--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 254 SAILING Ref: F1W00000 Date: 01/24/98 From: JOHN SANGWIN Time: 04:47pm \/To: NEIL (Read 0 times) Subj: Boat Show Hello Neil. 21 Jan 98 22:22, Neil wrote to John Sangwin: NF>> South to go to the International Boat Show (Earls Court). For N> Well anybody that didn't go that wanted to see what it was like, I've N> got a load of pictures to show them what it was like. To be honest I N> didn't have much time to take them I was so busy shopping and finding N> the Topper/Laser stuff... One could also have seen an extensive preview on BBC TV! N> Which one was that? I quite looked the look of the Blaze last year N> (or was it the year b4?) Yes, it was the blaze. N> but I fancy a single hander with a cruising chute at the N> moment - that would just be /too/ cool! I know one N> exists, but on a 15 year old's budget with limited skills I N> don't think I've got a chance! I am not knowledgeable enough to say for sure if there is one. N> WHAT a selection. I quite fancy some test sails in some of them but N> I'm not terribly good at sailing - never seem to beat many people in N> any form of racing, from school races (once a week in the summer we go N> for an evening after school) to Club level and beyond! To boldly sail N> where no 15 year old (that can't sail) has ever sailed b4! One can only keep trying/practising. That is one of the beaut's of racing. Even if one looses, one does learn as to how different settings and techniques affect your performance against others. N> 1. How old are you? Err, next question! N> 2. What do you sail? Generally in lakes and old gravel pits, but have done some in the Channel and in the Med. N> 3. Where are you? Gloucestershire. N> 4. Modesty aside, how good are you? Not so good these days, but I did get a 3rd at the Lightning Nationals, and have won handicap series in a local club. N> 5. Which qualifications do you have? RYA competent crew and coastal skipper (neither all that directly relevant to dinghy sailing). N> I've only been sailing for about, er, yr 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 = 4.5 N> years so perhaps I'll improve with practice. That is usually the way. N> getting on for 5ft 10 so I'm not small! I would have thought that you were getting a bit tall for Toppers, but it depends on your weight. N> You have a boat I take it? I am between dinghies at present, tending to concentrate on a 55ft steel hulled thing! Cheers! John --- GoldED/386 3.00.Beta1+ * Origin: * The NarrowBoat * (2:253/402) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 254 SAILING Ref: F2200000 Date: 02/01/98 From: NEIL Time: 06:50pm \/To: TERRY SMITH (Read 1 times) Subj: Hull Speed & Boat Speed -=> Terry Smith said to Neil... <=- TS> In any event, it's 1/21600th of the Earth's circumference, whatever TS> that is. This isn't a personal comment or anything, but, er, WHY ON EARTH WOULD SOMEBODY CHOOSE SUCH A STUPID NUMBER? Sorry about shouting there, but a statute mile seems to make a little more sense to me - and as a personal preference, I have a lot of time for kilometres. Measure speed in land vehicles in mph, small distances in inches, large distances in kilometres, very small distances in milimetres, and anything to do with a boat in kilometres and life couldn't be better! OK, OK, I'm weird, I admit it...:-) TS> for lots of stuff, with a 4-6,000 lb range determining how easily it TS> can be made to plane. Talking of planing, do you know the calculation for the maximum hull speed of a boat using the L.O.W? I heard it was four thirds of the square root of the length. Is that in metres, feet, inches, milimetres, WHAT? Not that its that important, but I was just wondering. N> Finally, what sort of boats do you sail? TS> Most of my experience has been on a 35' keel-centerboard yawl with TS> I've sailed from an 8' Dyer dinghy or Sunfish through a 42' Alden TS> Challenger (classic yawl) and Hinckley Ketch, with some time in years TS> past on a 17' Alcort (trailerable), a 21' (forget what sloop), a 24' TS> French Golif, and a 28' Pearson Triton. An impressive selection - I should try something with a keel in the future. Well I mean I've sailed yer standard Moody 31' but nothing larger than that. Its still quite good fun, and I might be able to do a Day Skipper course at Uni (in 2.5 years!) TS> Most of my experience has been around Southern New England coastal TS> waters and islands, though I've sailed from Atlantic City, NJ through TS> Gloucester, MA actively, and on both coasts of Florida. I've done a TS> small amount of racing, though mostly cruising. This seems to be mainly where we differ I would say - I