RiggerLee

I just have a soft spot for the under dog. I like it when they win or get some for their own. I reserve my right to cheer for the bull. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

And they thought it was a spectator sport. http://video.foxnews.com/v/4570160963001/raging-bull-leaps-into-stands-as-scared-spectators-scatter/?intcmp=hpvid1#sp=show-clips Some people are down on bull fights but things like this put the lie to all their accusations. It's not a mindless slaughter and some times the bull wins. I think that as the victor he should be put out to stud with a whole heard of heifers to sire a whole new generation of champions. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

This comment is more about the force that you can potentially put on the sheath of the cable then on the coating it self. Interesting story, I once had some thing similar happen to me but by chance I got to live. The short story is that I was in a canopy collision. The end of the housing got bent over squeezing the cable against the edge of the housing. I had fallen through his lines and had one line of his canopy looped around all of mine. I really needed to cut away. I pulled as hard as I could and stripped/scraped 2 inches of yellow off one side of the cable before I just couldn't get it to move any farther. In the mean time the other guy was trying to find his handle. I got a hold of the line and started looking for a hook knife but it was a borrowed rig that we were using for testing and the knife was missing. Right about then the lines on my canopy sawed through the line on his and I was free. He had found his handle and cut away a second later. If he had been a bit quicker I would have been out of options. Point is that the adhesion of the coating to the cable is important. You would think that it's no big deal because normally they pull so easy. But under the right circumstances you can put a lot of load on it. I actually couldn't pull it at all. It almost killed me. On the other hand if I had striped the cable or if it had been on the other side I might have released one riser and not the other which also could have killed me. So pinched housings have happened before. Been their, done that, lived to wear the t-shirt. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

What can happen is that you can stall one side of the canopy. So rather then a banking turn and a spiral one side actually stalls and back slides. One side of your canopy tries to go backwards as the other is going forwards. Think flat spin. It can give you severe line twist almost instantly and feels weird. Some times it feels like your almost thrown and spinning on your back backwards. And this isn't necessarily a wing loading thing. Now some canopies do this more easily then others but that doesn't necessarily mean that this is a bad canopy. It's all about how you fly it. You're getting to know your canopy. That includes learning the limitations of your envelope. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

What was she researching? And if you see her again ask he if she would like to have minutes rather then seconds of micro gravity. Have her call Exos Aerospace and Technologies. They've been dragging their heels getting the sounding rocket program back up and running but we finally have our next launch window scheduled. Reserve a slot now for your next flight into space. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

Internet couch potatoes might not be your demographic. Their are dating groups that specialize in adventure activities. Usually it's not an online thing. The basic concept is that they have a calendar, a schedule where you can sign up for activities along with other singles. Example, they might for instance plan a day of skydiving at a drop zone. So you sign up and go out for a tandem with fifty other single people. Or they may plan a mountain bike ride or camping trip or what ever. Basic concept is get twenty to a hundred single people with some common interest together in one place and let them try to hit on each other. I don't know if their is any success in that regard but we got a lot of tandems out of them. But the concept is not bad. You get to meet a large group of people who are: 1. out doorsy 2. single 3. looking. It's the basic concept of just go and do the things that you enjoy and hope to find some one similar. The thing is that you're rolling the dice hoping that some one you meet will also be looking. This at least concentrates all the single and looking into one place. Their are plenty of adventurous people out their but the problem is they are out their, doing shit. Actually you remind me of some one I know named Amy. Skydiver but mostly into climbing now. Remind me some time and I'll tell you the Nepal story. Best advice is just keep doing your shit. Keep a sharp eye out for any guy that appears to be alone. And when you see some one likely pounce. Remember if they are alone it's probable because they have given up on trying to find some one to go with them and just went on their own. Their's kind of an unwritten rule that you don't intrude on some one elses nature time. So if you want to make something happen you will have to initiate it. No one is going to approach some one else, especially a woman, say when your out on a hike. It's rude and some what threatening. So if you want to catch one you are going to get out their and chase him down. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

Parachute labs is credited at the beginning of the book. Just glancing through it I see numerous places where Sherman has clearly inserted his opinions. It might be fun to start a game to see how many sherman issims we can pull out of it. I may have to print off a copy and go through it with a high lighter and see if I can mark all the things John inserted into the text. It's like a code. Read only the highlighted lines and it spells out a secret message... "BUY A RACER OR YOU WILL DIE...", "ONLY RACERS ARE SAFE..." I wonder what it will say if you read the unhighlighted, non Sherman, passages. Seriously, I think I'll start a thread of "Shermans". Now where's my high lighter... For years now we've had the book of Sandy as the holy text. Are we really going to have to go through the next ten years under the book of Sherman? Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

