Toys for Us Boys (and Girls)
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The boat has a 600lb lead bulb keel… so, we aren’t going over… ever. We’ll see the spreaders touch the water in extreme cases, but we aren’t going capsize. It feels like you are going over, but you really don’t - it’s a sudden stop, though, and if you aren’t prepared for it, you’ll be potentially swimming.
So… we popped the boom vang off (released pressure from the main), dropped the spinnaker halyard, gathered the spinnaker on the leeward side, unfurled the jib, sheet on the main, and went back upwind to do it all over again.
We wiped out 4 times during the day… yeah, it was very cold water, and we did NOT want to go swimming.
Nothing better… it’s loads of fun pushing things to their limits every so often. It’s proven to be a serious addiction.
Gooooood times.
C
[quote=2wheeledbeemer]
Snags, that's what I'm talking about! How many people have you found to be the magic number for that? Are you in a major metro area, as I am most definitely not, so finding the hotshot chef could be a challenge.
[/quote] I don't think I've found the magic number for ANYTHING. In this situation, about 4-5 couples at a time is what I feel to be ideal. There's two of us, and if you have a wholesaler, that would be a third, so you'd be at 11-13 total. When the wine starts flowing, everyone gets to know each other very well. So it comes out to around $600-$700. I'm telling you though, I got a great deal. I think the key thing is that women love this type of thing. And some of the time (so I hear), the women control the men. So it's a great way to get in good with them. Oh yeah, the time and day has to work out for the restaurant/chef. So that means in their downtime. For us, that means on a Saturday from 2-4. But everyone has so much fun, no one thinks twice about the time. Yes I am in a major metro area. Something I've heard about in case you're not in a major metro area: If you know of someone, client/friend/whatever, that has put a lot of money into a nice kitchen, you can hire a chef to cook at the house.+1 on Offshore and the Colgate 26. JWorld is another top school, even though racing oriented, they offer cruising courses as well. I’ve taken courses from them and they are top notch. Their go to platform is the J80, a 26 foot open boat similar to the Colgate 26. Not as fast as C’s Melges but a lot easier to sail. Still, if you can find a school that uses even smaller boats, all the better. Try sailing clubs in your area. One of the local clubs here offers beginner courses for $250 and uses a Blue Jay. That boat, I think, is 12 feet long. It’s an orphan class, no longer produced, but is a great boat to learn the ropes, ah I mean lines. There hundreds of these clubs across the country and all offer lessons as a way of increasing membership. Usually lessons come with no strings attached, but getting in at the local yacht club isn’t the worst thing you could do to your career.
[quote=snaggletooth][quote=2wheeledbeemer]
Snags, that's what I'm talking about! How many people have you found to be the magic number for that? Are you in a major metro area, as I am most definitely not, so finding the hotshot chef could be a challenge.
[/quote] I don't think I've found the magic number for ANYTHING. In this situation, about 4-5 couples at a time is what I feel to be ideal. There's two of us, and if you have a wholesaler, that would be a third, so you'd be at 11-13 total. When the wine starts flowing, everyone gets to know each other very well. So it comes out to around $600-$700. I'm telling you though, I got a great deal. I think the key thing is that women love this type of thing. And some of the time (so I hear), the women control the men. So it's a great way to get in good with them. Oh yeah, the time and day has to work out for the restaurant/chef. So that means in their downtime. For us, that means on a Saturday from 2-4. But everyone has so much fun, no one thinks twice about the time. Yes I am in a major metro area. Something I've heard about in case you're not in a major metro area: If you know of someone, client/friend/whatever, that has put a lot of money into a nice kitchen, you can hire a chef to cook at the house. [/quote] Good info. Thanks for the insight. This is something I've wanted to try in the coming year.Now lets see, I have an 07 GSXR 600, 04 YFZ450 set up for the sand dunes, SemiAuto paitball gun for when Im really needing to relieve stress. And now looking to buy an old VW Bug to convert to a Baja monster. I do like to go fast
[quote=Captain]
So… we popped the boom vang off (released pressure from the main), dropped the spinnaker halyard, gathered the spinnaker on the leeward side, unfurled the jib, sheet on the main, and went back upwind to do it all over again.