started sailing 5 years ago, and started racing 4.5 years ago! I do events See ya, Neil ==== Internet: SailCool@yahoo.com : Fidonet 2:440/60 : SurreyNet 60:610/60 ... "Yummy," said Pooh, as he rotated Piglet slowly on the spit. --- Blue Wave/RA v2.20 * Origin: P C Forum * Darford, Kent, UK * +44-1322-288006 * (2:440/1) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 254 SAILING Ref: F2200001 Date: 02/01/98 From: NEIL Time: 06:50pm \/To: JOHN SANGWIN (Read 1 times) Subj: Boat Show John Sangwin said to Neil... <=- JS> 21 Jan 98 22:22, Neil wrote to John Sangwin: N> Well anybody that didn't go that wanted to see what it was like, I've N> got a load of pictures to *show* them what it was like. To be honest I JS> One could also have seen an extensive preview on BBC TV! One, one would have thought, could have missed it, or wanted photos... JS> Yes, it was the blaze. Decent boat huh? The only thing I'd need to check on is the suggested weight for sailing it, the main doesn't look incredibly big, but its larger than it could be... I suppose the racks help... If I recall its a fully battened main isn't it? JS> One can only keep trying/practising. That is one of the beaut's of JS> racing. Even if one looses, one does learn as to how different JS> settings and techniques affect your performance against others. Very true - I mean I can usually come third or above in the slow fleet in the Surrey Schools regattas which means I get to sail it out with the top people in my fleet - providing opportune moments for copying their rigs! Other than that though I haven't been sailing around much, although I hope to do more in the future to try and find how everybody else goes so FAST! I just can't seem to understand where the extra boatspeed comes from. At my second traveller event (the second day racing outside Surrey Schools!) I came something like 28th out of 40 - not terribly impressive, but an improvement on the first day - 20th out of 21. JS> Err, next question! That bad? N> 2. What do you sail? JS> Generally in lakes and old gravel pits, but have done some in the JS> Channel and in the Med. Well so far I've missed the Med - been on a cruise there but 'twas big enough to have 3 swimming pools, a cinema, a gym, sauna and various other interesting pastimes - not what you could call sailing really is it? Also the channel has slipped the net, South Coast - yeah, round the IOW and places I've done in the past and wouldn't mind doing it again at some point... N> 3. Where are you? JS> Gloucestershire. To be perfectly honest, I'd need a map to pin point you more precisely - I've never really known where it is..., come visit Surrey sometime! JS> Not so good these days, but I did get a 3rd at the Lightning JS> Nationals, and have won handicap series in a local club. So you wouldn't say rubbish then? Perhaps you wanna swing some racing tips my way. JS> RYA competent crew and coastal skipper (neither all that directly JS> relevant to dinghy sailing). What's competent crew like? I want to have a go at Day Skipper at some point in the near future, but Uni's over two years away, and I still might not get a chance then! I might end up having Southampton at the top of the list, but it was either Cambridge or Oxford that offered the course - could swing my final descision... :-) N> I've only been sailing for about, er, yr 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 = 4.5 N> years so perhaps I'll improve with practice. JS> That is usually the way. But do some people get to a certain stage and then stop 'cos they're really no good in the first place? I suppose I'll find out after this year's trip to the Topper Nationals/Inlands. N> getting on for 5ft 10 so I'm not small! JS> I would have thought that you were getting a bit tall for Toppers, but JS> it depends on your weight. 'bout 8 stone - I've tried full and Radial Lasers in the past, as well as a Byte and Comet. JS> I am between dinghies at present, tending to concentrate on a 55ft JS> steel hulled thing! Quite large then - nothing special :-) Honestly though I'd quite like to try something larger, the best so far must be 31' (its actually 30' 9", but who cares, they call it a 31'!)