It's the second round of the UK F16 TT series for this year at the East Coast Piers Race this weekend. It's a race that I've been looking forward to sailing in since I missed it last year.

Now the bad news - for me at least - I can't sail this year either!! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Sorry guys, I hope you all have a really good time - the forecast looks good - but I've just (last night)pulled my back while working on the house.

It's an old injury that I've pulled several times and so I know how it's going to go. I reckon it'll be a couple of weeks before I risk going sailing again (but gently!).

I'm currently flat on my back on the floor of the lounge watching daytime TV (what a load of c**p!) with my trusty laptop to hand, and the weather is beautiful outside. I'm actually feeling very cross with myself rather than miserable, but I reckon that by Friday at any rate I'll at least be able to move around if I'm careful.

Have fun everyone!

John

That is real bad news !

Hope you feel better soon <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Sorry to hear that John, hope you get well soon!


If you are bored, how about looking at http://www.tacticat.com/ and giving us a comparative review to Virtual Skipper <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
If you still are bored, there is always Sailcut to play around with.


PS: I find BBC Prime enjoyable in the weekends. Youngest one loves the childrens show, while the wife usually gets up and drink her morning coffe to "Flog it" or one of the other gardening/house-shopping shows. (Leaves me time to do something useful). Youngest one even likes to watch BBC learning in the mornings, at the age of 1 year <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Bummer! Get well soon.

Thanks guys!

One good thing to come out of it though - I don't have to paint the outside of the house in the immediate future AND I get to lie on my back watching the World Cup and saying things like "Could you get me another beer please, dear?" <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

John, I thought I had "pulled" something in my back two years ago. I had back pain off and on for aobut 15 years, since the twins were born and I started lifting them out of the car all the time. So I did the same thing, lay on the floor, feet up on the couch, etc. but this time, after 3 days, I still could barely walk. So I went to the Doctor. If it feels like an ice pick stuck in your spine down low, it's not a pulled muscle, it's a disc pressing on a nerve. Talk to a back specialist (Neurosurgeon), not a chiropractor.

Turns out I had ruptured a disc in my back, L5-S1, and the MRI showed the two others above it bulging. Do you have the pain down the back of your leg yet? (called Sciatica) When that happens, you pretty much know you have ruptured the disc and no amount of "rest" will fix it. I tried the 3 epidural shots, every two weeks, but they didn't work. If you have not yet ruptured the disc the shots might work for you. I ended up having the Lamenectomy (disc operation) which put me on the couch for about 3 weeks and off sailing for 6 months, but I'm much better now and as long as I don't lift heavy objects (Inter 20 onto trailer by myself) I should be ok.

But my doctor said, "Nothing I can do will make you 19 years old again. You are getting older and will have to stop trying to do all the things you did at 19, or you might rupture those two bulging discs and need another operation." I was running and lifting weights, etc. He said to stop running, cut back on the weights, but swim or ride a bike instead, which I do. He said, "Never do any bending, twisting, lifting all at the same time and never bend 90 degrees at the waist to pick up anything, even a penny on the floor! Bend your knees, keep your head up and your butt down." You know the next thing will be knee problems!

Ever notice how many old guys are racing A cats?? I'll bet that has something to do with it, that and the cost! Not too many 19 yr. olds can afford a $20,000 boat! But as a father of 4, I can't either!

Also I noticed Andre Agasi is going to retire this year, he has bad back problems. He's only 37. I was playing tennis with my kid the day I ruptured my disc, I was not lifting heavy objects, I was 45 then. Getting old sucks, but what else can you do? Thank God for lighter boats! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Take 4 200mg Advil every 4 hours and lubricate with Smitticks at bed time. That is the only way I could get to sleep. Good luck with it.

I am free this weekend if anyone needs crew/skipper. I have the sailing gear I need to keep warm.

Been doing too much yacht racing so have the urge to jump back on a catamaran where the loads are low but the speed is high.

JC

I have lost count on the number of times I have been unable to stand let alone walk.
Over the past 20 years I have spent litterally months flat on my back.
This all stopped a few years back when I went to a physiotherapist who was keen on teaching people how to treat their own back.

I can now avoid back problems but I need to exercise and stretch for 5 mins each morning and night.

