Parking at Marconi [George Stephen]

[Archive]

George Stephen wrote:

Yes, I did get hooked onto the mooring gear on the top of a mooring buoy I had sailed over, by the trapeze shock-cord that I hadn't bothered to take off (as I wasn't sprinting) and hung just low enough to catch the knobby bits on top. It wasn't until the buoy was nearly 2 metres astern that the bungee called a halt to progress!

With no knife to hand, it was a question of pulling the cat backwards on the bungee until I could reach down and unhook the bungee from the buoy.

There are 2 lessons :

1 If you aren't using gear, remove it, not just to save weight!

2 Much much more seriously in view of a recent tragic accident when a sailor died under the trampoline of a capsized cat, we should all carry and have readily to hand a suitable knife.....

George Stephen

PS Just read the latest magazine - better late than never, and not quite up to our website standards (well done yet again to Jonathan, who I hope is finding his D15 sailing improving from the Grafham Pros' efforts). But who's my almost namesake who wrote a letter in the Mag about making a merit of the Pro-Am system?

[Archive]

Bob replied:

George,
Looks like message #772 with some editing to me. Do you mean you did not write it?
You do not have to write to the magazine to get something printed. We do sometimes pick off chat items if they are of general interest.
Cheers
Bob

[Archive]

George Stephen replied:

I did write the original email and send it. Someone carelessly added an 's' to the end of my surname in the magazine article.... Sorry to have been so subtle....

As regards the content, I still think it's right to help along any D15er, especially the newcomers, who are finding it difficult to keep with the fleet, whether it be their Club fleet, a D15 Traveller, or the D15 Nats. When they do improve, they will think well of their original choice of boat, and possibly encourage others to join the D15 fun. If they don't get help then their interest will wane; they will never feel they should encourage others, most probably the reverse.

It's also much easier to increase effective fleet size by improving the newcomers so that they sail more often, rather than trying to get more newcomers on board. Given the shortage of second hand D15s for sale, I think that D15ers must be getting it pretty much right overall.

I'm really impressed with what you and your fellow Grafham pros are doing monthly. I was really impressed by the help that your George was giving his Am at the Marconi Traveller.

Is there going to be a website article on last weekend's training at Stewartby? With comments from participants as to the value they got?

Having had further problems with my right arm, I had a session with my physio today. As she hasn't told me "Don't sail", I'm about to try to book some accomodation near Instow with the intention of sailing in the Sprint Nationals. I just hope that there is still somewhere for Shirley and me to stay!

George