Any sailor out there?

Jim Craik

Lifetime Supporter
Paolo,

You sail an A-Class Cat? Those are definatly the GT40 of small racing boats. Fast, light cat with big sale....................

What more can you ask for.

Away out there they call the wind Mariah........
 
thank u David!

in Uk u call winds such way?

Yes Jim, that are my favorite ships now.I like a lot also Laser and the 470, very technical little boats (more Laser 'cause is perfect for sailing alone and very fast).

Yesterday we made a sort of show with an Hobie Cat...my istructor (I call him the kid) was driving it and I was the second man (is hard also as second man, believe me..a lot to do, and u need BIG muscles). We were able to lift it till 1 meter...it seems to me as to fly, an incredible situation.

When we take off...we both scream WOOOHHHHHHHH......and what I felt is very hard to explain.
Too nice...wanna (at least I hope to..) sail as the kid soon.
He is a professional sailor and a schoolmate of Marco Simoncelli, fast guys all over in this part of Italy

hobie+cat+16+n+3.jpg


This way, even if our one was the bigger hobie cat 18....
 
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As a young kid I learned sailing on parent boats and after did a lot of races with a OK yole.
The I sailed for 15 years Hobie 16 and F18 races in many parts of the world with speciality on long distance races (Arround Florida,Mauritius,Reunion,Guadeloupe,Corsica,Texel Holland, all French Atlantic coasts etc).
Before I sailed mainly on various offshore boats (Swan) in S of UK,North Sea, mediterenian etc.

In fact I sailed all my life but always had to balance sailing,motorbike races and historic car racing. A nice challenge.
Now I ow a motorboat Cranchi as my kids are not too much sailors ..

Amazing to see how many similarities GT40 owners have in common !

Fred
 
Ian,Jim,

My parents sailed many years on a 505 in wich I learned (very fast...) how to get speed on such boats at the time (50ties,60ties).

Ian,
Not sure what time you sailed OK , I did many championships in the 60ties.
we may have met ?

Fred
 

Ian Anderson

Lifetime Supporter
Ian,Jim,

My parents sailed many years on a 505 in wich I learned (very fast...) how to get speed on such boats at the time (50ties,60ties).

Ian,
Not sure what time you sailed OK , I did many championships in the 60ties.
we may have met ?

Fred


Fred
I think not - I was sailing out in Rhodesia in the 1970's - yes Rhodesia as it only became Zimbabwe in 1980 Mainly sailed at Matopos Yacht Club but also travelled around the country to other regattas.
- from memory It was 1983 I last owned a dinghy - a GP14 that I sailed to 3rd in the national championships before selling it and buying the Formula V

Ian
 

Jim Craik

Lifetime Supporter
Fred,

A 505 is a tough way to learn, they are one of the most difficult boats I ever sailed.

I did my early sailing at the Palo Alto Yacht Club, in south San Francisco Bay, a great place to sail.

The high point of my 505 career: In the early 1970s' Dennis Surtees, from our our yacht club won the 505 World Champianship in Kiel Germany. Some time after that we led him for three marks in a south bay race. We got a great start and held on as long as we could.

I though that pritty cool, leading a 505 World Champian in a 505.
 

Ian Anderson

Lifetime Supporter
Jim

I agree the 505 was a difficult boat to sail - it was really unstable and the inshore dams caused fluctuating winds (Trees, buildings, headlands etc) which normally caused the crew to get very wet every race. But waw get the spinnaker up on a close reach and up on the plane - could not be beaten for exhiliration.

The Fireballs were always grouped in with the 505 (Same speed rating) and much more forgiving in the fickle winds.

Great memories of the time back then spent honing the sailing skills.


One I should pass on and perhaps warn others
My brother was crewing in a GP14
A rainstorm was brewing (not that regular in that area) and they kept sailing.
The lull before the storm came and all the fleet were fairly motionless on a mirror like dam.
Then there was a large bang and their boat took off down the dam - full plane for about 1.5km - they turned around and the rest of the fleet was a km behind - they thought that was strange
Looked around the boat and started realising all was not well.
No Birgee/ wind direction flag
Floorboard screws all lying around. (unscrewed)
Neither could hear each other
Tacked around the marker buoy and the rigging did not want to move

They had been struck by lightning!

Damage to the boat was as above but also most of the rigging shrouds, cables, shackles and fittings were now welded together, Brass runner along the bottom of the boat from the genoa attachment was missing - presumed to be the final route of the electricity.
Rudder pintles - bottom one that was in the water was eroded away and retainer missing

Other than the ringing in their ears neither skipper nor my brother were hurt but it could so easily have been a different end to the story - especially if either had actually been touching any metall on the boat at the time.

