Laser/Sunfish Sailing - Thanks to Skip and Laura Russell

The weather cooperated last night with no rain despite an iffy forecast. The wind was mostly in the moderate 8-12 mph "comfortable hiking" range, enough to feel like you're getting some exercise, but with no need to struggle. There were 15 sailboats including 6 Sunfish. The Sunfish fleet in the distance with their colored sails against the gray sky and gray water was a pretty site indeed. Skip and Laura Russell volunteered to be last minute replacements for the race committee which we all greatly appreciated. They ran a whole series of separate Laser and Sunfish starts very efficiently in quick succession. Thanks so much to Skip and Laura.

Our younger Laser sailors once again displayed their commanding tactical knowledge and skills (acquired through high school team racing), especially at the starts. They call it the "cat and mouse game" which they use to force their opponent over the line early, or block the other boat from getting to the line. At one point last night being over early was a non-issue for me since I had been forced way past the the far (pin) end of the line by David Gilman. I started dead last. I plan to take up former team captain Matt Russell on his offer to provide some lessons with a practice sesson.

For some of us, shall we say, more mature sailors, the only hope for keeping up with our younger competition is raw boat speed. With the medium wind like last night, upwind speed for the Laser seemed to depend on keeping the boat flat, but also frequently tuning the sail shape to the wind strength using the vang, Cunningham, sheet, and outhaul. When the wind is heavy, the Laser sail needs to be set very flat to shed excess power. In light wind the sail can simply be left full for maximum power. But in medium winds with gust and lulls, a lot of adjustment seems to be appropriate.

There is no regular Saturday afternoon Laser/Sunfish sailing at MYC tomorrow due to the two day Flying Scott Husband-Wife Regatta, but we'll be out there again next Thursday evening. That night was originally planned to be Sunfish-only to promote Sunfish sailing, but has been rescheduled as a regular Laser/Sunfish night due to the very good and growing Sunfish participation each week.

Good sailing.

Eric