Round the Island in a Laser.

[DJE]

Spare a thought for Luke today. He left Hill Head at about 06:40 for an attempt to sail anticlockwise round the Isle of Wight in a Laser dinghy. Weather conditions look a bit marginal at the moment and he opted for the Radial rig. Unfortunately he seems to have left his GPS tracker at home and/or switched off.
Hoping to welcome him back to the club some time this afternoon/evening.

 

[Seajet]

I'm hoping he has a support boat ? Would have been wise to wait for better weather.

 

[DJE]

Yes he has a well equipped RIB with him all the way.

 

[Searush]

No-one saills IN a Laser, you sail ON them, err, or off them, as the caes may be! Hope he has a good time & doesn't get too cold/ wet to enjoy it.

 

[GuyS.]

Fantastic, big admiration for this

I've been round on the RTI race on a Laser SB3, longest day of my life. By the time we got to Ryde sands we were all in favour of getting out and walking !

 

[snowleopard]

Scary out there!

 

[DJE]

Luke arrived back at Hill Head safely at 17:30. Bloody well done!

 

[EdWingfield]

Scary out there!

Why scary if you have a rescue rib 5m away?

 

[Searush]

Why scary if you have a rescue rib 5m away?

I thought that the Laser was there to save the RIB when it's engine breaks down.

 

[Iain C]

Respect is due. Well done.

 

[PhillM]

Luke arrived back at Hill Head safely at 17:30. Bloody well done!

+1 more balls than me. Not managed it in a 25 footer yet. Respect.

 

[Georgio]

Quite a sail and a great achievement even with a support RIB. Well done!

 

[mcframe]

I thought that the Laser was there to save the RIB when it's engine breaks down.

Hehehe.

ISTR someone (crew on Team Phillips?) claiming that instead of three days drifting, he'd have been ashore that afternoon if he'd had a Laser instead of a liferaft ;->

Not quite sure if I could claim the same for my 8' Walker Bay†, but it's fun to /sail/ ashore at Priory Bay & East Head at times.

† WB frequently towed astern, but liferaft in cockpit locker.

 

[Searush]

Hehehe.

ISTR someone (crew on Team Phillips?) claiming that instead of three days drifting, he'd have been ashore that afternoon if he'd had a Laser instead of a liferaft ;->

Not quite sure if I could claim the same for my 8' Walker Bay†, but it's fun to /sail/ ashore at Priory Bay & East Head at times.

† WB frequently towed astern, but liferaft in cockpit locker.

Can you just imagine trying to rig it from in the water tho? Especially as all the spars & foils are designed to sink if not tied on!


But well done Luke, what next? . . .

 

[Jamesuk]

I'm hoping he has a support boat ? Would have been wise to wait for better weather.

Back in the day at Bembridge school on the Isle of Wight ( i was a pupil for 3 years) it was known that at weekends "you could cycle down to Brading Haven sailing club launch the schools Firefly's" or Wafarers "sail over to Gosport for beers and then sail back. Sometimes missing the tide and having to drag the boats up through the mud at midnight"

Spare a thought for the good ol'days or was Bembridge just a Liberal school.

On the subject of the laser, i read the subject and thought " sounds like a lot of fun. I would do it in a F5

 

[TimBennet]

Dover College kids used to regularly sail their Fireflies over to Calais and back.
No sign of a RIB in those days.