Geez, man did you duck the bullet on that one !

I feared something like this. Like you i've done, and am still doing, the skiff thing but "nobody ain't telling me" to get rid of my cat. That is unless they want to risk some serious retaliation.

I can SOOOO understand :



Come to think of it. Honestly I think the Laser 1/F16 combo to be a better start into sailing for (you and) your daughter than the 29-er. God knows how active the laser fleet is and how difficult spi skiffs like the 49-er and 29-er are. You must be rally gung-ho to step on a 29-er as a novice and do "sail for 1 minute and swim for 10 minuts" phase for the first months or so. Laser 1's will give your daughter a good crash course in pre-start sailing and tacks/gibes on a planing mono. And the F16 is a much nicer (stable) platform to get acquainted with spi sailing. If she still likes both modes of sailing after a year or so then you enter the phase of looking at doublehander spi skiffs. I'm you know as well as any other Paul how important working together as a crew is on these skiffs. Seriously; sailing alone on them is easier. You mutual coordination and understanding needs to be so spot on or you are just death rolling behind that big spinnaker. I have not encountered to many sailors that had a stomach for that kind of sailing after a while. I'm sure the 29-er is a little easier than the 49-er but still any prior laser and cat experience is a huge help.

Anyways, I understand that you have cashed in all your good luck for 2005 already now !

Although you may have some good future still left unused ahead of you. If your daughter takes to sailing likes she did to ballet than I'm sure you'll be the envy of the F16 class.

Welcome back Paul !