Conference unifix::sailing

    
    Take a look at the Hobie 17. It's a single-hand boat. Lot's of racing
    happening almost every weekend. I've read that they would like to
    set up 2 weight classes, they may have done it already. At a reggata
    last weekend on Lake Winnepesaukee, I think there were 8, maybe
    10, 17's that showed up. 
    
    Have fun,
    
    Jeff

    Look no further than your node name.  With your weight and experience
    the Star is the perfect boat.  It does fail the crew requirement
    but then there's no need to get your own when starting out.  I'd
    suggest crewing for another owner to learn the boat.  Just hang
    around the Newport Sailing Center some Saturday.  Chances are some
    one will approach you about crewing.
    
    The Finn doesn't really require any more athletic ability than any
    of the other boats on your list.  However, competition is sporadic
    and usually requires extensive travel.  They are a lot of fun to
    sail.  Much drier than a laser on the ocean. 
    
    If you can go to a two or more person boat, there's much more
    opportunity for racing.  Finding crew is always a problem but they
    usually turn up.
    
    My Etchells fleet holds a single handed race every year with
    spinnakers.  This is a normally a three person boat and the crew
    are usually pretty busy.  Single handing them borders on lunacy
    but it does make for some interesting, albeit fatiguing, racing.
    
    If you can switch your seasons, Cape Cod Frostys are raced singlehanded
    in the winter in several towns on the cape.  Another possibility
    is to find a co-owner for a two person boat and alternate crewing
    and skippering.
    
    Keep looking.  The right situation will eventually present itself.
    
    - gene

RE: .2,

>>>  the Star is the perfect boat.  

Besides the crew requirement, it may fail your idea of trailerability.  
They're always launched by crane when towed to other sites, and you'd want 
more than an Escort to haul it.
    
>>>  The Finn doesn't really require any more athletic ability than any
>>>  of the other boats on your list.  

To be competitive, however, does require good conditioning, since the 
"groove" is very narrow and the boat must be kept flat regardless of wind 
and wave conditions.  Finns are considered a "young man's boat."
_________________

Another thought:  AMF Force 5.  (Do they still make them???)  There used
to be a few fleets around, and they are like a 25% bigger Laser.  Often
sailed with two, a Force 5 wouldn't be as penalized by your weight as
would a Laser.  Prices (as well as design and rig) are comparable. 

J.

    
    
    	Anyone having any experience with S&S (Sparkman & Stephen) Yachts ?
    	
    	I am thinking about buying a 27 footer which I plan to sail
    	primarily on the Irish West Coast (Atlantic) as a cruiser,
    	although I was informed that she's a pretty good racer too.
    	I just guess that the cruising bug got to me before the
    	racing bug knew what was happening.
    
    	Also, I plan to sail her with a minimum of crew aboard, eventually
    	even single-handed, once I am confident to do so and "SHEMIGHT"
    	has been equipped to support that kind of sailing.
    
    	So, I'd be interested in hearing from you if you have information
    	on:
    
    		- The designers
    		- This particular design
    		- Sailing performance / experiences
    
    	Thank you in advance and hopefully I can inform Alan in the
        near future that he can add her to the list of "Dec boats"
    
    	Marcel
        
    

    Sparkman & Stephens are the most famous group of yacht designers
    the world has ever seen. They started in the 30's designing cruising
    and racing yachts, and have continued through to the present day,
    designing most of the Americas cup winners in that time, and many
    hundreds of cruisers, including most of the early Swans. During
    the War they were responsible for designing the D.U.K.W. amphibious
    vehicle. There is an excellant history of the company in a book
    called "You are First", but I can't remember who wrote it.
    
    Unfortunatly, I know nothing about any 27 footers that they have
    sold.                                                     
    
    They usually draw fast, fairly heavy, very seaworthy yachts. The
    only one I have sailed on is a 45' 1965 one-off called 'Sunstone',
    which regularly beats Admirals cup boats, when the wind gets above
    force 7, in Offshore races.
    
    Chris.

    I HAVE A S&S DESIGNED "SHIELDS" CLASS ONE DESIGN WHICH I RACE.
    
    ASIDE FROM BEING ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL 30 FT BOATS AFLOAT
    IT IS A GREAT BOAT TO SAIL. THE "SHIELDS" LOOKS VERY MUCH
    LIKE THE 1958 ERA 12 METER BOATS ON A SMALLER SCALE.
    
            THORNTON  ASH
    

    Now that I am more confused than ever about what to get for a boat. 
    Current leading choices are a Snipe or a Rhodes 19 dry sailed out of
    the M-Head sailing center.
    
    Lets branch off in another direction sailing schools specifcally
    racing.  To be more specific J-Worlds has anybody taken one of their
    racing courses what did they think.  
    
