[sailing] anarchy in the UK

trying to ignore the drama and politics that has been going on in the last few months (years?) between both the Sunfish and Laser classes and the official builder, Laser Performance, and instead focus on the positive: Sunfish production has begun in the UK.  hopefully this will improve quality and help with new model and parts availability for the Sunfish sailing class.

here are pictures (all photos by Laser Performance, shared on Twitter and Instagram):

a nice glimpse at the construction process and inner workings of a Sunfish.

a healthy dose of fiberglass and gelcoat.

not sure of the significance – but no sign of the foam flotation blocks.  are they truly being phased out? or just not shown in any of these selected photos?

post title is a mashup of the Sailing Anarchy forum and the song by the Sex Pistols.

the D’yer Mak’er

saw this photo posted on the Dinghy Shop Instagram account and had to wonder:

how can this boat builder not be called the D’yer Mak’er?

When I read the letter you sent me, it made me mad mad mad
When I read the news that it brought me, it made me sad sad sad
But I still love you so
And I can’t let you go
I love you
Oh, baby I love you, oh

long term planning

today’s tunes: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds “Galleon Ship”

for today’s tunes, a selection from the latest album “Ghosteen” from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

For we are not alone, it seems, so many riders in the sky
The winds of longing in their sails, searching for the other side

if you don’t know some of the back story about Nick Cave in recent years, look into it a little bit (his teenage son died in an accident in 2015).  you can feel the raw emotion in a lot of his songs on this album.

here’s an album review from Pitchfork that gives some background on it: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/nick-cave-and-the-bad-seeds-ghosteen/

 

a Sunfish upgrade?

a random photo sent from my mom, with Dad standing next to a beautiful little sailboat, with just the following text:

Dad is negotiating…..

she’s likely just pulling my leg, but I suppose it’s never too late for Opa to start sailing!

sunfish worlds 2019: bonaire – promo video

ok, I’m sold. somebody book me a ticket.  I’ll just go and watch the racing and enjoy a week or two on the beach.

I don’t even know the racing rules of sailing, but the small island of Bonaire looks amazing.

normally, you have to qualify to race in a Worlds event, but they have opened the registration to any Sunfish Class member:

An Amendment 2 to the NoR has just been posted accelerating the date for open registrations from August 1 to July 15. That means that starting on July 16 anyone interested in being part of this epic regatta in Bonaire can register. We will cap the fleet at 72 boats and there are currently 57 entries.

the official notice of race can be found here (NOR, .pdf file).  additional information can be found at the Sunfish Worlds website.

the 2011 Sunfish Worlds were held on the nearby island of Curacao – which also looks amazing.  I’m sure Bonaire will be similar.

1970’s Sunfish sailing comic

I found this great sailing comic posted on Shoreline Sailboats’ Instagram account:

1971-1973 AMF Alcort Sunfish comic book was a 12 page comic highlighting the AMF line of sailboats along with sailing pointers and selling points.