Re: Dinghy sailing in bigger winds

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 01:03:13 -0700, toad <toad_oftoadhall@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:

>On 29 Sep, 08:07, alast...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 (Alastair) wrote:
>> On Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:36:53 -0700, toad <toad_oftoadh...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>> I think there is a cultural difference here. I suspect that toad has
>> only sailed with a safety boat in attendance.
>
>Nice attempt at a dig! For me rescue cover has only been available
>when racing & haven't always be racing. Obviously, trips away with the
>boat have always been without rescue cover. In other words, all the
>racing I've done has been with rescue cover. All the 'sailing for the
>sake of sailing' I've done has been without rescue boat. I've done
>multiple trips at sea of 15 nautical miles or more in open dinghies
>over the years.

?? No dig intended, from what you said, that was my suspicion.

>> Under these
>> cir***stances a capsize is just a minor inconvenience
>
>A capsize is always a minor inconvinience. It's part of the fun. If a
>capsize was likely to be be a major problem dinghy sailing would be
>rather dangerous!

There we must continue to disagree.

>> and a sail that
>> is too big for the wind is just an added excitement. If sailing alone
>> without  safety cover an oversize sail becomes life threatening.
>
>Bull****. Utter bull****. A capsize is always part of the fun! What
>are you going to say next? That wiping out in a windsurfer alone is
>life threatening? Are you one of the multitude of twats that calls the
>coastgaurd every time they see a catamaram capsize?

Always? Why bother to go sailing then? you could just spend your time
falling in. Bringing in craft like windsurfers, which are entirely
different, is beneath you.

>> If you are actually trying to get somewhere, rather than just sailing
>> round some cans, then the chance of a capsize becomes much less
>> desirable.
>
>So in your opinion this 25kg and 50kg sailors were asking for this
>advice in order to do long sea passages with a cadet full of gear?

Sail/race was all the OP said. 

>> I have only ever sailed with a couple of dinghies that were unable to
>> reef. On each boat this has caused safety problems with a commitment
>> by the owners to fit reef points.
>
>Which strongly suggests that you have only sailed a small number of
>rather pedestrian 'Frank Dye'esque dinghies that are completely
>untypical of 99 per cent of dinghies.

Here I must partly agree with you, what *I* sail is completely
untypical of 99 per cent of dinghies.

>Who knows, maybe you are right, maybe the OP will come back and tell
>us these kids are sailing to the Baltic in heavy weather with their
>cadet loaded up with cooking gear and bedding. However I suspect they
>are just going out for a blast and a bit of fun. I doubt they will
>sail at a club that provides rescue cover for them 24/7 (who does?)
>but I'm pretty sure they can handle capsizes.
>

Why do you get so excited when someone has different opinions to you?
You may be 100% right about the OP's situation but that doesn't stop
reefing being an option to be considered, even if it is later
rejected.
--
Alastair