sail the Laser, and familiar with the upwind settings... and yes, I'm heavier than him and using a new(ish) sail. Note that there was no reaching leg, so I'm wondering if that is where the Laser really shines.

Anyway, I was expecting to smoke this dude and got schooled instead, damnit.

Outside of the racing, and once a decent breeze filled in, I was able to bust right up on a plane and just fly - what a blast!

BayLazR
 
I have no axe to grind because I sail and race both boats.
It's been my experience sailing a Sunfish in a mixed fleet that I can't keep up with a (full-rig) Laser going upwind because the Laser points higher. Downwind, it's pretty even. When it gets really windy, I might get by some (less experienced) Laser sailors because upside down isn't really fast.

The Portsmouth handicap tables indicate that a full-rig Laser is about 10% faster than a Sunfish. This assumes both boats are sailed by equally skilled sailors. In this vein, you mentioned that you were beaten by a very experienced Sunfisher. That's the crux of the matter at hand. Examine your rig set-up and practice, practice, practice. At some point, you may turn the tables.

 
I guess the Portsmouth information answers my question - thanks... I should have been faster.

The Sunfish guy I was racing against is a custom yacht builder / performance mod pro / marine surveyor and he has been killing it in the local Sunfish class. He definitely was out-pointing me, even when I was pinching.

My boat is full rigged and I've always been competitive against other Lasers - and I was right-side-up. Oh well, it gives me another escuse to sail more.
 
A very wise Laser sailor once told me that the Sunfish is a simple boat to sail, but a hard boat to sail well.

While one-design racing in the Sunfish probably isn't quite as big as the Laser, it seems to have a very loyal following. I know of cases of people who have raced Sunfish for over 50 years. In that time, then learn every nuance of the boat in every conceivable condition.

In general, I would say yes the Laser is a faster boat. However, the Portsmouth number probably doesn't tell the whole story. Because of the simplicity of the boat, you have a wide variety of skill levels sailing them. This probably skews the Portsmouth number lower than it should be.
 
hola...it would really be a long story but the bottom line is that I dislike being beaten by a sunfish. on our club's wednesday night dighy races we get several sunfish skippered by very competent guys...sometimes they get me boat for boat and I never like it too much...I work extra hard to at least get them boat for boat. No sunfish bashing, my first sailing love was a sunfish and my first boat was a sunfish.

be well

Antolin
 
Alas, there is no substitute for sailing well.

One clue is that you say you were pinching. Pinching is also a weakness of mine, but it is *not* fast, especially in waves. Foot for speed to get and keep the boat moving.
 
I should clarify... Pinched only long enough to see if I could point as high, then fell off until I regained good flow across the sail. Didn't keep pinching. That was the thing, just couldn't point.

Oh well, he has his boat tuned to race hard - I don't. I have a 30' Pearson Flyer and race that mostly, but I love my Laser and drag it out when the conditions warrant.

Thanks for the input - SAIL FAST!
 
Props to the sunfish sailor if he sailed as well as you described. However, occasionally I enjoy a good schooling by someone. Helps me keep things in perspective. However... I only enjoy it AFTER the fact and have time to finish pouting... I was beaten once by a Snark. I still don't want to talk about that one.... lol
 
You think Laser guys are radical downwind...

IMG_4444.CR2.jpg
 
Krycek said:
Props to the sunfish sailor if he sailed as well as you described. However, occasionally I enjoy a good schooling by someone. Helps me keep things in perspective. However... I only enjoy it AFTER the fact and have time to finish pouting... I was beaten once by a Snark. I still don't want to talk about that one.... lol
Click to expand...

Yeah, we're going to need you to send back you class membership card.
 
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