BarePoles
New Member
Having only sailed lasers a half dozen times and in nothing over 10kts I had my first shot at heavy air sailing in our frostbite race today. Winds where a steady 25 kts gusting to 36 kts. Things couldn't have gone worse.
I headed out to the course fine upwind, but once I got there and realized I had not business be there so I decided to head in, however this is where the fun started.
I couldn't even tack, every time I tried I would get stuck in irons. I couldn't get any momentum for every time I moving upwind I would get knocked over by a gust or get slammed by the chop. The boat seemed to have a massive amount of weather helm?? After much effort I finally made it back only broaching hard a dozen times of so and fully turtling about every third one.
Please any advice to this very newbie to laser sailing. Why were things so terribly difficult? My confidence in sailing is totally shot. I can only hope next week it is another light air day.
Thanks for listening.
BP
I headed out to the course fine upwind, but once I got there and realized I had not business be there so I decided to head in, however this is where the fun started.
I couldn't even tack, every time I tried I would get stuck in irons. I couldn't get any momentum for every time I moving upwind I would get knocked over by a gust or get slammed by the chop. The boat seemed to have a massive amount of weather helm?? After much effort I finally made it back only broaching hard a dozen times of so and fully turtling about every third one.
Please any advice to this very newbie to laser sailing. Why were things so terribly difficult? My confidence in sailing is totally shot. I can only hope next week it is another light air day.
Thanks for listening.
BP