... For some reason I've escaped the pleasure of an Oppie so far, but apparently we'll be taking 'em out on the instructors course for some rather strange and unknown reason! Could be a good laugh - just over 8 stone me, in a minute boat with a tiny sail area... Incredibly embarassing to capsize I'd expect though, especially on an instructors course! See ya, Neil ==== Internet: SailCool@yahoo.com : Fidonet 2:440/60 : SurreyNet 60:610/60 ... "Yummy," said Pooh, as he rotated Piglet slowly on the spit. --- Blue Wave/RA v2.20 * Origin: P C Forum * Darford, Kent, UK * +44-1322-288006 * (2:440/1) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 254 SAILING Ref: F2200002 Date: 02/02/98 From: GORDON KEETON Time: 08:20am \/To: LAURENCE CHARLOT (Read 1 times) Subj: Boat show I understand that there will be a Sailboat show in Oakland in the next couple of months. Can you tell when and where it will be? My wife and I would like to go to it. We went to the one in San Francisco's Cow Palace and it was mostly power boats. There was only 8 sailboats. Three of them was from $180,000.00 to $215,000.00. We thought of stopping by some of the places where the boat are kept. But we didn't want to fight all the cars to get there. Where do you keep your boat? I keep mine in my back yard for now. I am glad I did. Some how the rain got in and there was mold in the sheets on the bed. Now we have to buy new sheets, pillows, and pillow cases. And now I have to find the leek. I think it is in the window vent on the side of my V-berth area. The gasket between the glass and frame is leaking. But it looks like I will have to replace to whole window. The newer ones let the water run away from the window. This one holds the water next to the glass. Have to go. Gordon ... Catch the Blue Wave! ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12 --- Maximus 2.01wb * Origin: The Exchange\Classic Cars BBS Clovis,Ca (209) 299-2454 (1:205/61) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 254 SAILING Ref: F2300000 Date: 02/02/98 From: TERRY SMITH Time: 07:05pm \/To: NEIL (Read 1 times) Subj: Hull Speed & Boat Speed TS> In any event, it's 1/21600th of the Earth's circumference, whatever TS> that is. N> This isn't a personal comment or anything, but, er, WHY ON EARTH WOULD N> SOMEBODY CHOOSE SUCH A STUPID NUMBER? Sorry about shouting there, but a That's a very natural number. It's one minute of arc. IOW, 60 minutes per degree, 360 degrees around a circle, is 21,600 minutes. With 60 seconds of arc per minute, that results in one second (") being about 100 feet. These are comparable to latitude and longitude, at least around the equator or any olar meridian. N> statute mile seems to make a little more sense to me - and as a personal N> preference, I have a lot of time for kilometres. Measure speed in land Those are human created units without a similar external natural basis. As such, they're easier to define precisely. TS> for lots of stuff, with a 4-6,000 lb range determining how easily it TS> can be made to plane. N> Talking of planing, do you know the calculation for the N> maximum hull speed of N> a boat using the L.O.W? I heard it was four thirds of N> the square root of the N> length. Is that in metres, feet, inches, milimetres, WHAT? Not that its That's an approximation based on waterline in feet. Strange to quote my mention of a cat hull that ignores the displacement hull limits as part of that question..... TS> Most of my experience has been around Southern New England coastal TS> waters and islands, though I've sailed from Atlantic City, NJ through TS> Gloucester, MA actively, and on both coasts of Florida. I've done a TS> small amount of racing, though mostly cruising. N> This seems to be mainly where we differ I would say - I started sailing 5 N> years ago, and started racing 4.5 years ago! I do events Whereas I've been around boats most of my life (now age 40). Terry --- Maximus 2.01wb * Origin: Terry's Tavern! Derby, CT 203-732-0575 (1:141/1275) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 254 SAILING Ref: F2C00000 Date: 02/04/98 From: JOHN SANGWIN Time: 08:50pm \/To: NEIL (Read 1 times) Subj: Boat Show Hello Neil. 01 Feb 98 18:50, Neil wrote to John Sangwin: JS>> Yes, it was the blaze. N> Decent boat huh? The only thing I'd need to check on is the suggested N> weight for sailing it, the main doesn't look incredibly big, but its N> larger than it could be... I suppose the racks help... If I recall N> its a fully battened main isn't it? Yes; it is fully battened, but I'd guess it was for lightweights. I love the racks, saves on the knees and back! N> so FAST! I just can't seem to understand where the extra N> boatspeed comes from. The really good guys seem to be able to "see" the wind, and get that sail setting just right, with the luff just not lifting, if you see what I mean. N> JS>> Err, next question! N> That bad? Worse! N> Well so far I've missed the Med - been on a cruise there but 'twas big N> enough to have 3 swimming pools, a cinema, a gym, sauna and various N> other interesting pastimes - not what you could call sailing really is N> it? No! Most certainly