James, my regular crew, is back from the UK and so we go out sailing [his parents have a Laser 16 which we sail alongside]. The wind was gusty and our regular method for rigging the boat is to attach kicking strap and main sheet etc to the boom when on the water [there is normally an onshore wind and reversing the boat down the slipway with the sail hoisted would be a problem]. Bad day today, as I was attaching the mainsheet a gust hit, the boom flew over suddenly hitting me in the face and knocking a chip off one of my front teeth. I lose a shackle pin over the side in another gust.
We decide when we get back to use a different method of rigging - attach all the ropes to the boom before getting into the water and then just hoist the sail when on the water. The main halyard is slightly too short [winter maintenance job] so the main sail is slightly blowing around... but better than losing a tooth!
On the water it is force 3 gusting 4, great sailing. but one gust rips the wipping off the kicking stap so we have to jury rig that and another gust pulls the car off the traveller system [the traveller endstop also goes overboard!]
But I am pleased with the sail back - holding the course worked well and was pretty straight.
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