And in that list of Must's lies your down fall. By definition you have several contradictions there. Skydiver /= (sorry no Not Equal key) Financially responsible Over their Ex /= Faithful Skydiver /= able to accept your jobs (I'm assuming those responsibilities might interfere with DZ time.) Skydiver /= children (Children other then himself?) It sounds like you are seeking some one who is... mature. A skydiver who is mature... Cue the Laugh track. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

Well, one thing that I have noticed in observing relationships. A good relationship may be wonderful. But a bad one is always hell. You can be perfectly happy on your own, but you can never be happy in a bad relationship. I see a lot of people that settle for bad relationships because they are afraid to be alone. I also see people that are miserable in bad relationship that just sit their and suffer for fear of ending it and being alone. Don't really get it. But if you are happy then don't feel you have to do any thing that might undermine that. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

I think this is the fundamental downfall of on line dating. A person can generally make a decision faced with three options. But as the number grow the ability to make a choice declines. With almost unlimited, infinite options people find it difficult to make a choice. Their will always be some one else out there. Some one taller, some one handsomer, With a better job, pick any criteria you want. With a hundred messages a day the grass will always be better on the other side of the fence. If a reasonable attractive woman post a profile on one of these site, she can have a date and a free dinner every night for the rest of her life with out ever having to to go on a second date. The fact that the people I know who found relation ships on line are those who did so rather quickly bears this out. Picked from the first few before she was forced to wade through hundreds if not thousands of messages and profiles. Theirs some thing else. It seems to me that as time goes on, people who have not settled down, tend to have a harder time doing so. i think part of it is that as you live on your own you learn to be happy on your own. Their is less pressure as the myth that you have to have some one in your life to be happy fades. It may be that as they become less desperate their standards rise. If they are happy on their own then their is no need to tolerate things that they might once have been willing to forgive. Till you are stuck demanding a level of perfection that no one is libel to be able to live up to. I remember a movie. Basically it was about a guy who died and went to heaven. There he met and fell in love with a soul who had not yet been born. He followed her down to earth but god warned him that if he didn't find her with in so many years that he would never meet her or be happy. I have a theory that it's kind of like that. That their is a window, a time in our lives during which these things are possible. The farther out side of that window you are the harder all of this becomes till it reaches a point that it's just too late. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

What made me laugh is that they say they are concealing his identity because he is a victim of domestic abuse. Can you imagine what would happen if it came to light that an Army Ranger was being beat up by his wife. Would his rep ever recover? He'd probably be driven out of the service just on principle. And do you hear that voice? I would think that alone would be considered grounds for divorce, poor bastard. http://patch.com/florida/dunedin/man-uses-gopro-camera-capture-domestic-abuse-0 Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

Yes. It's actually very easy for this to happen on a racer. Much easier then on a one pin rig. You see if one loop cuts and the other is not completely severed then the PC just flips up on one end. The cap just hinges up on one end and the base of the spring pops out.It just flaps their with no force on the remaining loop. Any type of pinch on one loop or a bit of fabric caught in the look inside the D-bag and this can happen leaving the pilot chute just flapping on your back. I know a guy this happened to. A one pin has the loop passing through the center of the spring. If the loop is "pinched" at least the spring continues to pull on it. The spring can not just escape like on a racer when one loop for what ever reason hesitates to let go. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

I don't know about the whole long board thing. I think you're better off with some thing like this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdW2f88gVDE Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

I see two obvious possibilities. The first is that it was some kind of mind game trick. If you had chased after him or contacted him it would mean that you had a week personality and he could control you. The second very real possibility is that their was some thing that he really did find objectionable. A deal killer. Example, he saw that you were a smoker. I use that as an example because I'm allergic to it. I would have pulled the cutaway handle right there. If that's the case, then at least he was straight up and honest about it from the beginning. Or maybe he spotted that you were a skydiver. Were you wearing a closing pin necklace? May be he's been burned dating a jumper before and made you. If you want to avoid things like this in the future you might want to put a disclaimer in your ad, full disclosure. Just to save time and disappointment. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

People are changing. Once upon a time 254 lb's seemed like a reasonable maximum. Who would ever need to load some thing higher then that? People have physically become larger since then. 6 ft. isn't exactly a giant any more. It's not even uncommon. And people are fat. Just down right fat. Even the average person caries more body fat then they did 50 years ago. It's not a small percentage of people that we are turning away. And I'm not always talking about obese asthmatics that couldn't even climb into the plane. Some of them are just over the 220 or 230 or what ever your cut off is. Maybe it's time to look at heavier gear. Right now PD has reserves rated up to 300 lb's. We could build equipment for big people. A vector with a large PD opens up options for larger jumpers with out resorting to the extremes of a tandem rig or some outrageously expensive. And if we wanted to go higher we could build even stronger designs. It wouldn't be that much harder to manufacture. And their is no reason for it to be drastically more expensive. I can show you how to build a stronger harness that will not break. With relatively minor changes to a couple of joints you could easily build a harness for... well any one that could possible fit out the door of the plane. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