not. I wouldn't admit to going on a cruise when talking about sailing.... N> Also the channel has slipped the net, South Coast - yeah, N> round the IOW and places I've done in the past and wouldn't N> mind doing it again at some point... In what craft? N>> 3. Where are you? JS>> Gloucestershire. N> To be perfectly honest, I'd need a map to pin point you more precisely N> - I've never really known where it is..., come visit Surrey sometime! About, very roughly, 100 miles west of you, and a wee bit north. N> So you wouldn't say rubbish then? Perhaps you wanna swing some N> racing tips my way. Practise, Practise, Practise... N> What's competent crew like? A bit boring if you want to get on. Just doing all the things like changing sails, setting and handling sails, anchor, etc etc.. One has to do it before taking the Day Skipper course. N> still might not get a chance then! I might end up having N> Southampton at the top of the list, but it was either Cambridge N> or Oxford that offered the course - could swing my final N> descision... :-) Forget sailing when it comes to making a decision about Univ.. Choose the best for your planned career. N> But do some people get to a certain stage and then stop 'cos they're N> really no good in the first place? Yes, they do. Whilst practise will improve all, it cannot overcome lack of basic ability and a natural flair for it. JS>> I would have thought that you were getting a bit tall for JS>> Toppers, but it depends on your weight. N> 'bout 8 stone - I've tried full and Radial Lasers in the past, as well N> as a Byte and Comet. If you can keep them upright, then the weight should be fine. Lee Oh! John --- GoldED/386 3.00.Beta1+ * Origin: * The NarrowBoat * (2:253/402) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 254 SAILING Ref: F2D00000 Date: 02/07/98 From: NEIL Time: 06:24pm \/To: TERRY SMITH (Read 1 times) Subj: Hull Speed & Boat Speed Terry Smith said to Neil... <=- <1/21500?> TS> That's a very natural number. It's one minute of arc. IOW, 60 TS> minutes per degree, 360 degrees around a circle, is 21,600 minutes. Calres: 360*60=21600. Yes that works, OK, I'll give you that one. I don't think I'm a sort of natural number sort of person though... Point of interest(!): Tomorrow I've got a whole day of Topper Squad Race Training. There you, a sailing comment for all readers to contemplate! TS> Those are human created units without a similar external natural TS> basis. As such, they're easier to define precisely. I like 'em. I also like having a calculator that'll convert between the km and miles... TS> That's an approximation based on waterline in feet. Strange to quote Ah! That seems to work when I use it on a couple of things - not perfectly perhaps, but it works! TS> Whereas I've been around boats most of my life (now age 40). Ah, slight difference perhaps... Still I'll get there someday - its my birthday today in fact - 16 whole years. I'm still alive, so I'm still happy, or was it hippy? See ya, Neil ==== Internet: SailCool@yahoo.com : Fidonet 2:440/60 : SurreyNet 60:610/60 ... Anything not nailed down is a cat toy :-) --- Blue Wave/RA v2.20 * Origin: P C Forum * Darford, Kent, UK * +44-1322-288006 * (2:440/1) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 254 SAILING Ref: F2D00001 Date: 02/07/98 From: NEIL Time: 06:24pm \/To: JOHN SANGWIN (Read 1 times) Subj: Boat Show -=> John Sangwin said to Neil... <=- JS> Hello Neil. Hey John! JS> Yes; it is fully battened, but I'd guess it was for lightweights. JS> I love the racks, saves on the knees and back! Well I must admit I don't have a problem with the knees, but I want to be very careful with my back - I seem to have more than my fair share of trouble with it. Still I can roll-tack a Topper OK... JS> The really good guys seem to be able to "see" the wind, and get that JS> sail setting just right, with the luff just not lifting, if you see JS> what I mean. I tell you what, choose a category: 1. 0-15 2. 15-30 3. 30-40 4. 40-50 5. 50-60 6. 