Toe in the water; I've got a blog

General chat about boats
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Rod
Posts: 123
Joined: Fri May 06, 2005 11:46 pm
Location: USA

Toe in the water; I've got a blog

Post by Rod »

I've started a blog. Probably keep me busy in the winter months but will rapidly devolve into disuse during the sailing season.

http://www.earwigoagin.blogspot.com

I've shamelessly stolen a very clever boat name, I think was used on a Merlin Rocket ... but those CVRDA historians can set me straight.

Earwig-o-agin
Rod M
Annapolis MD USA

http://www.earwigoagin.blogspot.com
http://cbifda.blogspot.com/

Classic Moth: 105
PK Dinghy
Pat
Posts: 2555
Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: West Wiltshire (Wessex)

Re: Toe in the water; I've got a blog

Post by Pat »

Not a Merlin according to the Yearbook list! Great name though.
Nigel
Posts: 1238
Joined: Wed Jul 12, 2006 9:51 am
Location: Thornbury SC, Bristol

Re: Toe in the water; I've got a blog

Post by Nigel »

My house bears the name "Beau Lochs". I will also use it on an appropriate boat in the future.

Nigel
BobC
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Nov 10, 2017 6:41 pm

Re: Toe in the water; I've got a blog

Post by BobC »

Earwig-o-agen was my old Merlin, No. 2519 (I gave it that name).

I wonder where it is now.

Just in the process of restoring an old NSM1 (3144).
jules22
Posts: 90
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2014 8:32 pm
Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Toe in the water; I've got a blog

Post by jules22 »

Nigel wrote:My house bears the name "Beau Lochs". I will also use it on an appropriate boat in the future.

Nigel


Love it ! :)
Rupert
Posts: 6255
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Toe in the water; I've got a blog

Post by Rupert »

Rod's website is, of course, still going strong 9 years later. Nice bit about Classic Moths on the top, currently.
Rupert
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trebor
Posts: 961
Joined: Mon Jan 02, 2012 1:53 pm
Location: West Midlands

Re: Toe in the water; I've got a blog

Post by trebor »

First time I have read someone directly attribute Laser to the demise of a class.
Robert
Minisprint 4230
Tinker Traveller 160
Mirror 61147 Anastasia
http://www.aquabatdinghy.co.uk
Rupert
Posts: 6255
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Toe in the water; I've got a blog

Post by Rupert »

It killed many, directly or indirectly, and prevented the start of others. The Minisail is a great example of the former, numbers hit by the Laser, build issues and CA strife finish it off. The Pisces, as seen in Dinghy Recognition on Facebook recently, an example of the latter. Bonito, Aquabat, both by by the Laser. Mind, the Laser really was a breakthrough in design for the time. Most of the small singlehanders would have had PYs of around 110, suddenly, the Laser is there at 95, with very little more skill needed to sail.
Rupert
SoggyBadger
Posts: 282
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:39 pm
Location: Staffordshire

Re: Toe in the water; I've got a blog

Post by SoggyBadger »

Sadly Rupert, as your experiments have shown, had the Minisail had a better rig it may have give the Laser a run for its money.

Boring fact: the first dinghy I ever sailed (in 1969 at sailing school) was a Minisail.

Sorry for the thread drift :mrgreen:
Best wishes


SB
Rupert
Posts: 6255
Joined: Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:40 pm
Location: Cotswold Water Park

Re: Toe in the water; I've got a blog

Post by Rupert »

I'm not sure a different rig would have made much difference. There were already much better cut sails out there than the strange baggy nylon affairs, but most boats still seemed to have those. So putting a different mast and sail on, even in the early days may have simply gone unnoticed by the majority of owners!

I was going to race my new Minisail for the first time yesterday, but the 30 knot gusts put me off! Raced a Feva with Charlie instead, complete with Mylar main and spinnaker instead. Perfect for the conditions!
Rupert
Rod
Posts: 123
Joined: Fri May 06, 2005 11:46 pm
Location: USA

Re: Toe in the water; I've got a blog

Post by Rod »

Thanks Rupert for the kind words on the blog.

The Moth class wasn't the only singlehander in North America demolished by the Laser. The OK dinghy had a very strong presence on the West Coast of the U.S. in the 1960's and featured a crop of very talented young sailors, Rick Grajirena, Steve Toschi (who later would win the POW), Brian Thomas. In 1969 they had a 60 boat international fleet at the Kingston Ontario Olympic Regatta (CORK). After that the OK Dinghy was done. Why spend hours upon hours fine-tuning a wooden mast/sail combination when you could plunk down a modest amount and race one-design. Unlike Europe and Australia/NZ, the OK dinghy never reestablished in North America.

Click here for my ode to the OK Dinghy.
Rod M
Annapolis MD USA

http://www.earwigoagin.blogspot.com
http://cbifda.blogspot.com/

Classic Moth: 105
PK Dinghy
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