Non Starter
Today is the day that we would test-sail the two new club Lasers. I started rigging one of them and when Brent came later to take one of the old ones, I told him to take the other new one in order to test them both. I knew they were missing some control lines etc. but we managed. Initially I didn’t have my little bag with the outhaul and clew strap but I found it in the garage were we keep the sails and foils. I forgot it there last Wednesday! I was lucky to find it intact.
The new Lasers don’t have the XD controls, so we would have to use the old ones. We even used the old kickers. Mine had a bight with a thimble, but the other one had two blocks, so it was better. Brent has his own cunningham and outhaul and I have my own cunningham. It has a short-ish outhaul but it was OK. I knew that my mainsheet is too short. It is about 11 meters and you need at least 12. Eventually we managed to rig them in time and launch.
There was a strong breeze with gusts and shifts. I was quite nervous because I was in a boat that I hadn’t sailed before, with old style controls (including kicker), short mainsheet and God knows what else could be wrong. On my way to the start line, I was running but I could not push the boom all the way because of the short mainsheet. A gust came at a moment where I was sorting out the tiller and since the mainsheet was too short, instead of running I was reaching. I ended up in the water. I brought the boat upright got into it and continued sailing towards the start line. At some point the sheet seemed to be stuck at the back end of the boom. I was trying to figure out what was wrong, because it didn’t make sense. I was letting the sheet out, it was loose from the ratchet block to the boom rear block, but it was tight between the boom rear block and the traveler block. I pushed the boom out but it wouldn’t go. I pulled the mainsheet and it started moving freely again. Thirty seconds later, the sail went all the way out and it was flapping. I pulled the mainsheet and although it was coming towards me it wasn’t running freely.
The eye that holds the mainsheet block at the back of the boom had come off. Beating would be impossible and I would get in the way of the race. So, I called the safety boat to tow me in. That was it. That was all the sailing I did for the day. As soon as I pulled the boat in I helped some new members go out. I told them what to do with the centreboard, rudder, etc. I unrigged the boat, made some small changes to my outhaul and watched the race from the shore. Steve won the race by a mile. It was a really good performance.
It was decided that on Sunday we will replace the faulty boom with one from the garage. Most probably I will race the boat that Brent had to see how it sails. Hopefully, I’ll be luckier.