DaySailer.org Forum

Hi,

I have a Day Sailer II but never raced before. I don't think it's even rigged for racing. I plan race at some point with my son. I thought it might be a good idea to crew on one of racing boats first. I see there are up coming events and I will make myself available if you let me crew on your boat.

2021 NACR - August 23-28 in Annapolis
SSA DS Fall 1 Series

I race the laser frequently and I hope the skills are transferable

Thanks for consideration, I can be reach at harraz@gmail.com

Best,
mohamed

Crewing on another boat is a great way to learn. However, you can easily learn on a DS1 as well as a DSII, so putting your post in the DSII only section might limit who sees it. I've moved it to the "Events" section hoping that the right person will see it there. (I'll also add "NACR / SSA" to the subject, so people know what you are suggesting).

There's no standard rigging for the DS - only the lines and weight of the hull, rudder profile (side on), CB profile and weight and sail dimensions are fixed (and where to hoist on the mast). Other than rules on what rudder and CB can be made of, there isn't much in terms of restrictions or prescriptions for, say your tiller or running rigging. You can choose materials and configuration quite to taste. (That's the basic idea, the real experts will chime in and fine tune that).

If you've had racing experience with a Laser, you know the rules and how a race works. That's the biggest hurdle. Why not enter your boat, have it measured and learn the rest by doing. I'm sure people you meet will tell you the best ways to improve your rigging. You might loose a few, but then you'll know what you need to update over the winter.

I've only done beer-cans before, and my biggest problem the first time was to find the start line. I thought I was on the non-start end of the committee boat when the start was called for the 45' to 65' class of boats - and found them all barreling my way

I learned very quickly