[/quote]
Isn’t that illegal in Georgia.
Itat, do you do any track days on the Gixxer?Now lets see, I have an 07 GSXR 600, 04 YFZ450 set up for the sand dunes, SemiAuto paitball gun for when Im really needing to relieve stress. And now looking to buy an old VW Bug to convert to a Baja monster. I do like to go fast
Itat, do you do any track days on the Gixxer?[/quote]Not yet, but I really want to start, the only problem is that the closest track to me is almost three hours away. I have Thunder Hill 3 hours, Laguna Seca 4.5 hours and Infenion 4 hours. Hopefully next season I will be able to have time/money to start going (New FA here, lol)[quote=Eyetattoo]Now lets see, I have an 07 GSXR 600, 04 YFZ450 set up for the sand dunes, SemiAuto paitball gun for when Im really needing to relieve stress. And now looking to buy an old VW Bug to convert to a Baja monster. I do like to go fast
You ride?
Yep, see my previous post at the beginning of the thread. Interested to know some feedback from anybody that’s done one of the track schools at the various places across our fine land. I’m scheduled to do the Jamie James Yamaha school at Barber this spring, and just curious to know the set up from any previous participants.
Check out sportbikes.net if you haven’t already. Great wealth of track knowledge there. Anything your want to learn about your bike is on that site and in it’s forums
[quote=HymanRoth]
[quote=Captain]So… we popped the boom vang off (released pressure from the main), dropped the spinnaker halyard, gathered the spinnaker on the leeward side, unfurled the jib, sheet on the main, and went back upwind to do it all over again.
[/quote]Isn’t that illegal in Georgia.[/quote]
Nah… Not really.
It’s when you throw the backstay, smoke the fraculator and release the pressure on sheet before you blow the guy… that’s when you have a problem.
Believe it or not… that’s all proper sailing lingo around the course.
Hee haw.
C
Not to mention, doing a broad reach while passing a topless beach! Who says sailings not fun! Oh yeah, the guy who invented the name for the boom. He named it after the sound it made when it hit him in the head during an accidental jibe.
Fractulators? Ouch! Nothing like using wind surfing physics to make a sailboat go faster. Cool stuff, as all high tech boats are, but it makes my head hurt. I'm sticking with beach cats. Only two lines to play with once out on the water and one speed, supersonic! My Hobie 16 will run down just about everything out there worth running down. And the Hobie Tiger, well it will smoke them. Phast Phun!!
Very nice, especially for running down to the corner pub there on the Isle of Man. Bet that Muzzy pipe sounds sweet at about 10k. Did you do your own paint on the 12?
joined today to ask a question in “whats up at firms” section. im an
avid motorcyclist, its good to see others here share the same hobby.
ha, i have yet to attend the isle of man races. ive stripped the 12r down to the frame and had her painted while the wheels and case covers were being chromed. she used to be a 1375CC stroker, now a 1270. motor done by orient express. i could post an extensive list of mods - basically everything is aftermarket or custom but the frame.
dyno chart @ break-in
4th, 5th and 6th gears optional with numbers like those. New back tire every 2000 miles; front tire seldom used.
Ok, some I’m definitely small fry compared to y’all big boys on here, but I felt like I had to represent the Girls.
Waverunners and Hobie Cats - Toys for the Average Jane
We raced Hobies for years. Campaigned a Hobie 16. I still have the boat but we no longer race. Taught the kids to sail and learned to sail rings around most sailors.
