Any sailor out there?

[Paolo-LoveGT40 Modelworks]

Sometimes ago, (I dont remember if it was Ron or Paul Thompson ) open a similar thread about motorbikes people in our forum.

Now I try mine one, cause since some time I deeply fall in love with sailing.

I am not a rich kid, so here I can only train myself in "very physical" sailing, mostly over small boats (laser...470's,X14,soon racing katamarans as X2),and this love come from my frequent travelling in north europe where a lot of people loves to sail even if sea condition up there are not exactly a paradise of warm.
Looking scandinavians sailing in all weather conditions,I sayd myself:it is possible I am italian, cityboy and I dunno anything about sailing?Now I can, and this sport is something now I deeply love.

So, guys....is there any sailor between forum friends?:heart:
Many of u are from Australia, Uk, america and new zealand....so THE places where the greatest sailors of today competitions are from.

 

[TimB]

Yes sir. Having owned and lived aboard two larger boats, a 63 steel hull Sparkman Stevens and a 44 motorsailer, I can definitely tell you there are advantages to the smaller boats like you have sailed. They are relatively easy to jump in a go where a larger boat takes planning, strapping everything down etc especially when you live on it. As a result you don't sail nearly as much as you would like but it is cheap waterfront property

 

[Ian Anderson]

Years ago I did a lot of Dinghy sailing - all on freshwater lakes. Mostly in Rhodesia and then Zimbabwe but also in South Africa

Started in Optimist, then Dabchick, then crewed on Fireball, enterprise and 505, made up numbers for an event in a borrowed Finn, similar in a Laser.

Bought an OK and redecked it before beating every other OK in the country, Sold it and biught a GP14 - sailed that one to 3rd place in the National championships and was offered 4 times the purchase price for the boat at the end of the regatta - easy money so I let it go and bought a Formula V with the proceeds.

Sailing was great fun when the weather was hot and the water temperature likewise pleasant if you fell in. (Sailed in T shirt and shorts all year around) In the UK sorry cannot bring myself to get into the sport in the cold winter and even colder water

IAn

 

[Jack]

Paolo,
Learned to sail an Optimist pram as a 10 year old. Over the years I've sailed all over the world at one time or another in boats ranging from 8 feet to 110 feet. Actually lived aboard my Dutch Maid 32 for 8 years (I was single then) before moving ashore.

Did a singlehanded Atlantic crossing from Falmoth, MA to Horta in 1973 in a 26 footer.

 

[Jim Craik]

Paolo,

I've been sailing since I was around 10, a guy down the street from us in Menlo Park had an El Toro he bought to teach his daughters to sail, but they did not care for sailing. So I got to learn and have loveed it since.

I've had an El Toro (my wife Frances also had an El Toro when she was young), two 505s', a Contender (one man trapeze dinghy) and I now have a Lazer. Unfortunatly dinghy racing is a young mans sport, so I do not get out much but I still love to sail.

Molleur,

You are a very brave man, a single hand crossing in any boat is quite an undertaking, and not for the faint at heart! But in a 26' thats really something! how long did it take?

Ian, the OK dinghy was always one of my favorites, a beautiful little craft.

 

[Garry]

I have sailed HobieCats when I lived in Florida. I am trying to get my wife to agree on buying a good used Dolphin or Catena over 45 feet and chucking the problems in this world for a few years while sailing around the world. She's not a sailor but more of a power-boat gal. Who knows, I might just chuck her and go myself.
Garry

 

[Jack]

Jim,
32 days. Average around 2.75 knots. Quite the adventure, well planned, etc. Rigged as a cutter. Without incident. Only problem was eating canned food. Not a lot of room for stores (mostly taken up by water) and the constant pitching in the small boat. Totally cured me of wanting to do a circumnavigation...(in a bigger boat).

Later purchased the Dutch Maid (plank on batten) sloop, and lived aboard for a few years. BTW, I designed and built the double ended fiberglass 26 myself.

 

[Jim Craik]

I'm very very impressed!

 

[Jack]

That was a fun time. I was still in the military and had taken 60 days leave. Reported back on time, no questions. Retired in 1982 and began work with the Sea Ray design team. Quit after 7 years and started my own international business, never looked back..100% retired last year. That's about it...

Then there's the automotive side practically from birth.

 

[Chris P.]

Sailed Sunfish and Sailfish when I was about 12 - 14 years old. A friend down the street had an updated Sunfish with the hinged rudder and hiking straps. When most kids were lying on the sand or inside playing video games, my friend and I hand walked the sailboat (on a light aluminum trailer) down to the bay, and spent all day sailing the hell out of that boat. We had the hull healed up so far the mast was bending and the tip was dragging through the water. The rudder was no longer in the water and we pretty much couldn't let any sail out at that point. We would just ride it far as possible before either righting it or capsizing it. To this day I still remember that as the most fun I ever had as a kid.

 

[Jack]

Chris, I'll never forget a wild ride on an El-Toro dinghy on a lake in Arizona. Almost the same scenerio. Wind picked up to around 20 knots, I was running and had little
rudder, even with the daggerboard down. Pulled it up and ran straight across the 3 mile wide lake with little steering. Aimed for the boat ramp and ran it 50 feet up the ramp.

 

[Garry]

If you want speed the cats are the way to go. Tampa Bay sailing an 18ft Hobie with my best friend from the service in front of a hurricane. Winds at 35KTs gusting to 45. We hung on for dear life with one rudder in the water and us standing on the other hull parallel to the sea about 12 inches off of the water. Exhilarating!
Garry

 

[Jim Craik]

Years ago, each summer they would have the "Bull Ship" race, the running of the Bulls. This was an El Toro race from Sausalito to San Francisco.

Anyone who has sailed in SF bay in the summer knows how problematic this type of event can be.

Every day in the summer, the wing blows in from the Golden Gate big time. It was rare when even half the boats would finish and as you know, when an El Toro goes over it stays over!

 

[Jack]

Fun stuff Garry! Cats are the way for speed. Great fun running a NORTEC 50 at 140MPH
along the Florida West coast, during a Certification inspection.

 

[Jack]

Paolo, this is getting a bit off track. Regards sailing, once you are "hooked" it stays with you! Just have fun!

 

[Garry]

Molleur
(sorry for the tread hijack Paolo)
The Nortec is one badass boat for sure. That took some serious cohones!
Garry

 

[Pat]

Count me in, we have a Capri 25 we keep at Patrick Air Force Base in Cocoa Beach. While we don't race any more, we used to do that most weekends. I think the big thrill is always the first time you broach in a stiff breeze-exciting stuff.

 

[Jack]

Veek, I tried for a long while to get a spot at Patrick. There was a three year waiting list last time I checked (long ago). Kept mine in Melbourne near the old "Dragon" in the Indian River. Dragon is gone now!

 

[Doc Kaler]

Hi,

I began sailing in the early 70's crewing on IORC boats from mini-tons to one tons. I raced inland lakes and the gulf of Mexico before moving to the northwest. I owned a ranger 26-2 for awhile and then a Ranger 28 tall-rig while in the Porland area. Became a Commodore of the Corinthian Yacht Club, raced in 8 Oregon- Victoria yacht races and three Whidby Island race series. Raced three Swiftsures and 1 Pacific Cup events on various boats. I always enjoyed the sailing communities.

 

[Pat]

Molleur

My wait was about 18 months at Patrick. In fact I'm going to try to motor it to Anchorage Marine at Dragon Point this week to get the old girl a fresh bottom.