    I was thinking of the Key-West school until I looked at the room rates
    in Key West and factored in air fare.  When it got to be over 1K plus
    cost of lessons I decided against Key West.  The current plan is to try
    for Newport this way I save on air fare, and possibly find cheaper
    accomodation.  Any suggestions for accomodation with 45 minutes of
    Newport.
    
    
    Forrest
    
    Ps.  I checked out the 11 notes on sailing schools/lessons/clubs
         already and did not cover this area.

    In my club, we probably race only 4,5 times per year, hoewever I
    suppose that even that is enough to get the blood boiling when the
    time comes.  This last weekend we had a race with 4 boats, from 
    a Kirby 25 up to my steel 30' cutter so there was a big spread over
    the course.  By now I am used to dropping back to the back of the
    fleet and staying there, however one interesting thing happened
    on Saturday and I wanted to find out if it was my imagination or
    not ?                                                           
                                                                    
    A C&C 27 blew the start badly so that I was ahead at the upwind 
    mark as we opened up to a broad reach, almost a run.  The 27 caught up 
    almost immediately after the mark and went by me.  (Oh well it was fun 
    for a while) but as he went by, I thought I would just sit right on
    his stern for a while and see if I could cause him some grief.  
    What happened was that I seemed to get "sucked" along behind him
    and I sat within 6-10 feet of his stern for the whole leg - he lost
    me at the next mark but all in all I think I hitched a ride on his
    wake that gave me a big advantage.  The question is if there is 
    a form of "drafting" where 1 boat will break the way for the following
    boat and sort of pull him along ?                               
                                                                    
    Re: the administration of the race, our Racing committee was on 
    his boat 200 miles away so we had to start from one of the race 
    boats and then all keep our own time.  Does anyone out there have
    any experience with starting from one of the competing vessels -
    or does anyone have any ideas about how to time races like this.     
               
    Thanks  Graham                                        
               

    Re: -.1
    
    Sure!  What you did was "hitch a ride" with a faster vessel.  You were
    riding his quarter wake.  It's done all the time.  We managed to get in
    behind a Swan 53 in E-town last year and made some serious time on the
    rest of the fleet.  Fun, isn't it?
    
    Dave

RE .7

   Although known for his simple catamarans, Hobie Alter started out from
high school making surfboards. In fact he is credited with inventing the
first fibreglas and then fibreglas/styrofoam boards which are that are 
still built today.

   As a publicity stunt in the sixies, Hobie rode the wake of a power boat
to Catalinia Island, a distance of over 25 miles.

john

    RE .8
    
    As has already been noted, there are significant advantages to sitting
    on the quarter-wake of the boat in front of you.  Of course, this only
    works to your advantage if you're following a boat that's faster than
    yours, ratings wise.
    
    As for timing your own race, this is how the Jubilee YC Thursday night
    races have been run for years (until this season when they changed the
    rules and designated a different boat "race committee" each week).
    
    The way we worked it was that one of the participants would anchor at
    the starting line and start the others.  Then he'd pull his anchor and
    time his start across the line, adjusting his own time accordingly. 
    Then the first boat to cross the finish line would take his own time,
    and stay there to time all the other boats across the finish line.  The
    boat that started the race would simply subtract his starting time from
    the finish time and the results would be calculated accordingly.
    
    ... Bob
    

    Ok, back to the original topic that I started.  I have decided that I
    would like a FINN.  It doens not exactly fit the original racing goal
    but offers the chance to do an occasional race.  So long as I accept
    that fact that I cannot hope to do well against the serious FINN
    racers.  After talking to a couple of FINN owners it appears to offer
    the chance to have a lot of fun sailing.  The problem is that the
    market for used FINNs seems to have dried up.  
    
    I have talked to the fleet secretary about used boats.  He was freindly
    but knew of no available used boats.  He also runs VANGUARD the U.S.
    builder of FINNs.  He is more than willing to sell me a new one 
    costing 8K.  
    
    Now for the questions does anybody know of a used FINN that is for sale.  
    
    
    Forrest

    You're sure you want a Finn, huh?  Okay, the Finn's are participating
    in an Olympic Classes regatta in marblehead the weekend of Sept 8-9. 
    Many will be up there this weekend.  My buddy is on the U.S. sailing
    team doing Finns.  He found two to his liking. I'll ask him if he knows
    of any more to be had at a reasonable price.  I hope you're big.  That
    main gets huge when the breeze picks up.  My friend has plenty of tales
    of teeth (entire mouthfuls) lost when jiibes are done poorly, shattered
    cheekbones etc.  This is one tough boat to sail.
    
    I took his out for an hour in the harbor and realized just how old I
    am.  
    
    Dave

    Big yes, nut yes, serious to the olymipc level NO way...  I was
    planning on stopping by the races on the 8 & 9th.  I was going to try
    and talk Eric Wilson into loaning me his boat for a few hours of
    sailing after the races one evening.
    
    
    Forrest