(no subject)

[which_chick]

PoTC:DMC opens today. I will probably wait until the weekend proper to attend because I don't like the crowds of opening night. Also, will be mucking about with the boat.

We haven't heard much from you lately. It's supposed to be One a Day, so what's up with that?



I went out on the boat yesterday after work. There was some wind but not huge amounts. (I am aware that there are official scales and measurements for wind. Unfortunately, I don't have any of them to hand. "Not huge amounts" is the best I can do ya.) At times, there was just enough wind for me to put my footies under the footie strap and hang my ass out over the side of the boat, this being the most appropriate general procedure for keeping the boat from going SPLAT! just when it's getting exciting. Those of you who have sailed smallish boats in the past may think that I am talking about sitting on the sides of the boat and *leaning* out of the boat with my torso. That would not be the case. No. In this procedure, your ass is suspended directly over the wet. It isn't actually supported underneath by anything and will, if the wind dies, get wet when the boat stops leaning if you fail to hop back in the boat quickly enough. (Guess how I know this.)

There are actually two ways to keep the boat from going splat in more wind. The other way is to let go of the big rope that controls the sail. When you do that, the sail swings away and loses all the wind and the boat quits wanting to tip over so badly. This does not make the boat go very fast but it does help with the splatting problem until you get brave enough to hang your ass out of the boat. It is better and more appropriate to hold on to the big rope and shift your ass out of the boat, which makes the boat go way faster, settles the steering, and generally improves things all 'round.

Topic for today: the gybe. There are two ways to turn the boat around with wind. One is to turn the nose of the boat through the wind and this is what you do when you're tacking. It's not hideous and if you fuck up, the boat sits there, pointed directly into the wind, with the sail flapping madly. (This is called being caught in irons.) Being in irons is annoying, but usually not an involuntary swim even in pretty decent winds. The other way of turning the boat around with the wind is to turn the ass of the boat through the wind. This is called a gybe. Because the wind is coming from behind the boat, the big huge boat sail has wind pressure on it the whole time and the boat is kind of tippy. It is my sneaking suspicion that gybes in a Laser are for making sure that everyone gets enough practice righting the boat from a capsize. Anyway, this is what today's practice is going to involve.

Finally, since you've plown through three paragraphs of a subject that most of you have only marginal interest in, here is a neat video of people who are less sane than I am, fucking around with their Spitfire catamarans off the coast of England. The boat-flopping-forward splat-tastic maneuver that these boats do when running is called pitchpoling. Lookit: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/218548

Comments

[sara-merry99.livejournal.com]

I mentioned your boat business to my dad, who's a sailor. He said that the Laser is a really *excellent* boat--the designers also designed some Americas' Cup boats and so on. He says that once you get the hang of things, you should really be able to make that boat fly and have a lot of fun. (P-San's a bit of an adrenaline junkie. :) )


He also sounded quite impressed that you're just, you know, throwing the boat and yourself in the water and (guided by a few books) figuring it all out from first principles. Though it wouldn't surprise me to learn that he got started that way too.

And thanks for the link to the video--I prefer sailing where you actually, you know, get to *sit* rather than standing on the side of the boat. You know sit and maybe have a glass of wine and a picnic. Though, given that those are my druthers (and my mom's), it's probably no wonder that once in a while P-San likes to go out by himself on a windy day (so he can really fly).

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

The lack of formal instruction is mostly because formal instruction would entail two-hour drives there and back. Sux0r, as it were. If I'm willing to go it alone, I can be on the water in under fifteen minutes. I figured that if I didn't die, the extra time on the water would make up for lack of instruction at the front end. Also, I'm extremely familiar with the waters, know where the stumps lurk, and don't have to contend with much traffic. If I see two boats besides me, that's a busy day on the water.

What sort of boat does your P-San have?

[sara-merry99.livejournal.com]

What sort of boat does your P-San have?

Oh, dear. I should know the answer to this. I've never actually been on the current boat. The old boat was a 21 foot boat of make I don't know with a cabin that could sleep three and two sails (jib and main). Nice boat, but the fixed keels didn't work with their current sailing environment. Three or even four friendly people could sleep on the "Annie" if they didn't mind my mother failing to shut up after lights out.

The curren't boat's a Bay Hen of some variety--I thought it had two sails as well but the pictures I'm finding only show one and I've never seen "Robbie" under sail, so I'm probably wrong. I'm not sure how long but for some reason 15 or 18 feet is sticking in my head, but according to what I've read that means it's not a Bay Hen, it's a Marsh Hen or something, so I'm obviously confused. It's got enough of a cabin that he and Momma can sleep on it, but pretty much no one else.

[ksleet.livejournal.com]

I think I may have seen one when I was wandering around Belmont Harbor this afternoon -- is the Laser an extremely shallow boat? Like, a foot or so?

[which-chick.livejournal.com]

It is quite shallow. A foot or so seems about right, on average, and it's got a nearly flat bottom. The transom (back end) is shallower than a foot by a good bit but the front is a bit deeper.

Here is a nice picture of some of them:
http://www.cedarpointphotos.org/gallery/lasers2006-04-09/P1010078 (http://www.cedarpointphotos.org/gallery/lasers2006-04-09/P1010078)