If I get lazy and stop the exercises and have problems I now know how to fix it before it gets so bad I'm imobilised.

Works for me.

Regards,
Phill

Thanks for the advice Tim, but I'm pretty sure it's a recurrence of a torn muscle problem from when I was in my 20's. It feels exactly the same and it's all right side lower/middle back. I'm just taking co-codamol in the morning and early pm. Usually by the evening it's eased enough that I can sit up for the evening and get a reasonable nights sleep later.

This morning is a lot better than yesterday so I don't think it's a spinal problem. You know, with the number of dinghy people i know that have back problems, it'd be a really good topic for the general forum. What are the exercises that you do Phill?

Not only worth talking about how to ease problems but also how to avoid them for those who don't (yet) have back problems.....

I'm thinking about things like good trapeze/hiking technique, keeping your back straight when you sheet in etc. I'm sure that on this forum there must be the expertise to advise us all?

I'm sorry to hear this too. I wish you full recovery soon.

Wouter

John,
I have developed a series of exercises that even have to be done in a specific order. Mainly to make sure the stretching
helps and does not hinder the process. As the stretching is essential to long term relief.
These work for me and may or may not be good for others. I think that anyone who has or does not want to have back problems should read a book called "Treat Your Own Back" by Robin A McKenzie.
It is worth a lot more than the $10 it will cost from Amazon.com.

BTW:- When it comes to trapesing- get the right harness,one that supports the back properly, it makes all the difference. Also I think it would be better for our backs if we used centre sheeting. I don't but probably will go that way soon.


Regards,
Phill

For those that are coming I'll see you there <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

It just goes to prove that working on/around your home is bad for your sailing! (why can't wives understand that?)

As long as the wind is good enough for me to spend most of the day on the wire, my back is ok now. But if I have to spend the whole day sitting on the tramp, bent 90 degrees at the waist and slouching, it will hurt pretty badly after a few hours and be very stiff that night. I can trap all day with little pain afterwards, if I keep my back straight. Of course it is a good excuse when the wife wants me to take out the trash! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

In that case, I do not wish you a speedy recovery. At least until England wins or loses the cup. After that it's time to bury your face in a beer in victory or sorrow and get back to sailing.

Don't know if this will help or not, but a good core exercise that shouldn't put much strain on your back is called "dead bug". You can google it. There are several ways to do it, so you need to figure out the best for you.

A great day out for the Stealth's yesterday - Aaron won the Colne Point Race, with (from memory) Nigel in 4th, sandwiching two Shadows in 2nd and 3rd.

They got back so fast that they were packed up and gone by the time that Ann and I got back from fighting the tide at Clacton on the full ECPR. Probably avoided battling the "tide" on the M25 too - 5 hours back to Oxford <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> It's only 110 miles!

Paul

That's really good news Paul, wish I'd been there <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />.

I tried the Marconi site for full results, but none as yet. Are they sending the final results to competitors? Can someone publish them here?

What other F16s turned up? How did we do against the Spitfires?

I assume the results will be on the website in due course - I only know the results from the prize giving.

As far as F16s go, it was Aaron, Dave and Nigel on the Stealths plus Ann and myself on the Blade.

As far as I can remember, no Spitfires in the top 6 for Colne Point - but I think there was at least one doing that course. Ann and I put in a pretty poor show on the Blade, I'm afraid. We were battling with a couple of Spitfires all the way to the end, finishing just a few seconds after one of them (which means we were well behind on handicap). We really struggled in the lighter stuff, letting two Spitfires, an I17 and the Farrier trimaran past in the tide fight along Clacton beach. Still, we had some good moments and we've got plenty to work on for next time <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Paul

The final positions for ECPR 2006 and the Colne Point Race are now up at

East Coast Piers Race 2006

and

Colne Point Race 2006

They've also put up the results of the Saturday Points Racing.

Well done to everyone, special congrats to Aaron, of course. I really wish I'd been there, though I'd have thought that more would've chosen to do the ECPR course (F16s that is). I see that Scooby Simon managed the long course OK this year on his own, and there was a lone 'A' in there at 17th, so shouldn't the F16s have been able to do it too?