Santa Goes Sailing.

It goes without saying....never mind...Santa of the day.
Thank you for the photo, Dimitri!

Tillerman Tuesday.

Santa of the day.

Splash!

Right in the face. I hate when that happens.
Boat: Finn dinghy.

Tillerman Tuesday.

Dreaming about Laser sailing.

Force 5 Friday.

The return of a true warrior!

What Else Is A Laser Good For?

I wonder, do you think the Tillerman is a SUL (Stand Up Laser) paddler?

...Sailing.

Photo of John Amen in his El Toro.
God damn it, I'm going to build one these. Then, maybe, I too can be like Mark Denzer.

O Canada!

Spotted on the bay today.
I have a zillion 18 footer skiff shots and a fair bit of video. Hokey smokes, I wonder when I can edit it all?

Ô Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Mad Mark Monday. "Laser Sail From Kaneohe To Hawaii Kai."

Mark Denzer, the circumnavigator of Oahu is back. Our intrepid hero decided to sail from Kaneohe to Hawaii Kai in a Laser, no easy feat.

Sailing out of Kaneohe Bay looks like a lot of fun. I took a gander at the chart, Mark went through some shallow waters....and a "PROHIBITED AREA."

Look, reef!

It can get rough!

"Total distance 26.1 nautical miles. 5 hours. But it took an hour to get to r2. There was no wind in the bay. Then I had to tack a whole bunch of times to get past Mokapu Point (the base) due to current and a big righty."

Wednesday Wipeout.

Hi-yo, Silver! Away!

TECHNE

Il concorso Mille e una vela per l’Università, indetto da Roma Tre con l’intento di coin- volgere gli atenei italiani, nasce per “sotto- lineare il ruolo formativo dell’esercizio fisi- co non solo come aspetto complementare a quello intellettuale…, ma soprattutto come indispensabile catalizzatore di rapporti so- ciali, capaci di promuovere e sviluppare soli- darietà nella realtà internazionale e multiet- nica del mondo universitario”.

In fase di progetto si è cercato il giusto compromesso tra propensione alla planata, governabilità, stabilità e riduzione degli at- triti: uno skiff spiccatamente planante, che richiede un equipaggio esperto, con le linee d’acqua della carena studiate per staccare prima possibile lo scafo dall’acqua, carat- terizzate da una leggera V nell’estremità di prua, a forma quasi piatta e spigolo di separazione fra la carena e le fiancate dalla deriva a poppa, minima superficie bagnata, sezione massima piuttosto spostata verso poppa, specchio di poppa troncato in modo netto, coperta che non intralci i movimenti repentini dell’equipaggio in regata, terrazze sporgenti di quasi mezzo metro.

Le regate si sono svolte dal 21 al 23 settem- bre 2007. Il Politecnico di Milano si è ag- giudicato il trofeo con le due imbarcazioni al primo e secondo posto davanti a quelle degli Atenei di Bologna, Firenze, Roma e Venezia. L’evento sportivo è stato affiancato dalla mostra-concorso “Progettare una barca”.

Al progetto Polis & Techně sono stati at- tribuiti:
“Premio per la migliore interpretazione del tema progettuale”
“Premio per la migliore rappresentazione grafica del progetto”

Who was that masked man anyway?
Oh yeah, you can build the little filly pictured above at home. It costs 200 € for the plans.

Wednesday Wipeout.

Oops! That's what happens when you try to crash a party of kids sailing.
What is up with these elderly Laser sailors?

Tillerman Tuesday. Chaos On The Bay!

Oh my God, am I in Hell? Look at all those Laser sailors!

The 4.7 Laser Worlds are taking place on the Bay. From what I've seen, it's a great turnout.

Sailing Photo Of The Day - Under The Tower.

Are you kidding me, Lasers?!!!
Sophie Naughton and Liam McCarthy sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge on Laser and Steve Bodner on USA 4....he's on the sailboard...windsurfer.

Photo Credit: Todd Fedyszyn
Via Thad, the Sunfish guy

Giddyup!

Ride 'em cowgirls!
Sarah Lihan and Amanda Clark racing at the 2011 470 European Championships.

Body Surfing Photo Of The Day.

Stick, I don't need no damn stick!

Via The Northern Advocate.
photographer: Michael Cunningham

What's Opti Doc?

Doc is curious. "I always wondered (for a some time anyways) why people settled on a gaff-rig look-a-like (the Opti) in favor of Marconi rigs for the little tykes. I mean, shouldn't junior juniors learn to sail in boats more like the ones they are going to grow up sailing?"

Doc, the Opti uses a sprit-rig. "The advantages of the rig for small craft are that it requires only a short mast that is readily unstepped and stowed, considerable sail area can be kept low for stability, and the sail is easily reduced by scandalizing, i.e., removing the sprit and folding over the peak." (Understanding Rigs and Rigging)

85% of the skippers of the medal-winning Olympic boats in Qingdao were former Optimist sailors.

Then there is this from Bernard Moitessier:

"...when we got to the yacht club, we were greeted by a swarm of 10 to 12 year old children who were about to go out on Optimists. We watched as they cleared the harbor area. One of the kids, though obviously at loss, managed to get out into the channel despite the crowding and jeers of his friends. An hour later, the children returned like a swarm of bees. And we saw something eye-opening: the hapless kid of an hour before had been transformed. He was doing just as well as the others, yelling "starboard" at any challengers, deftly handling the crosswinds in a narrow channel before raising his centerboard and sailing up the ramp.

We helped him stow his gear and asked, "How long have you been sailing an Optimist?" Answer: "This is my first time." In a blinding flash, we were struck by the obvious. So Rene, Jocelyne, and I immediately set sail, each aboard one of those marvelous dinghies. Close reach, reach, beam reach, coming about, jibing, backing with reverse rudder. We checked to see how well the boats hove to with sail sheeted in and the tiller down at 45 degrees. The wind rose and we watched for gusts, learning to anticipate shifts as a force 4 wind raised little whitecaps on the lagoon. Rene and Jocelyne were beginning to take charge of their boats. Just for the heck of it, we started racing. It was terrific fun; we were in seventh heaven!

When we headed back a couple of hours later, nobody could have said which of us had sailed the most miles in his life. It was extraordinary: in as single outing, Rene and Jocelyne (beginners) had grasped the essentials, because each was responsible for everything, from beginning to end. When you are sailing alone, you pay for the slightest mistake or lapse of attention. But an Optimist is a forgiving boat, and it gives you fair warning; you really have to work to turn one over."
(From A Sea Vagabound's World.)

Bernard Moitessier 10 avril 1925 - 16 juin 1994.

Big And Small.

Optis versus the Container ship.

Youth Movement.

It seems that there are some youngsters who haven't been sucked into the vortex of kiteboarding.

A Force 5 Sailor's Worst Nightmare.

Lasers, oh the horror!
Via the guy who threw me off his front page to have me linger outside in the cold with my hoof on the window looking in while all the others are having a jolly good time.