Yes, this will be rather difficult, since I'm an atheist.


This beach is not a club. It is really just a financial arrangement with the park district to rent a 20'x10' spot for your boat with a nice beach to launch from. I'll see about taking a picture this weekend. It can be difficult to obtain a spot and even more difficult to move to a good spot. For this reason and others, people just hold onto their spots even though they rarely sail. There is usually a flurry of activity by newcomers, but eventually, that subsides over the years. It seems that sailing takes a low priority to people's other activities, including children's sports. There is a sailing club with about 50 members (some active, some not), but it is just a club in name as it has no facilities and is mostly being carried on the backs of a few. The club does have a committee boat in the adjacent harbor and it holds H16 races on Sunday afternoon if the H16s decide to show up. My mom (race committee) and I will be putting the marks out today as tomorrow is the first scheduled race. Most of the racers will not have their boats set up, but it looks bad if the race committee is not prepared. If interest in open class cat racing ever evolves here, it would be simple to join and get a start time.

Jamie

Some people simply use a bungee between the tiller bar and rearbeam. This bungee has tow ends connected to the tiller bar and its middle to the rearbeam. I looks like a flat V.

Pretty much these are all systems that make the boat track straight while you have layed down the tiller extention and are hoisting or doucing the spi. If you want to boat to track through a curve then you just add some friction to the system so that it takes a small force to change the angle of the rudders. One that is just to large to be overcome by the rudders themselfs. These systems require well balanced rudders, but when they are it is always a pretty simple mod. I know of several different versions. Most of these can be home made and only involve 3 or 4 very basic parts.

I feel truly silly discussing these ludicrous simple systems as "Self steerage systems". I consider the automated steerage systems as used on yachts as true "self steerage systems" not some bungee or rubber connection on the tiller bar.

Wouter

You got it, sweetie--

the club is just like you described. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />