Its been 6 years since I've actively raced in the Thistle. As I recall, they were less than 50 boats away from hull 4000 at that time. What a great boat. I think hull number 1 or 2, a woody, is still competitively racing and its got to be approaching 60 years old. Great one-design. When your beaten you know you've been beaten by skill. Its where I learned to sail in light air. This design moves in almost no air. In a breeze it a handful. The vang is your friend as long as you can release it. Working the vang can get you planning. They do produce some very good sailors. I’ve witnessed two Thistle sailor step on to a Hobie 20 and walk away from the others.

It is a crew brutal boat. I developed calluses on the back of my thighs from hiking. Droop hiking is a little better but.... I bled in every race the first year from tacking and gybing that thing. The vang is the forward crews nemesis, as you have to get between it and the centerboard trunk. Bruised so much that me wife made me go to the doctor to see if I had a spleen problem. I remember hearing that that the crew had to be in pain to be fast. You can tell forward crew from the others by noticing they are soaking wet and by looking at their triceps. There will be a bruise on both triceps created by the diamond wire on the mast while trying to reattach the spin pole after a gybe. You can tell the middle crew from every else because they are most often soaking wet as well and will be the cute females who smell better than everyone else. How do you tell who was driving? They’re the dry ones. They capsize by getting knocked over, by roll tacking or gybing to hard, or back winding the jib. Also, they can take on some water over the leeward rail, but at some point the whole boat will just settle in the water. Try putting a bowl in a sink full of water and lift one side until a little water pours in, all of a sudden the bowl under.

This has been a trip down memory lane, I think I actually miss this boat. Maybe it was my dry Captain!

If you get a chance, take a ride in one. What the hell, buy a raffle ticket! Oh yea, remember to untwing the spin guy before you gybe or its instant glug, glug...