I agree with everything but the underhand grip, or maybe i just understood it wrong, so your having your palm under the bottom of the tiller instead of above..

Hi Greg Vaguely looking at buying an old Laser. At the age of 57 am I being a bit silly? I used to sail a Mirror. Is it possibly to sail a laser in a leisurely manner?

@@QzBlaze Yes there is a late 70 year old in my club that sails a radial rig laser with no problems at all. go for it, he races it in strong winds. I wouldnt call the laser a leisure sailer and it is quite a phycical boat but dont let it put you off!

@@QzBlaze yeah, get into it. I'm about to turn 50 and in terrible shape, but will be doing a Laser regatta at the end of November. Sadly I'm far too heavy, and haven't sailed for years, plus my boat is as old as I am. Sailing a Laser is only as physical as you make it. Yes, hiking lets you sail faster, and you'll probably swim a fair bit in the beginning, but the rewards are there, they're great fun on a broad reach, spray flying everywhere, centreboard humming, and adrenaline pumping.

@@QzBlaze it can be sailed in a leisurely way, just get the 4.7 or radial rig, they have smaller sails. Then also stay out of windier days, no more than 10 12knots. It’s still going to feel very tippy. Ps I race in them with others of similar ages and I’m 62

How did your Laser sailing experience go?

@@red-kiwi I loved it! They are so nimble and fun. The rigging is a bit of a challenge (for me). I ended up spending more time windsurfing and kayaking but looking forward to experimenting more on Lasers next summer.

@@GayStephenson Awesome. I have also been racing Dragons kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qstgZLBnyraXhnk.html and I find that really fun. I found the Laser a bit too nimble for me at this point, the slightest mistake and you are in the ocean :)

Thank you! I have started sailing the 420 for the couple of years now and I must say I prefer it over the Laser as it has the jib, seems to be a bit more stable, and I can more comfortably take friends out. I might upload a video of me sailing the 420, the last outing was a stunning day and we had some nice 15kn winds to play with.

@@sustaintech I broke my Laser two Fridays ago at the horrible ramp I use on the Hudson River. You have to put up with your boat being mauled by the poorly laid out steel dock ready to devour your boat. Went out today for the first time in the Laser, strong breeze. It is definetly more tippy than a Sunfish but I think I will come to love it, just have to get a feel for the boat, and there is less margin of error on running downwind. Frostbiting starts next weekend and I hope to get in 4 days of sailing before then to get accustomed to the boat. No shame in following the fleet around the first couple of weeks, and besides the water is still warm - at least until maybe November. Please post your videos, greatly appreciated. I am 3D printing mounts for my GoPros and will post videos as I start taking them. Cheers -

macsailing.com/