[Rhodes22-list] More Lacking Etiquette

[Wally Buck]

Anne,

I wouldn't have trusted the sailing clown either!

The part of the river/lake we sail on has an island at each end. The river 
narrows around these islands. Both wind and current are funneled into the 
narrow area often creating the only whitecaps on the river . The shoreline 
is hilly and tree lined. This same area is also the main channel so of 
course most of the river traffic is forced to get closer. The wind tends to 
be very gusty. When you reach the point that the wind is coming around the 
island both ways you better be ready because it can shift one way then the 
next very quickly.

For our Feb race this year we had a light turn out of 7 boats, The RC 
decided it was to cold to mess with setting all the marks so they set a 
start line and we used Half Moon Island as our mark. We sailed around the 
island and came back through the narrow channel on a run. It was blowing 
like crazy and it even snowed a little bit. I broached coming through the 
cut and almost ran the boat into the shore flying downwind.  Lucky no 
sailboats were near by and it was too cold for the motor boat crowd.I hate 
to think of what might have happened if I had tried this steering backwards!

Wally






>From: "anima13" <anima13 at bellsouth.net>
>Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>To: "The Rhodes 22 mail list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
>Subject: RE: [Rhodes22-list] More Lacking Etiquette
>Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2004 04:45:58 -0500
>
>
>Oh boy, Your etiquette discussions makes me need to relate an incident from
>my sunday sail. It was a great sailing day on KY Lake and I was trucking
>along
>on reasonably close-hulled when I noticed two sailboats, one a 38 
>benneateau
>and
>another 40+ Pearson closing in on me, for real. Problem is, the Pearson's
>helmsman
>is holding the heavy wood tiller but facing backward to talk to the
>benneteau!
>His anchor is heading my way at eye level.
>I hail him and he answers but immediately faces backward again and his bow
>is now
>more closely aimed for my beam!
>I just give up and fall off in front of him before I run out of room.
>I go way across the lake to get outta the way of this character.
>15 minutes later, I see him closing in on me again. I tack, he follows, I
>jibe, then
>here he comes! I just cannot shake this PIA. He gets closer and hails me to
>tell me he
>"never would have hit me". Well, now I do not have a huge boat, but I value
>mine in
>the same way he does his. I am not in a modd to take a chance..it is a big
>lake
>I could not trust someone with his back to me not to hit me, now can I?
>Besides this occured in the canal where the wind does surprising things.
>I warn folks about this "canal effect" often and stay aware of it when I
>sail.
>The conditions that day were quite variable with big gusts.
>I don't know, seemed like poor boat-man-ship to me.
>Anne
>
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