Larry Portman and a couple of other guys used to jump balloon suits before he got all skinny. Their are still a few people jumping with swoop cords. It's not that archaic. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

You people do realize that their are jump suits other then skin tight spandex nylon. Ever hear of a balloon suit? Ever hear of swoop cords. Ever hear of wing, and I don't mean a wing suit. It wont be as easy. Flying these suits is different, it requires different techniques. But he can learn to jump with other people. I've known people of that size that could fly with any one they wanted to. And they weren't 7 foot tall. They were down right round. With the right container. The right reserve. He could do this. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

I'm trying to figure out how they built that. Do all of the bar tacks go through all three layers of webbing? Both layers of riser and the dive loop? Are they all done at once? If they fold and sew the end of the riser then sew the dive loop then that means they actually missed two steps in the process on the same riser. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

Don't laugh. I've done that. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

A round is totally doable with out a puller. The tolerances are not nearly as tight as a square. It's like a factor of ten between the two. On block, even the gore edges are not that great of an angle. If you're hot cutting them the stretch is even less. A puller is a god send but mainly because it makes the sewing easier. you can have both of your hands in the front which lets you sew much faster and their is a lot of seam in a 28. I would tell you that it's worth looking around for a 112-w-116 just to speed it up. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

But that's basically true of all dating web site. What they are actually selling is hope and fantasy. The reality is that if your not getting laid in the real world then you wont get laid on line. If a woman goes on line, she has the opportunity to be even pickier then she would be in a bar. you're just putting your self in a bigger pool with fewer fisher... fisherwoman. If you really want to get laid, hang out at bars around closing time and don't be picky about what comes up to you. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

And you should know these things, but... Don't pee over the side. Get a piss bottle. When ever a body is found of a sailor that has fallen over on a night watch, his fly is always open. Oddly this never seems to happen to female crew members. Yes a good life boat. But with a good well designed mono hull I could almost say that it's redundant. Almost with out exception your better off staying with the boat. Many a time some one has gotten scared and bailed from the ship. you know what they find? The raft upside down and empty and the boat still afloat. Short of hitting some thing big like a lost container and breaking the hull open you're better off in the boat. A cat may be another story. Also, if you think your well equipped life raft is equipped, it's not. Put together a water tight bail out bag of all the shit that will really keep you alive. Tie it to the raft. Don't keep it bellow. If things go that bad... their wont be time. If you have time to get ready, you have time to save the ship. Know where all the extinguishers are on board. Make sure the are spread out so you have one on your side of the fire. Fire is a bitch. Check the propane and CO sensors. I don't know what kind of stove or fuel your running. Use your blowers. Check the oil pressure alarm. Get a good inflatable life vest. Get a good strobe for it, Hell even sew a pocket to it with a flair. all the standard stuff. Sun screen. A couple of spare hats. Even with a string under the chip your you know you're going to lose one. And if you haven't learned to use one, buy a sextant and tables. It's just old school and cool. It's not that hard once you get the hang of it. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

So I was sent a question. we've been kicking this around for a while. He has some old singer 112-w-140 and 212-w-140 double needles but they are getting tired. He's looking to upgrade to some thing more modern, lower maintenance. Maybe an oiler. Doesn't need any thing fancy. Needle feed, mostly for binding. I'm not really up on newer models. I'm cheep. Any thoughts on newer designs that wear well, are strong, and don't break the bank? Question follows... Hey Lee, do me favor if get a chance sometime . on a Rigger forum or know anyone using Juki's in there shop . ? . I been doing a lot of looking last couple months . Ask if they are anyone they know using a newer model of. ( Juki . LH-3528A ) . it is there ( double needle) model 'without' needle lift split-bar . It looks to be a ( Needle-Feed ) also . with a presser foot that can be trimmed down to get closer to the binder . but until I actually get my eye on a one to checkout I can't be 100% sure . Just trying to digup and get as close as I can to the correct info, before I pop out a couple-k and order one up for delivery . Juki's are Strong and this model looks to be the correct route to start moving into the modern world, as I am getting pretty old & tired of wrenching on old machines. ....thanks ray Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