60+ (OK, so I added in the first 4 for a laugh... ) JS> No! Most certainly not. I wouldn't admit to going on a cruise when JS> talking about sailing.... Hmph. I still do other sailing! Seriously though I do enjoy my sailing, I'm now looking at becoming a Power Boat Instructor as well - looks like some cool fun. Any advice for a VHF Radio Operators course? I can do all the easy: MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY Solent Coastguard, Solent Coastguard, Solent Coastguard. This is yacht BrightSpark, BrightSpark, BrightSpark. Engine inoperative, drifting onto rocks. Position Unknown. HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP! OVER! JS> In what craft? On the coast of Isle of Wight, I've been in 420s, and SeaStars, and I've been round the South Coast in a Moody 31... N>> 3. Where are you? JS>> Gloucestershire. JS> About, very roughly, 100 miles west of you, and a wee bit north. I've found it on AutoRoute. Cool. Still further away than I can walk so I won't walk round and see you... N> So you wouldn't say rubbish then? Perhaps you wanna swing some N> racing tips my way. JS> Practise, Practise, Practise... I was kinda thinking of something more, er, descriptive? N> What's competent crew like? JS> A bit boring if you want to get on. Just doing all the things like JS> changing sails, setting and handling sails, anchor, etc etc.. One has JS> to do it before taking the Day Skipper course. I didn't know that! Can you still do the shorebased section of the course (Nav etc.) without it, and then complete the rest of the course after CC? I might order the course notes for the DS course from the RYA actually. My level 5 stuff might be quite similar, I'll have a look. I found that my sailing club will do the shorebased work with you - a mere 75 quid to club members. I wish! I know the guy that does it, but I know it wouldn't be right to ask him to show me the stuff without going on the course - and I wouldn't want to ask him - maybe I'll get time next summer... If I pass my Instructors I may be able to get a job with SunSail, which will mean that I'll be around when they do their courses - you never know, I might be able to kinda join in on that... JS> Forget sailing when it comes to making a decision about Univ.. Choose JS> the best for your planned career. MEng in Computer Engineering at Southampton at the moment it looks like then. Actually they probably have the best sailing of all anyway - that could be the best option for me. Not only the best course, but sailing too! Nothing wrong with have the sailing club as well as a good course huh? I'd quite like to try skydiving too... ...when Mum's not living in the same house! JS> Yes, they do. Whilst practice will improve all, it cannot overcome JS> lack of basic ability and a natural flair for it. Hmm, that sounds just like me, no natural flair, no basic ability... I'll show you some piccies of me sailing if ya like. Dad's taking the camera to use up a work film to get it developed, so I'll get some taken during training tomorrow! At this rate I'll have to be up at 08:00, That's earlier than a school day! The things I do for my sailing...:-) NF> 'bout 8 stone - I've tried full and Radial Lasers in the past, as well NF> as a Byte and Comet. JS> If you can keep them upright, then the weight should be fine. Huh! In what sorts of winds? I've discovered that the Topper will plane quite nicely with me in (flat) in a slightly gusty Force 10, so I don't really have too many problems with that, although Hayling Island F7 got to me a bit after a while. Ready About, Ready, JS> Lee Oh! Standby to Gybe, Ready, Gybe-Oh! BTW>>>>IF POSSIBLE, PLEASE REPLY TO "Neil Ferguson" not "Neil", I accidentally seem to be using a handle in this one area, so I don't get the mail in my box (my handle's Lightning). Thanks. See ya, Neil ==== Internet: SailCool@yahoo.com : Fidonet 2:440/60 : SurreyNet 60:610/60 ... Anything not nailed down is a cat toy :-) --- Blue Wave/RA v2.20 * Origin: P C Forum * Darford, Kent, UK * +44-1322-288006 * (2:440/1) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 254 SAILING Ref: F2D00002 Date: 02/07/98 From: NEIL Time: 06:24pm \/To: ALL (Read 1 times) Subj: WindSprints to Train Hey ALL! I have just been reading a copy of Yachts and Yachting, which brought up the subject of WindSprints. Does anybody know anything about them - have you used them and found them useful? Do you want to know what on earth they are? Do you have any better ideas for training (apart from straight "tuning") Let me know! See ya, Neil ==== Internet: SailCool@yahoo.com : Fidonet 2:440/60 : SurreyNet 60:610/60 ... Power corrupts; absolute power is kind of neat. --- Blue Wave/RA v2.20 * Origin: P C Forum * Darford, Kent, UK * +44-1322-288006 * (2:440/1) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 254 SAILING Ref: F2D00003 Date: 02/08/98 From: GORDON KEETON Time: 11:33am \/To: ALL (Read 1 times) Subj: Sail Boat Show 4/23-27 I found out that the Sail Boat Show will be held in April from the 23 to the 27 at Jack London Sq. in Oacland. Haven't been able to find the time or price yet. Maybe I will see ya al there. Gordon ... Catch the Blue Wave! ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12 --- Maximus 2.01wb * Origin: The Exchange\Classic Cars BBS Clovis,Ca (209) 299-2454 (1:205/61)