I haven't raced in over 20 years. Although I recollect crewing on a Lightning in the 60's, it wasn't until the mid 80's that I got into PHRF racing with a 23' trailerable sailboat.
We had a small local club of friends that raced a wide array of boats (20 to 50'), on a big lake.
It was fun! I was single then and half the racing was the party afterward. A bit of PHRF racing fit my life at that time.
I owe racing for becoming a better sailor. Back then, after racing a bit and wanting to get better, I read Sailpower by Wallace Ross, already a decade or more old. I loved that book.
I remember the material was all Greek the first time I read it. Then as I sailed more - raced a bit more - reviewed what I was reading,... I read it again. Then it all fell into place.
Sailpower must have been 'The book' at the time. A few of us took a North Sails Go-Fast weekend seminar in the early 90's. The class was a little disappointing I remember, in that it was modeled nearly chapter and verse after the book. Still fun to attend.
Life went on. I met a girl and took her sailing for her first time. A few years later we had a family.
We still did a few PHRF races, now in a bigger boat with babies onboard, but that was about the end of my PHRF racing. New priorities, no regrets.
These days the state of the art in sail trim doesn't interest me much. I still trim to 1975 standards in that book. Occasionally I look at one of the local PHRF race invitations but so far, take a pass. I do like to sail by and watch but end up peeling off in another direction happier to choose a different wind angle.
I don't take a shot of sails unless the telltales are ironed on the sail. That's what's left of the racer in me.
We had a small local club of friends that raced a wide array of boats (20 to 50'), on a big lake.
It was fun! I was single then and half the racing was the party afterward. A bit of PHRF racing fit my life at that time.
I owe racing for becoming a better sailor. Back then, after racing a bit and wanting to get better, I read Sailpower by Wallace Ross, already a decade or more old. I loved that book.
I remember the material was all Greek the first time I read it. Then as I sailed more - raced a bit more - reviewed what I was reading,... I read it again. Then it all fell into place.
Sailpower must have been 'The book' at the time. A few of us took a North Sails Go-Fast weekend seminar in the early 90's. The class was a little disappointing I remember, in that it was modeled nearly chapter and verse after the book. Still fun to attend.
Life went on. I met a girl and took her sailing for her first time. A few years later we had a family.
We still did a few PHRF races, now in a bigger boat with babies onboard, but that was about the end of my PHRF racing. New priorities, no regrets.
These days the state of the art in sail trim doesn't interest me much. I still trim to 1975 standards in that book. Occasionally I look at one of the local PHRF race invitations but so far, take a pass. I do like to sail by and watch but end up peeling off in another direction happier to choose a different wind angle.
I don't take a shot of sails unless the telltales are ironed on the sail. That's what's left of the racer in me.