F18 Americas

My 2007 F150 is paid for too, but I've still got 2 of the 4 kids in college.

They all took sailing lessons from about age 8-13, the twins who are now 26 got deep into horses at the urging of their mother, who hates sailing, thinks it's stupid, why work so hard to go so slow, and rely on the wind, when you can buy a power boat for less, turn a key and be gone, or be back home in minutes?

I'm starting to see her point and after 28 years of arguing about it, I may sell my Blade and get a power boat.

Ahhh...domestic bliss. (insert eye roll emojie)

I'm part of a SINK.

That's ****ing funny right there!

I'm self employed. I've been working lots of hours, and I haven't seen a paycheck since 13'. <img src="<>/sick.gif" alt="sick" title="sick" height="15" width="15" />

Tim,

I see the problem, you need an F18! Chicks dig it. Just tell the little woman that the boat will make her look thinner and younger and has been clinically proven to increase the testosterone levels in males of all ages. The south eastern fleet now provides marriage counselling for sailing couples. No worries.

Sounds like my old program, but no kids, multiple horses... So... I fired the wife.

NOW I have domestic bliss!!

You know, now that I think of it, I did see an F18 that said something like,

99 Problems

upside down on the side, and had a pink spinnaker, wonder what ever happened to that boat, and the wife?!

You had to go there... that's an extreme situation and they are currently in therapy... on separate boats.

I love Karl and Beth, I hope they get back on the same boat. But you'll never, ever, ever, see my wife on a beach cat! She did say I could buy a Corsair Trimaran...so I'm saving my money for that. And then we are going RACING!

Now that is some funny stuff right there.

Sorry Grandude, but chicks don't dig F18,s. Just look forward on your boat. Take a good look at the score sheet you may find 5 sailing.

If you want a chick friendly class check the H16. 40% of the sailors were

chicks

or women. (Beth was there, I'm sure you know)

Both are GREAT classes with Great sailors

The two classes are only similar because they are cats.

Totally different demographics.

Both great racing classes

Sailing/racing cats for a while we all have seen friends come and go and come back again <img src="<>/wink.gif" alt="wink" title="wink" height="15" width="15" /> I would hate to lose Timbo to the dark (power) side. FYI we have a power boat, don't use it as much as the sailboats tho.

We all have to make choices, whether it be what class to sail or whether to not sail at all.

I am lucky to have a wife that has skippered the Worrell, top fived an F18 NA.s as helm, 4th at the largest H16 NA's (120 boats) and double handed the Atlantic on a 35' water ballasted monohull and kicks my butt regularly on the race course. Yes i am proud and very lucky. Most guys are lucky to get there significant others to race an occasional regatta. She the exception NOT the rule.

Tim sail when you can and keep your family happy!! Get an F31 it's the only way to go!!

I'd venture a guess that this statement is true for any sport or activity...? except maybe child-rearing (if that is considered a sport)

not sure how that would improve a marriage, but it is good to know...

And Timbo, I guess I did pay more to go slower (than an N20), but now I can carry more people, coolers/beer (that lemonade beer crap you brought did taste rather good on Saturday) and - being the ultimate cheapskate - I could live in it if needed.

And my backup plan = yoots attend the USCG academy so at least their college would be paid for... They can do their patriotic duty, not get blown up nearly as often, and they'll get a healthy education in how to put up with BS.

If only I'd thought of that (academy) when I was young I'd probably have ended up a productive member of society

Tom your absolutely right and please understand that my twisted humor drives much of what I say. I also am married to one of those exceptions who supports my adventures, she only gets on the F18 for

mild

sailing. Men like us are fortunate indeed.

Tim, Karl crewed for me in Nats and Beth was great help on the beach. Yes, good people.

I wish trimarans were not so freakin expensive... I too lust for one of those. It seems a natural progression to a boat with speed, stability and comfort. Chicks will dig it, at least mine will.

who are those poor saps? I feel bad for them... really.

Depends on what you want. Bleeding edge technology/2016 model year = $$$

I got mine cheaper than the vehicle I tow it with. Its a dead boat class (F-24) but fun as heck. I've seen some (that need some TLC but no major issues) as cheap as a new F18 with trailer.

