Winter Fleet Building

gouvernail

Super Opinionated and Always Correct
There a a bunch of things active fleets do during the winter to make the next summer better. This is an invitation to discussion.
Spread teh knowledge. What do you do to enhance next year?

Or...tell us about your new idea before you try it. Maybe we can lear collectively from the mistakes and steal each other's great ideas.

Personally? I have a overriding philosophy and I came up with a descriptive analogy today that I liked so well this thread resulted.

Feel free to take this thought processa nd run with it>>>

Fleets are a lot like a small outboard motor. Sometimes you put in the right gas and pull until both your hands hurt and your result is nothing.
More often, you pull a few times and it runs, stops, needs another pull, runs longer, stops, needs a pull, finally runs on its own or burns out and quits. No matter how well it seems to be running, sooner or later it will need a little gas and another tug on the cord.
The best possible outboard motor experience comes when others offer to bring gas, pull the cord and generally help maintain the motor.
 
I believe with any type of group involved sport, its communication that keeps it going. Get together, have pizza and talk about next season. I would like to see more of that kind of socialism off the water.

DaveK
 
DaveK said:
I would like to see more of that kind of socialism off the water.

DaveK

Commie!!! I think you mean socializing. I'm giving myself the lovable but crusty emoticon in advance.

Merrily
 
Merrily said:
Commie!!!
Merrily

You caught him!!

He's a Texan. Texans can't spell.

The K probably stands for Kommunist.

We have seen Dave out using the wind and water as though they belonged equally to all the people!

He has also been seen sharing libation from the communal keg!!

Conclusion??

We need more of the Dave K type.
 
Oh... the spelling police caught me. I thought they were on some other forum? How'd they get here? Reminds me of song.... this is not my beautiful house.

Anyways.... I'll try to behave in all matters.

Most folks are great to talk with out on the water. But more needs to happen off. I've been around activities that died simply because of this. In the beginning, they will come once its built. Then, they fade away. Racing sailboats is a bit intimidating. Seriousness seems to be an extreme on race day. My novice opinion on Laser racers is that, they take it to another level. More than any other. This is not a bad thing. Its just how it is. You want to race lasers, then learn to fight for every puff and every wave just to finish with the pack.

Take the people off the water and have meetings / events and things won't be so daunting. You feel like you belong, these people are fun, easy to get along with. Even though.... I suck...... its still fun.

DaveK
 
I don't get it: why are the Texans talking about the winter as if it is an off-season? Is there such a thing as frozen water in that state??? I assumed you are sailing year-round. Am I wrong?

GWF
 
Georg W.F. said:
I don't get it: why are the Texans talking about the winter as if it is an off-season? Is there such a thing as frozen water in that state??? I assumed you are sailing year-round. Am I wrong?

GWF

Having spent over 20 sailing years as a yankee and another 26 years living in Texas, I can probably give some decent answers.

Note: I am not a Texan. You have to be born here to be a Texan. I don't care one way or the other. However, I have learned that I rarely enjoy the company of those who seriously believe it matters.

answers:
1. We do sail all year around here. As a rule our very best inland sailing happens in the springtime. Our very best coastal (windy) sailing comes in June and July. For that reason we have the extremely successful the Easter Laser Regatta every year and when we host a really big Laser event we put it on the coast in June or July.
(Note the timing of the Gulf Coast champs and US nationals in 2006. Yes, coming to Austin for Easter for practice makes sense becuase your lakes are probably still frozen or too damn cold for fun sailing)

2. Sailing in the winter around here is 50 /50 between lots of wind and no wind.
a. If the wind is from the south it is steady and warm and since the water never drops below 54 degrees, south breeze is always a pleasure.
b. If the wind is from the north it can be 30 degrees and since warm days will follow within a week, we are not feeling desperate, and suffering in that crap is not necessary.
c. If the wind is dead, there is a great restaurant at the corner right by the club and most of us do have lives outside sailing anyway.

As a rule, playing the Laser game is best when lots of people can schedule well ahead because they KNOW there will be a race. Since the out of season sailing weather is soo unpredictable and since we know when the best odds for great sailing occur, we do organized stuff in the summer and have serendipity events in the winter.
 
Heck yes!
Some of our best sailing (for me anyways) comes in the winter time. I love going out when it's blowing snot from the north and 40 degree's. Sometimes it is even better before the front with good strong South winds and temp's in the 60's. But normally it is a North wind 18-30 plus.
But I'm a lunatic Laser animal and can very seldom find others whom share in my lunacy.
It'd be great to have a Frostbiting series here, just hard to find other like minded sailor's.
Regards,
Fishingmickey
150087/181157
 
fishingmickey said:
It'd be great to have a Frostbiting series here, just hard to find other like minded sailor's.
Regards,
Fishingmickey
150087/181157

Fishingmickey, I couldn't find anyone to frostbite with here either, because they were all working on their DNs. Can it be that some Texans truly are weather wimps? (It's more fun to pick on Texans!) I guess that if you're living there for the heat, it's hard to get motivated when the weather gets mildly cool :p.
 
If it helps you can come sailing in the BVI. Sailing yesterday in 15+kts of breeze with water about 28C (about 80) sailing in hikers and rash just to keep the sun off. Yep thats what I call a frostbite series!
 
Rob B said:
Texas is a great place to live.

but is it a great place to die?

Sorry :D

I would do "frostbiting" in Texas though (in case I end up there, which is not entirely out of the question) nothing beats sailing. Nevertheless (it might seem that I am going to contradict myself now, yet that is not the case) it seems that people become wary at some point and need a break. So I guess it is good to have an off-season, in which something less serious such as frostbiting takes place.
This, perhaps, even ties in with the metaphor of the small outboard motor: if you don't do anything to the motor to "winterize" it, it will be difficult to start it up again. So keep it running once in a while, so the mechanism stays warm. ahhh, perhaps the human brain is nothing but a mechanical device, that needs decent maintenance. ;)

Two smilies in one post, not bad hey!

GWF
 

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