Ed's Response on Jibing and Sailing Sites (long confessional)

From: Ed Scott (edscott@best.com-DeleteThis)
Date: Mon Jul 13 1998 - 23:35:14 PDT 

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Subject: Ed's Response on Jibing and Sailing Sites (long confessional)
Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 23:35:14 -0700
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From: Ed Scott <edscott@best.com-DeleteThis>
To: "Wind Talk" <wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis>
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>Sure it'll take me longer to learn jibing on swell faces in the channel
>then it would otherwise...
>

I think that was my point. In 1992, my first "real" season on the open
waters of the Bay and Delta, a friend suggested I sail Third (old
launch). I sailed there many times on my 9'0" CS board, but something
was amiss. Although I managed to get on a plane a few times, with the
swells, jibing was out of the question. The same goes for Coyote, esp,
with the stairmaster chop they've got there. It took me a long time to
get hooked in and into the straps, even on that barge, and I started to
wonder if I chose the wrong sport.

My sailing skills really took off when I stopped abusing myself at Third
and Coyote, and I discovered Candlestick after attending a baseball game.
 I had more fun and progressed way faster there then I had in the
previous two years. I became a regular there, met some really cool
people, including the Shred Queen. I stopped sailing my 9'0" CS board
and started sailing my 8'8" on a regular basis. I became confident
enough in my swimming skills and the flotation and warmth of my wetsuit
to stop using a PFD.

I started nailing jibes. My progress got even more swift when I
discovered the strong and consistent winds and flat currentless waters of
Oyster Point/Flying Tigers. I became a regular there, meeting another
whole group of great folks - Swiss Steve, Bump City Mike, Tom Roberts,
Deanne, David Raye, Big Ron, Oyster Point Steve, Smiley Tim, Jeff,
Leslie, Bill, etc... My head started getting all big and when my jibe
completion percentage soared to around 80%. My slogging skills also
improved immeasureably due to the wind shadow on the inside. Although I
ended up at the Oyster Point Pier a few times, and paddled it in a time
or two, I got way more confident.

Going back to Third a few times after that, my jibe completion percentage
went way down to probably less than 20% again, at best, almost none on a
plane. Long fun sessions became short exhausting ones as I punished
myself in the swells and strong currents, almost always needed to
waterstart on a crash, and had the corresponding difficulty in clearing
my sails (at that time, slalom and race sails). Frankly, Third Avenue
just wasn't as fun for me as the Stick and Oyster/Tigers, even though I
had been completing 80% of my jibes there! I spent most of my time at
the Stick and Tigers for a few seasons. I still sail Tigers on occasion
(last Monday, for example, and everyone there was jibing consistently
without fail).

I guess when I hear someone say they can't do even 0% of their jibes, I
just have to wonder how much of the fun is genuine rather than bravado.
I've seen a lot of clueless sailors there. My favorite happened to me
last summer. I was standing at the end of a line of sailors with 5.0's
in front of me on the ramp and I'm on a 4.4. Did I rig too small? One
sailor has no downhaul and almost no outhaul and it's raging outside. Do
I say dick? Nope. However, I do get great amusement out when my
suspicions are confirmed on seeing all 5 of these guys get catapulted
one-by-one like proverbial dominos as they explode upon hitting the
windline and I go planing past them.

Of course, Michael Schuh and Ken Poulton got great amusement out of
planing past me on my too small sail today in the channel, didn't you
guys!

I see no reason why someone who has a 0% jibe completion rate can't sail
Third. Whether he should, wants to or not, or actually has fun, are
other issues. Parents soon discover that there's only so much real world
experience you can impart to another human being. The rest a person has
to learn himself in the school of hard knocks. If sailing Third without
the ability to jibe AT ALL is your idea of fun, go for it. I guess you
just fall and turn around and hope you have enough strength to return to
shore. For that matter, to sail anywhere on the Bay why do you have to
have know how to: sail a shortboard, use the straps, use a harness, know
how to waterstart, know how to uphaul? It's all a question of line
drawing, and different people draw the line at different places.

In summary, based on my own personal experience (maybe others have had
similar ones), and *IMHO*, a 0% jibe completion sailor won't have much
fun at Third or Coyote. Also, *IMHO*, he is a hazard to himself and
others. I know personally of at least a couple sailors who had to be
rescued in the Bay for fatigue resons only (yes, you read correctly), who
went out in a straight line too far and didn't know their own limits. I
assume that the members of this list know their own limits and don't fall
into this category.

>
>As far as safety is concerned, isn't it kinda the same for all levels?
>Know your limits, sail with a buddy, and don't do shit that you don't
>know if you can do?
>

And carry safety equipment. That's right.

Thanks for sticking up for me Francois. Folks, don't think ill of him
because he has an opinionated loudmouth for a friend.

-Ed

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