Laser Sailing

I had a chance to go out on a Laser dinghy a few weekends ago. I've been thinking about buying one for a while now, but never sailed one so I had no idea what I would be getting.

It's a tricky little boat to sail and needs constant attention to wind and wave conditions. You always have to be working the sail sheet and rudder to keep the boat moving. You also have to keep shifting your weight along to maintain the boat balance. It's a lot of work, but fun when you get it going. It's also easy to capsize! Righting the boat and getting back on is easy though.

I'm now convinced that I want to get one. It'll be a good way to get a fun workout in in the summers. I can always start racing in dingy regattas once I get the hang of the boat. The only downside is that I wouldn't really be able to take people out with me. Maybe 1 person, but that would be pushing it.

Anyways, here are some pics:











Geez...getting porky again. Need to start exercising regularly again.

Hobie 16

It was really windy here in Kingston a couple of weeks ago. I rented a Hobie 16 from Ahoy Rentals for a couple of hours. Once the boat gets up to speed, it's really fast and easy to sail. Tacking is a bit of a challenge though...you need to backfill the jib to get the boat to come around. It's a lot different and slower than tacking a mono hull boat. It's also easy to stall the boat and get stuck pointing in the wind and not going anywhere. I preferred gybing because it was easier and quicker, but got beaned on the head with the boom once. Have to duck really low.

In any case, it was huge fun! I want one!