Interesting thing about Hobie sailors is that they tend not to get a lot respect down at the yatch club. "Oh one of those" is a typical reaction when asked what type of boat do you sail. Typical snob/ testosterone BS. So one day I was snooping around a yacht club I've stumbled upon as they are getting ready for their Thursday nite races. They are racing J27s. I strike up a conversation with one of the skippers and he invites me on board to fill in for a no show. He diligently questions me about my sailing resume. I fess up "I'm a Hobie sailor" His response was, if nothing else I'd do as rail meat. So off we go. He then puts me in charge of the winch for the Jib when another person on the boat has trouble with the winch. A fairly important job. He gives me the settings he wants and shows me how to work the winch. There are nine boats in the race. I'm use to starting on lines with as many as fifty boats. And relative to Hobie speed we are moving in slow motion. We get the one minute to go signal but are headed downwind away from the line and will need to gybe (turn stern through the eye of the wind) to get back to the line. The skipper gives the command and around we go. I get the jib set on the new heading and we hit the line a full 15 seconds after the gun. Not surprisingly we are dead last. But there is good wind and the first leg is up wind. I note that only one of the boats in front of us is reacting to the wind shifts and is heading closer to mark on what are call lifters( a wind shift that allows you to sail a more direct course to your mark. Boats can't sail directly into the wind. Sail boats when sailing into the wind have to sail at 30 to 45% angle to the wind. ). My skipper is holding a straight course. Ah, this is sailing 101 stuff so i speak up. I tell him that i'll call the lifter or header and that he should change course accordingly when i start to winch in or out on the sail. He agrees and we start to move up in the fleet. Still most are still in front of us with the one guy who really knows what's he's doing tacking to the inbound leg to go to the mark. Other boats also soon tack. My guy gives the ready about command as he is preparing to tack. I yell out "not yet" they're all going to miss the mark (wind will push them below the mark forcing another tack) My guy holds off for few seconds and sure enough racer boy in boat one sails below the mark and tacks a second time. We are getting more lifters than headers and lifter on the outbound tack( our direction) is a header for the inbound tack. DAH! I"m still calling out lifter/header and we sail through the course of boats that are now below us on the course and will be forced to a second tack to make the mark. I tell the skipper to tack when ever he's ready and he gives the command. We are second to the first mark and are the only boat to make it in one tack. But from here it's a beam reach and then downwind. The last leg is a short one mile one tack leg to start/finish line and barring a mistake by boat one it's going to be follow the leader. Downwind our spin guy knows what he's doing but we gain no ground. We round the downwind mark and begin our outbound upwind tack. On this tack well behind boat one I note that boat one has sailed beyond his tacking point (overstood the mark-sailed too far) probably a reaction to missing the mark one first leg. I point this out to my skipper telling him if he tacks early he might have a shot at him. The problem with this is two fold- we could get pushed below the mark forcing a second tack and losing a sure second place finish and boat one will be sailing the final tack on a lower angle to the wind giving them a lot more boat speed. Our only advantage is the shorter distance to the line by not sailing any more distance on the out bound tack. The skip goes for it and orders the course change. We tighen up the sails and for a minute or two the wind cooperates by shifting to a lifter. But we are pinched and our boat speed slows. Still heeled over and moving but. Boat one is at this point boat two on the course. We are in the lead with the finish line in sight. I can only imagine the what the eff reaction on boat one when they saw us tack early. Sorry fellas, no follow the leader tonite. He tacks immediatly and is coming hard. It was a drag race back to the line and he got us by half a boat length at the line. He's a good skipper and my guy was elated. Back in the club house it was boisterous. Apparently everyone is use to losing to the guy who won and because of his standing in the club they follow his lead. They asked me where i learned all this- sailing hobies with my kids was my reply. And it really is basic stuff. Still they suspected there was more to it. I got a invite on the winners boat for a regatta- I declined. And my skipper told me i was welcomed back anytime. I never went back. I liked the J27. Cool boat if a bit of dinosoar in racing circles these days. At least i didn't get wet, half the fun of Hobie racing. Rail meat my ass. OK, I'm home with a severe sinus infection. Thanks for listening.That was an awesome story and very fun to read ;). Thanks for sharing it with us!