4 ms·

Sailing and skiing. I have really gotten into sailing recently, especially racing. There is so much beauty, skill, and thinking in the sport. I am a huge f1 f

by paddy_m 17y ago

Sailing and skiing. I have really gotten into sailing recently, especially racing. There is so much beauty, skill, and thinking in the sport. I am a huge f1 fan. I either go to a meetup to watch the race (normally at 7am). Normally in addition I download a British feed of Friday practice 1 and 2 (speedtv only shows p2), Saturday p3, and qualifying. F1 has a lot of political intrigue, tactics and technology. I'm not into a lot of traditional geek hobbies. I could care less about comics, sci-fi, or video games. Comics and sci-fi have just never done much for me, I just couldn't get into them. I enjoy video games when I play them, but they are just too much of a time sink, so I stay away. The first person shooters seem to require a large amount of skill and practice, when I play them I fell hopelessly lost.

yan 17y ago
Where do you sail? I have been looking to get into it. My goal was to help out on current races and get into it that way. (I hear people need all the help they can get and will let you come along for free). I'm near Baltimore so there are a few active sailing clubs around here.
- paddy_m 17y ago
  I sail at the Manhattan Sailing Club. http://myc.org http://myc.org membership is reasonable, about the same cost as a gym membership. Racing is even cheaper if you know what you are doing. The words you are looking for is "rail meat". When the boat is going upwind it heels over, you need people on the uphill side of the boat on the rail. Being rail meat require very little knowledge. I would try to go out on days with unpleasant weather, fewer people show up. Rosh Hashanah was the first time I got out on Long Island sound (the boat had a very hard time finding crew that Saturday). Try the Annapolis races, I'm not sure of where they meet, but you could probably get out on Wednesday nights and Saturdays.
domodomo 17y ago
Same here for sailing. Just got into it a few months ago. I love how intellectual the skills required for the sport are, and the long tradition of seamanship. Also one thing that appeals to the nerd side of me is there is so much specialized sailing vocabulary to learn, and I'm now beginning to read more on the topic on the physics of sailing One bonus also is it's a very social sport. I don't have my own boat, so joined a local sailing co-op/club here in Minneapolis. Now that I've passed my "skipper tests" I'm free to take out their fleet of boats (about 12) anytime I like. I get to sail with other skippers twice a week, and learn from their experience. Most everyone is incredibly nice. Unfortunately the seasons is just about up here, we're pulling the boats off the water this Saturday :(
amohr 17y ago
Bonus for sailing - I don't think I've ever partied with anyone harder than I have with sailors. I lived with the captain of the racing team in college and we hosted the party for our regatta. It lasted the whole weekend and we built a special table to accommodate the flipcup (though, they call it boat racing and it involves a megaphone)

by paddy_m 17y ago

yan 17y ago

Where do you sail? I have been looking to get into it. My goal was to help out on current races and get into it that way. (I hear people need all the help they can get and will let you come along for free). I'm near Baltimore so there are a few active sailing clubs around here.

paddy_m 17y ago
I sail at the Manhattan Sailing Club. http://myc.org http://myc.org membership is reasonable, about the same cost as a gym membership. Racing is even cheaper if you know what you are doing. The words you are looking for is "rail meat". When the boat is going upwind it heels over, you need people on the uphill side of the boat on the rail. Being rail meat require very little knowledge. I would try to go out on days with unpleasant weather, fewer people show up. Rosh Hashanah was the first time I got out on Long Island sound (the boat had a very hard time finding crew that Saturday). Try the Annapolis races, I'm not sure of where they meet, but you could probably get out on Wednesday nights and Saturdays.

domodomo 17y ago

Same here for sailing. Just got into it a few months ago. I love how intellectual the skills required for the sport are, and the long tradition of seamanship. Also one thing that appeals to the nerd side of me is there is so much specialized sailing vocabulary to learn, and I'm now beginning to read more on the topic on the physics of sailing One bonus also is it's a very social sport. I don't have my own boat, so joined a local sailing co-op/club here in Minneapolis. Now that I've passed my "skipper tests" I'm free to take out their fleet of boats (about 12) anytime I like. I get to sail with other skippers twice a week, and learn from their experience. Most everyone is incredibly nice. Unfortunately the seasons is just about up here, we're pulling the boats off the water this Saturday :(

amohr 17y ago

Bonus for sailing - I don't think I've ever partied with anyone harder than I have with sailors. I lived with the captain of the racing team in college and we hosted the party for our regatta. It lasted the whole weekend and we built a special table to accommodate the flipcup (though, they call it boat racing and it involves a megaphone)