The laser shit fight is driving Laser sailors to do stuff like this - make it stop! There is a nice sailing boat It’s called the Laser boat And she is been the joy of many sailors and God, I know, I am one My mother was a sailors She sailed a Laser boat My father was a sailor too Down in New Orleans O ilca say to your directors Not to do what they have done, don’t destroy a class or fucking us Don’t change our nice class ...
We’re not scientists, and the only Heisenberg we’re familiar with drives a Pontiac Aztek, but the uncertainty added last week to the already messy process of picking a new Olympic singlehander might just be too much. Don’t get us wrong: We couldn’t be happier to see the man behind babyfingergate get the boot after years of litigation and supply issues have shrunk the Laser Class to a shadow of its former self. But none of that explains why World Sailing would want to ‘buy a lawsuit’ and there’s no way that ILCA, LP and probably any new builders don’t end up in court. We’re entirely transparent here in that RS have been advertising with SA for years, which means we get to speak to them often and sometimes even take their point of view. Frankly though (and especially so when you compare them to the majority of dinghy builders around the world), we’re impressed with what they do for the sport. They’re good at growth, good at events, good at making sailing easy, and World Sailing could do worse than to partner up to bring the cool little Aero to the five ring circus. It’s already got a sizeable international footing and it is lighter, quicker, and in our opinion way better looking than the Laser. Bonus? No legal fees! Read more chatter about the Olympic Dinghy selection in this long-running thread....
A friend and I took the Topper Topaz Race X out for a spin on a puffy, shifty San Diego day. Good news: We didn’t capsize. Better news: It is a cool little thing. Bad news: It’s not made for old men like us! The Topaz Race X. At 12.7 long and a hull weight of 132 pounds, it is a tidy, nicely laid out and equipped, rotomold constructed (virtually indestructible) fun one or two person dinghy. Main, jib and kite are fun for two, but ditch the jib, adjust the mast position, take the shrouds off and you have a nice little singlehander that you can easily sail with minimum hassle. We took a shot of the asso on land to give you an idea of how it looks. Being two old and less than agile men, the boat was very sensitive to our lumbering weight movement, confirming that this boat needs to be sailed by kids or young and skinny adults! It had some nice quality fittings, was easy to launch and sail, and think that, at $6,100, it is a good competitor for that price point. We liked it, but are just looking for a way to turn back the god damn clock, say 30 years or so!...
So you would think a man with my vast sailing knowledge (baahaahaa) would understand ORR and ORR-ez, but it’s all geek to me. However, that level of ignorance didn’t stop me from getting an ORR-ez rating for my Flying Tiger 10m, A4. Given what so many of us have experienced with the various PHRF knuckle draggers in our respective areas, ORR-ez is an inexpensive, simple way to receive a rating measurement certificate for a fleet that doesn’t involve some jackass wanting to protest you because you added an extra block to your boat, or whatever the fuck these people whine about, which appears to be anything and everything. Our first race is the San Diego to Enseanda Race on Oct 5,where we are sailing both PHRF and ORR. The ORR fleet is small, but we have a well sailed J-125 to go against and it will be interesting to compare our PHRF and ORR results. Can we get some momentum behind ORR? Even though Dago sailing is notoriously conservative and resistant to change, I think there is an opportunity. Bruce Nelson partially uses ORR to rate boats in SDYC’s two popular big boat regattas, so there is really no excuse to get the ball in play. Is there?...
So this is a funny idea for a folding dinghy. Check it out and kick in if interested....
Big Pimpin’ While the brand has been around for over 50 years, Ullman Sails has never had a wholly owned and dedicated manufacturing facility to complement its strong brand and great designs, choosing in the past to outsource this. We can now announce that the Ullman Sails group has taken ownership of one of the largest sail manufacturing factories in the world based in South Africa which finally gives the respected California based company, Ullman Sails International, full control over all aspects of manufacturing and the capacity to invest exponentially in research and development. The acquisition of this facility has enhanced the value of the global loft network which means that Ullman Sails can guarantee high-quality manufacturing to back-up its market-leading technology at competitive pricing. Read on....
And a really expensive one at that. I shoulda bought a ‘Rarri instead.. Naw, this is uber talented Eric Rogers fixing a broken engine trap door on the mighty A4 at Driscoll’s Shelter Island… Title inspiration thanks to Anarchist Mary....
Ever wonder how those crane jockeys at all the good yards get to be so good? Well here ya go: We worked on the A4 at Driscoll’s Shelter Island this weekend, and given that there isn’t any hauling in or out, a young buck was going through this ‘stay in the lane’ drill with what looked to be a very heavy cylindrical weight. He had to walk this fucker back, sideways, and back to the front without touching anything. Then he had to raise it up and hit the target, over and over. We watched for a while and the kid was good. I asked him how hard it was and said “There are a lot of little techniques to learn!” Ya think? – ed....
Not Sailing On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s navy reported that it had destroyed two remote-controlled, explosives-filled vessels that were targeting the port of Jizan (Jazan). According to Saudi coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki, the Saudi Navy detected the boats approaching in series, one at 0450 hours and one at 0505 on Sunday morning. They were under remote control and were rigged with explosives, he reported. Saudi forces intercepted and destroyed the vessels. “The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will strike with an iron fist all those who get involved with acts of terrorism, which threaten the safety of Saudi nationals, residents, economy and critical capabilities,” Al-Maliki said. “Those hostile acts will not go by without holding the ones executing, plotting and planning them accountable for their actions.” The port of Jizan is located on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, just north of the Yemeni border. Houthi forces control much of the coastline to the south, including the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, and have used their territory to launch multiple attacks on Saudi vessels and installations. Read on....
