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Date Posted: 11:39:01 04/28/08 Mon
Author: Ari
Subject: Small Boats and Classes

Kinda combining Owen's comment about one design dinghy racing and Colin's question about Cal 20 etc. vs classes.

I've only raced a few times on other peoples boats. Enjoyed it, but in many ways not my scene. However, love sailing small boats. Grew up sailing sunfish and lasers.

Sarah and I have been taking classes to get our US sailing certification, which could help get our CG six-pack licenses down the road, which could help get us delivery gigs, etc. etc. Yeah, I mean, to a certain extent book knowledge and classroom knowledge are bullshit. At the end of the day you gotta get out there and figure it out for yourself. But on the other hand, when you're in class, they force you to maneuver the whole friggin time. Most people don't have the discipline to do that on a daysail. Most of my sailing buds tack and give maybe a half dozen times in the course of a day's sailing. A good instructor will be on you like a drill seargent putting you through figure-eights, slaloms, man-overboard.

The other thing for guys like Colin to consider about classes vs. boat ownership is that sailing and boat maintenance can be two mutually exclusive skills. If you sign up for classes, you get a shitload of concentrated time-on-water. If you get that somewhat shady Cal 20 that needs a little "TLC", odds are it needs nearly everything gone over, top to bottom. If you're a young guy with more time than money, then hell yeah. Once you've basically rebuilt the boat you'll really know her. But on the other hand it you're slammed for time, every weekend you spend futzing with the boat is missed sailing time. Different tradeoffs for different people I guess.

Another benefit of taking courses is that you can try out different boats. This season so far we've been having a kickass time sailing on J24's, J109's. Going out this week on an Ultimate 24, which is an ultralight displacement boat which is designed to plane under assymetrical spinnaker.

I think for us guys boats really are like women. Look at the other topic about feeling guilty about checking out boat ads. I'm a one-boat-guy and a one-woman-guy, but as guys we still can't help notice beauty in whatever form... Hehe.

Macha offers so much to learn and so much strength and beauty that I can't imagine us ever outgrowing her. But when you see some shiny carbon fiber speed-demon, you just got to admire it, even if it represents a set of design compromises opposite to what you would want for your own boat.

I guess I believe that if you only ever sail one boat, you learn that boat. But by trying big boats, little boats, medium boats, light boats, heavy boats, fast boats, slow boats, windsurfers, surfboards, swimming, snorkeling etc. etc. you end up with a more generalized "ocean awareness" that will serve you aboard any boat.

So in other news, Sarah and I are engaged. Getting married in July, hoping to spend most of August sailing Macha.

Also, random note to end, just saw Lin and Larry Pardey speak at a wooden boat center in Sausalito. Pretty cool people. And yes, pretty tiny people. Macha is a bigger than they recommend for a couple, but we figure if we scaled Taliesin to a size proportionate to Sarah and I, you'd end up with a boat about Macha's size. Plus we want to raise a family aboard...

- Ari

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