Emilio Castelli
Active Member
Yesterday I learned, from the "even more fun" thread that my bungee idea has a name (JC strap) and it has been discussed previously.
I searched the forum and came up with several threads, all from 2007.
http://sailingforums.com/threads/honestly-now-what-changes-do-you-want-to-see.5036/
http://sailingforums.com/threads/why-so-strict.5001/
http://sailingforums.com/threads/boom-preventer.4977/
http://sailingforums.com/threads/jc-strap-inhaul-pics-are-up.5073/
All the links to pictures in these threads no longer work.
I learned “it was Peter Seidenberg who said it best in a Jan/06 interview recommending, among other things, a no-cost simple change that the class should adopt (the "JC strap"):
"Evolution won't stop, though, and improvements will come in small steps. Anything that makes sailing the Laser easier, safer and more fun should be welcomed and embraced by the Class. I have sailed the boat for 33 years now and have seen numerous improvements. I would still like to see more. …... There should be a "JC Strap", like on the Finn, that holds the boom forward in light air down-wind sailing.
I also learned the name JC strap came from John Christians who invented it for the Finn. “It is
dead simple and would fit nicely on Laser and would eliminate the slow death we endure as we contort our bodies to hold the boom out in light wind.” John also mentions that “some consideration was given to it for Laser a while back but it was rejected”.
Anyway. I rigged a JC strap and went sailing. It works perfectly at holding your boom out in light air, keeping the mainsheet from sagging and eliminating the need for the extra mainsheet length currently needed to get the boom past 90 degrees.
No difference in jibing, tacking or any sailing. No difference in speed, just more comfort in light air. I spent $10.- for the bungee. It takes 30sec to rig it. The bungee does not move in the bow eye so there would be no wear. It would save about 6' of mainsheet mess in the cockpit. Allowing this rule change would not force everybody to adopt it but would help many older sailors suffer less.
I am attaching pictures as it appears there is some confusion on what a simple JC strap looks like.
I would be curious to learn why it was rejected in the past.
E
I searched the forum and came up with several threads, all from 2007.
http://sailingforums.com/threads/honestly-now-what-changes-do-you-want-to-see.5036/
http://sailingforums.com/threads/why-so-strict.5001/
http://sailingforums.com/threads/boom-preventer.4977/
http://sailingforums.com/threads/jc-strap-inhaul-pics-are-up.5073/
All the links to pictures in these threads no longer work.
I learned “it was Peter Seidenberg who said it best in a Jan/06 interview recommending, among other things, a no-cost simple change that the class should adopt (the "JC strap"):
"Evolution won't stop, though, and improvements will come in small steps. Anything that makes sailing the Laser easier, safer and more fun should be welcomed and embraced by the Class. I have sailed the boat for 33 years now and have seen numerous improvements. I would still like to see more. …... There should be a "JC Strap", like on the Finn, that holds the boom forward in light air down-wind sailing.
I also learned the name JC strap came from John Christians who invented it for the Finn. “It is
dead simple and would fit nicely on Laser and would eliminate the slow death we endure as we contort our bodies to hold the boom out in light wind.” John also mentions that “some consideration was given to it for Laser a while back but it was rejected”.
Anyway. I rigged a JC strap and went sailing. It works perfectly at holding your boom out in light air, keeping the mainsheet from sagging and eliminating the need for the extra mainsheet length currently needed to get the boom past 90 degrees.
No difference in jibing, tacking or any sailing. No difference in speed, just more comfort in light air. I spent $10.- for the bungee. It takes 30sec to rig it. The bungee does not move in the bow eye so there would be no wear. It would save about 6' of mainsheet mess in the cockpit. Allowing this rule change would not force everybody to adopt it but would help many older sailors suffer less.
I am attaching pictures as it appears there is some confusion on what a simple JC strap looks like.
I would be curious to learn why it was rejected in the past.
E