Yes indeed... all it took when I first got the boat was one grazing tap on the head with that eyelet and that thing was gone. Replaced it with a loop of webbing.And make sure you have a boom with a strap and not with an eyelet.
Watching Marit's tacking technique I would say that mine, when I have a lot of vang on, is quite similar.How do you handle your sheet before you tack? And how do you 'cross'?
I would agree I have a Zhik II Pfd and it works amazing. Quite frustrating though at most of the US events they make you wear a Coast Guard approved life jacket, they are all huge catch on the boom.
For all of the high school laser regattas, like the cressy. I sailed up there last weekend and they said that the RC would throw out anyone not wearing one.
After first encountering this phenomenon many decades ago, I can't believe that the Coast Guard in the USA continues to have anything to do with dinghy sailors' personal flotation. What's the history of this? Obviously there are some national rules or regulations, what do they say? Why isn't ISO 12402-5:2006 good enough?Coast Guard approved
I meant by "looking the other way" that the organizers of international events in the US don't enforce national regulations; it would of course be smart to say that in the Notice Of Race and the Sailing Instructions.In my 25+ years of sailing small sailboats in multiple states, I have had no dealing on the water with law enforcement. Not checking equipment, and certainly not looking for CG approval in the small print on a life jacket.
Some 15 years ago I was actually stopped sailing my Laser about 100 m from my club by a police boat. The officer tested me if I was sailing intoxicated (I wasn't)... The funny thing was that he had a reporter from a local paper on board, so the whole thing got well documented, although I believe those pictures were never published.They are mostly concerned with two things - drunks on the water, and people with no life jacket at all. They see some guy on a small sailboat with no motor who is wearing a PFD and minding his own business, they figure they have bigger problems to deal with.
I meant by "looking the other way" that the organizers of international events in the US don't enforce national regulations; it would of course be smart to say that in the Notice Of Race and the Sailing Instructions.
Some 15 years ago I was actually stopped sailing my Laser about 100 m from my club by a police boat. The officer tested me if I was sailing intoxicated (I wasn't)... The funny thing was that he had a reporter from a local paper on board, so the whole thing got well documented, although I believe those pictures were never published.
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No, it was just a routine check, as if on a roadside. It was a quiet day and I guess he wanted to show the media how it's doneThey would generally need probably cause. Had you capsized just before he stopped you?
Good to hear it, Andy! Yes, don't we come across as very large men to the Zhik folks?So, I got an XL and XXL Zhik P2 PFD in the mail to replace my Large. Tried the XXL on and it fit. It wasn't even loose. Tried on the XL too. No way... too small.
So there you have it. Aside from the sizing issue, the Zhik P2 is a very nice PFD. Well thought out, well made.
- Andy