Science geek here: Testosterone drives libido in females. Too much may have undesirable side effects, of course...

Mike

My wife crewed for me on the ole N20.

Twice.

(Which is exactly half of the time I got to sail! 😛 In her defense, she wanted to sail a lot more, but medical school was waayy more important.)

Yes, I prefer my ladies

sans beard

But some do like the East German Olympic ladies swim team types....

The idea with the testosterone is to promote aging gracefully without becoming a softy, I can't imagine any wife not liking this. But if the unintended consequence is that her voice starts getting deeper, than it would be time for a power boat.

That F24 tri fits on a trailer, right? You could be the first to do the steeplechase on a tri! Come on, we're all getting older and it would be like a beachcat with training wheels.

Tom, thanks for your advice! If I do go the F...something... route, I'd want a Hobie 16 too, just so I could show up at the parties! That PR H16 Dance Party at Tradewinds a couple years ago was epic! Thanks for coming down all the way from NY!

You should see the parties they throw in NY...

Take your H16 to Madcatter once, and it will change your life!

Mike

I would totally do Steeplechase on the F-24 (it does have a trailer)... ESPECIALLY now that they changed the route to overnight at UKSC.

But I think Rick cut off the boat size at 22 ft? Something like that... My DPN is just a hair slower than an H-16, and I know he let's those guys do it...

When is it? Maybe I could

Steeple-Bomb

.

EDIT: You would probably have to amend the sailing instructions to allow my use of the small outboard to get through Angelfish. It would be to maintain my position, etc.

Because if you had me tacking / gybing through that cut, I'd wipe ya'll out with my 18' beam. Assuming, of course, that you are slow enough to be back there with me...

crap... I'll be out of town for this year's steeplechase. But might give me time to solicit Rick (and some other tri sailors) to work on the SI/NOR for 2016

Sorry for the thread hijack... but the 2015 F18 Americas are over ...

Yes the scoresheet would lead you to believe that. But! I spent that last two seasons crewing for a woman and the b!tch can freaking drive and she loves it! Then I was lucky enough to get Ms. Darrow (27 year old crewing super freak) to sail with me for America's and by all counts she really seemed to enjoyed herself and it was 5 full days of breeze on!

Years ago I was the poster child for

girls can't crew an F18 competively against the boys

and I was flat wrong! Put a 20 something female that knows her way around a weight room on the front of an F18 and it's freaking on! Granted Darrow's are rare (kinda reminds me of Sue, Tom) but they are out there.

THEY ARE NEVER OVER! THEY AREN'T OVER UNTIL I SAY THEY ARE OVER!

Yes I meant to yell that!

+1

We (CRAM) have been lucky enough to have some good mixed participation this year. Probably ~40% of the F18s at our larger regattas had a lady on the boat.

I wouldn't feel bad for them! Uli and Krista can rock the F18 and suicide port gets signifcanlty harder the further you get away from the top. Coming in at postion 6 isn't terrible unless you have someone like Robbie Daniel closing the door on starboard. Nine times out of 10 Uli would have been just fine with that move but he drew the short straw and got Robbie on starboard. Kudo's to Uli for executing a clean peel and getting back on it! And yes he knows that the quick duck is the high percentage play and I'm confident he won't get peeled at A mark again.

Bad karma coming your way Dazz.

Maybe he was feeling sorry for the C2 that got stuck on the mark. They didn't have too many options. Aside from a last-minute board pull-up, I guess the only way that problem could have been solved is 100m before they got to the mark.

Yes, I was feeling bad for the team that made the suicide port call that didn't play out and they got parked at the mark while the parade went by. It was hard to watch that kind of suffering (but watch it I did....twice)

I did question who had overlap, as in which boats did he have to let close the door on him, and which ones were supposed to give him room to round

in a seamanlike manner

.

At one point it did look like boats were giving him room underneath, but he just couldn't get out of irons (or was rubbing the mark?)

Oh yeah, I blocked that one out. That's Ian but I wouldn't feel too sorry for him he's going to St Barth and he's taking the crewing super freak with him.