A narrow escape

After that the club always cancelled races when the rain clouds came over!

Ian
 
LOL...a little update in my newbe sailor adventures.

Yesterday I probably had the worst boat crash possible. Thanks god nothing too bad happens (the lucky of being near coast with such little boats).
A friend of us had an old racing 470, not used since 2 years.Me and "the kid" wanted to keep it for the school, cause teh 470 is a very technical and very fast little boat (think it is the double in olympics,single is my beloved laser)...so at the early morning he (teacher) went out in the sea testing the boat with a 14 yrs old kid.
The teacher is an extreme racer,so he is usually only searching for very high speed, with everything he has in hands.The kid with him was too light for a good compensation, just 45 kilos guy, no muscles at all.
All was ok for the first hour..then was my turn.Kid (the teacher) knows I like to run,so he asked me for the maximum attention and quick movements,I am 80 kilos of muscles.......we will make it fly!!..I guess..

Unfortunately this boat was too old. The manouvering he made were very strong and with the weight compensation of my arms and body (u know when u are completely outisde the boat..) was possible to sail incredibly fast, even if we were nearly 40 kilos over the weight limit of the 470 (that should be around 100 kilos),so at the third strong turn....the metal wire connecting the hull to mainsail pole made a scary CRRAAAK..

All the fiberglass exploded over my left hand,and the result was the collappse and the explosion of this pole (we name it in italian as "albero maestro-main tree", sorry, but I dunno the english name of it).
For a miracle the 470 did not broke in 2 pieces, we were 1 mile from coast...stopped in the sea, taking water.
Thanks god 2 windsurfers see all (one of theme had a camera, I dunno if he picted us, I can be the next hero in NG "seconds from disaster serie"..).
My left hand has a deep cut over 3 fingers, but I think with a good glove tomorrow I can be there again.;)
I dont dare to think at what could be the result if this mess happened with the little kid before me.Think is also the price to pay to ask a (racing) teacher to make serious manouverings, with an UNserious boat.
The wind we had was around 20 knots, a lot over the limit of the 470.Cool to know, after 10 minutes we touched the beach, an incredibly hard hurricane arrived (still in progress now..so no sail today)

This gives me a real lesson (obviously).
Plastic becomes old.
Old things HAVE to be checked very carefully before, and there is always a reason why old plastic boats come SO cheap (I like a lot more wood boats....a wooden 470 cost 5 times more than a plastic 470)
The 470 was from 1969.....Hoped it was good as my gt40s, it was not ;)

Have also pictures in mobile of the aftermatch,will post theme later
 

Pete McCluskey.

Lifetime Supporter
Hehe, Many more adventures to come I think Paolo. Re "albero maestro-main tree",
I think Captain Hardy would call it a mast. Happy you are O.K.
 
In the 70's my Dad built a Mirror. Very small but great fun. Haven't sailed since I learnt to drive at 17, but often think about it.
 

Neal

Lifetime Supporter
It's an intoxicating sport Paolo. I grew up sailing on the Niagara river in a Venture 17 with a British Seagull as auxiliary power. Fond memories of trying to start the bloody outboard as Niagara Falls looms down the river! :stunned: Sailed star class boats in college. Made a run at the Olympic trials. That was a learning experience! Did a bunch of offshore runs, Victoria to Maui, Buffalo to the BVIs, Miami to Seattle. Some of the best memories come from those experiences. Keep with it!
 

Jim Craik

Lifetime Supporter
Pete,

Thats one great vidio!!

The sailers here all know, the Ausi-18 is quite probably the hardest boat to sail of them all. But you non-sailers should know, what those guys were doing is incredibly dfficult! Man, those guys are good!!!
 
Wind or not wind...this is the problem.
Yesterday I had probably my worst day in sailing, cause made (another) mistake with weather condition.

Simply....wanted to go out...go out out (u know the typical beginner way)..and I was sailing with 2 knots..:(
A real pain, was terrible, I was thinking to leave the laser and return swimming.No way,when wind is away,there is no sail at all.
A friend of mine took the A class. to make 15 kmts he took 6 hours.When he returned home we made a wellcome team as for Columbus arriving in America ;)
 
Paolo,
Yes-sir-re-bob! That is a fantastic cat. Very high-tech with carbon rotating mast, lightweight hulls,daggerboards,and composite sails. You will find them a challenge to sail but they really fly. A lot better than the Hobie Cats that i sailed when younger.And they will go with just a breath of air.
Garry
 
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