More goodies for dinghy sailors on their way for Autumn 2010. We have looked at roof rack padding at length and figured that dinghies need wider pads than kayaks, and masts need smaller pads too. So we have devised a neat system with longer and shorter versions to cover all eventualities and used Cordura just to make sure they keep looking as good as the day you bought them.
We have also added to our board bags with new ones for all the RS Classes, Optimist, Streaker ISO and Solo. These should be here to spice up your Christmas Stocking; perhaps you can even use one as your Christmas Stocking!
I stupidly broke my Scaphoid (wrist bone which works the thumb) on a family mountain bike trail – just spicing up the ride, I thought, as I peddled hard to get some ‘air’ on a mound of mud and root. Landing was not the normal comfortable experience as this time there were no wheels to hit the ground first, instead it was me under the bike. I thought I had broken my leg, but after 10 minutes of pain I was able to stand and re mount the bike to ride gently down the hill. It was then that I realised that I had seriously hurt my left hand; I could not hold the handlebars. Interesting trying to ride downhill, breaking with my only good hand and clenching the saddle with my buttocks to stop me falling into the handlebars. Funny now to think back, but at the time I realised that I was going to miss some sailing this season and had a private weep.
After some ‘too-ing’ and ‘fro-ing’ I found myself at the same surgeons door who mended Paul Goodison’s broken Scaphoid, just 4 months from the Olympics and now – 4 weeks on from the accident and 4 days from the operation to pin my Scaphoid, I am recovering slowly, no sailing now for at least another 4 weeks (some frustration). I did manage to float around at the Streaker Nationals last weekend before the operation, thanks to cling film and marigold gloves to protect the cast, as the class deserve the support; thankfully the boat is well mannered, but it was a realization of how I might sail when I am 80 (I wish).
When the new Selden Rig came into being for the Streaker, I was one of the first to take it for a sail with one of our sails cut for the Super Spars Reigel. Blatantly they have very different bend characteristics as the Selden Lambda is about 15% stiffer all round. The luff curve needed to be trimmed dramatically. The initial testing started the long development road to making a sail to fit the mast. We have worked both on luff curve and cord shape positions to give this rig performance.
The last tweaks have now been completed and I was blown away by the sweet shape I saw when I was fitting one of our Selden Performance Mylar sails to the Selden Mast for a customer. At 77Kg, which rig should I now use at this years Nationals? Its flat water sailing venue at Stewartby Sailing Club. The Nationals at Rutland we pretty light – and the SuperSpars Rigal and Rooster Performance Mylar worked a dream, but this rig looked so good that I might have to give it a go.
Wow – finally got our sample of ‘Hot Hands’. They are a glove liner for all types of gloves – to join our ‘hot range’ of garments – like hot legs, hot tops, hot socks etc. They are now in production – and should be with us in time for the summer – whopps!! We should see them on the shelves by the end of May.
I also signed off a new design of winter glove after lots of testing and development. It will be called our Arctic Glove. It is amazing. More with pictures to follow.
Our experience of sailing RPX gave me the feeling that the boat was pretty unforgiving in a short sea and slightly too nose sticky off wind. She popped up on the plane early but the speed was always limited by the bow as it was hard to get it to lift and move the wetted surface aft. However, she had amazing manoeuvrability and awesome speed in flat water. After some more analysis we have a plan to make the second rapid prototype to move the centre of buoyancy aft (to reduce the pitching in waves) , add a little more rocker (to help her accommodate a wave patten) and re shape the deck sides to more modern lines. The red boat was our first design, the blue one is the first development.
Mass production of a carbon ‘tracked’ mast would be a serious time limiting factor. A well known Carbon Mast Manufacturer would consider an order for 200 masts to be a very large order, so an order for 1000 per year would be beyond their current production facility.
However, they can produce an aluminium tracked mast in the quantities we are looking for – so hence the question has to be asked -
I flew back yesterday from a Boat Whisperer Talk at Port Edgar Marina; nearly at the end of this Winter Seasons Talks. It was a typical great welcome from a club that is passionate about dinghy racing. I can’t believe I have been doing Boat Whisperer Talks for more than 8 years. At the intro to the talk I try to explain why I started them.
For all those who attended the Dinghy Show we were taking a survey to find out which direction the sailing public wanted the boat’s design to go in. The results in favour so far are:
Two and a half hours from the scheduled start time and one race completed. It was not a great start for the Stokes Bay Laser Qualifier. Many were loosing the will to live as we bounced around on the water, listening to our sails flap off £5 notes, waiting for a start. With three fleets – (one standard and two radial) and a tidal stream that was taking the sailors over the start line it was always going to be a difficult day on the water. Thank goodness I was wearing a Shin Tech Long John; Nick Thompson reminded me that it was the warmest hiking garment he had so I put one on as I knew we were going to get cold. I also wore a PolyPro Top and legs, Hot Top, Aquafleece®, Semi Dry Top, Neck Gaiter, Beanie, Wet Socks and Hike Boots. With 15 – 25 knots and 8 degrees air temp and 5.5 degrees water temp I was toasty while sailing, but sitting around for up to 70 mins for a start was pretty uncomfortable. Perhaps the Laser Class should consider a trapezoid course with a beat finish, using a rib to take finishers; this might reduce the numbers of NYF that have to be resolved at the end of day. On that point I heard one really good idea – why not film the finish? A digital camera is not expensive. The separate windward finish will allow the RO to concentrate on getting the races off. I am also sure that the volunteers would also have liked to be wrapped up in the bar with a hot toddy earlier rather than waiting for the whole race sequence with recalls – three times over.
Perhaps the sailors know what to expect with our RO. Perhaps they are now complacent? One start with i flag – general recall is the standard practice. One start with the black flag – and a couple of numbers, perhaps those who were behaving in the first start are now desperate not to get rolled off the start line this time – opps.
I think the days of the triangle sausage and one boat to start and finish all three fleets are over – or the sailors might vote with their feet.
The last tweaks have now been completed and I was blown away by the sweet shape I saw when I was fitting one of our Selden Performance Mylar sails to the Selden Mast for a customer. At 77Kg, which rig should I now use at this years Nationals? Its flat water sailing venue at Stewartby Sailing Club. The Nationals at Rutland we pretty light – and the SuperSpars Rigal and Rooster Performance Mylar worked a dream, but this rig looked so good that I might have to give it a go.
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