I'm not ragging on you, I just want to make sure I've got this clear. Your partner is not a sailor. You sail but you have no time on a big cruising Cat. It's going to be three couples on vacation and you as the only crew. Your friend says he wants to try this out and learn but he will have his girl friend with him. It goes with out saying that she will consider this a vacation and will expect and demand his attention. Looks like you will be standing your night watches alone. If I'm off base correct me. No shit, I wouldn't do it this way. The first thing I'd do is hire an old salty no nonsense ferry captain to come along for the ride. Some one with lots of time on big cats. Tell your friend it's worth the money. Even if he's just their to sit back in the corner and give you shit about what your doing wrong. Try to get some one that's operated in the area and knows the waters. Make the room. Hot bunk with him. You wont both be down at the same time. I honestly don't think you're qualified to single hand this big Cat alone which is what you are really looking at. I know you're a sailor but a big Cat is... different. At the very least buy a book on cruising Cats. I don't know much about them beyond what I've been told from a friend that used to charter them. he was a captain that taught ASA cruising courses on 50 Cats out of Belize and La Plia. Here are the highlights that I remember. Very stable. Too stable. Unlike a Hobie that will fly a hull a large heavy cat will not heal. Their is no real indication of how much load you are carrying in the rig. They have strain indicators. Load cells in the rigging to tell you how much stain you are pulling. You have to watch them. It's like flying instruments. Imagine if you were in IFR and you were def and could not hear the RPM's on the engine or hear the wind noise. The Air speed, Tac and Altimeter would be the only warning. So people get out in a nice freshening breeze with all their sails up and every thing is fine. As the wind picks up the the boat is moving right along and every thing seem fine. What a great boat. Maybe they turn a little more up into the wind and it's just singing. Then the mast goes over the side. No shit, it happens. Welcome to big cats. The next issue is that the hulls are skinny. Cats have skinny hulls. Other wise they wouldn't be cats just two mono hulls stuck together. The reason they are fast is that the fineness ratio is over... I don't recall. But that's what lets them beat the normal hull speed limitation. It's all about how the quarter wave forms. But the bottom line is skinny. No meat at the front or back. So you can push down on the bow and it will go down. Or push down on the stern and it will go down. Say into a wave. A mono hull has a lot more meat, volume, in the hull there and will resist this better. Also a mono hull doesn't have a deck like a big wing. They make it from mesh for a reason. The way you die in a big cat is to come over a swell into the wind, catch air under the front and the stern sinks down into the wave, remember this happens easily, and the cat lays gently over on it's back. And you will never ever get a big cat back over. No shit, why do you think they all have escape hatches in the belly on the BOTTOM. Who feels the need to put a fucking door in the floor of their boat. Only a cat driver. The best survival strategy is to turn slightly off the wind and ride over the swells at an angle. Draw a line from the leeward stern tip to the windward bow and keep that line into the wind. The idea is to take the wind on the free board of you upwind pontoon. Block as much of the wind from getting under your deck as you can. It's your best chance to ride out weather with out turning turtle. Again, this is just shit that I've heard. I'm not an expert. Find some one who is. As to a captain. It might make the trip a lot cheaper in terms of insurance. Defer some of his cost. Also, their isn't a chance in hell of getting insurance for the two of you for your own cat in open water. You friend may be able to take that kind of loss but you can't. A mono hull, at least you have some chance of getting it back to port if some thing goes wrong. A Cat will be a total write off. A mono, something goes wrong. You weather it out and get a tow. You may have to pay a ransom on the tow but it wont sink and you'll get it home. May have to rebuild a engine but you shouldn't lose every thing. You might even be able to qualify for some kind of insurance on it eventually. Just some thoughts. Beat some since into your partner. If he insist on a cat. Let him go it alone financially. Tell him that you'll just come along and crew for him. I wouldn't take my nest egg to sea in the form of a multi hull. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com

If you buy the right boat you shouldn't have to blow all your money. The market in some areas is soft right now. The Houston area was hit hard by the cuts at NASA. Boats in Clear Lake are Cheep. Don't but a Cat. You don't want a Cat for deep water or long trips. Sooner or later you'll hit weather. You can be careful but with long legs sooner or later you run out of luck and Cats don't do well in seas and weather. They wind up up side down way too easy. Not stable enough front to back for big seas, high wind, and too stable side to side. It will come up over a swell into a big gust. Catch air under the front. Lift the nose. Sink the tail. And lay over on it's back up side down. Game over. On the other hand, rather then healing over or turning windward to easy the sails like a Good boat, ie. Mono hull, a good gust will over load the rigging and you'll lose the mast. If you've got too much sail up on a cat, and your head up your ass, the first warning you'll have is when you lose the rig. Don't get me wrong. Cats are awesome but they are what they are. It's not some thing you want to take to sea. don't be seduced by all the room. You can get twice the boat for half the price in a mono hull and have some thing that is truly sea worthy. Buy your self a 50 ft out of some place like Houston. The Caribbean is a great place to start your trip. As to the rest of your money. Or all of it if you decide to go another route. Have you noticed that the stock market just crashed? Good time to look at other investments if you have some cash right now. Lee Lee [email protected] www.velocitysportswear.com