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Thursday 25 August 2011


Well, today finally it all became worthwhile.
With the rig raked and re-adjusted we tried again, this time Ash accompanied me, Jamie is busy building B14's and suggested we both went out, so if adjustments had to be made on the water, one could hold it and the other do what was necessary, as there's always something at this early stage in a boats development.

So rigged and ready we took off and almost immediately it became apparent the rig adjustments were bang on, we were trialling a different jib that fitted better and the main had been raked a good ten degrees aft and the necessary adjustments made to the spreaders.

Initially we got some wash up the front of the centreboard but as she moved forward and lifted onto the 2nd rocker stage that disappeared and she began to march on, we started off heading upwind, that having been the problems last time out, she reacted well.

Then we bore off then a gust hit, I nearly got chucked out the back as she sprinted onto the next rocker stage. It was a marked transition, everything came light, (I'd been adjusting the rudder angle to make sure it was vertical just before we took off, she planed with just the two sails, so we couldn't wait to see what would happen with the kite up.

Naturally no sooner than the kite went up the wind dropped, but it did give us a little surge and was only spoiled by the troublesome cleat coming undone suddenly and we lost it, at first not knowing what had happened we stored it away and came back upwind, experimenting with sailing flat and lifting a hull, it planed easily when sailed flat and free, yet also pointed well and was loose with one hull out of the water, but to do this more reliably we'll need to raise the racks a bit.

We bunged the kite up again and this time got some wind, which catapulted her off downwind like a scalded cat. It skips over the surface once it releases, it's going to be fun pushing it hard in the future, but today was about checking everything so upwind again, see if we can get it into irons, it tacks sweet as a nut fumble as we might into the tack. When we did get her head to wind whilst we were fiddling with the plate that had been creeping up and trying to sort the jib cleat that had broken, it was a simple matter to back it out into the direction we needed to go.

Eventually time was marching on, (it always does when you're enjoying yourself) and Ash needed to do a final check single handed so i went ashore, only to fin my phone battery dead so couldn't record much, but i did watch him get one big puff and she flew. You can tell when somethings really moving, by the spray, normally the spray is sugary quite large, when it gets super fine, like it's been ionised, then you know somethings really moving and I mean moving, speedboat fast, I doubt a rib would have held it.

He came back with an ear to ear grin, 'It's mental off wind'.

So there's still a lot to do, but I'm a very happy chappy and getting even more excited at future prospects of sailing adventures, I've never been in anything so stable before, nor with the speed sensation, it'll be interesting finding out what she can do..

Sunday 14 August 2011

Finally got it on the water, late Friday afternoon

After a frustrating day of glitch after glitch and issue after issue, stupid frustrations including the moment we hitch the trailer up to the car it being locked and no-one knew where the key was, we finally got her to the waters edge on a dodgy trailer we had to fit a bar to, to even get it there, Jamie elected to take her out for the first sail, as it was a bit breezy, I didn't argue so we got her rigged, there was a minor issue that made the mast sit a bit to far forward due to a splice not being accessible enough to release to get some rake, this was to prove tricky later on.

The tiller extension as I predicted it would (I hate tiller extensions and it was a massive thing which had hell and damnation written right through it) fell straight off as he left the slip.


Once he got it sorted, he appeared to give it it's head, difficult to spot because by now it was well offshore, but off wind it appeared to be performing quite well, I'd noted it sat well on the water, the release off the stern wasn't 'noisy' (too turbulent) and it appeared to accelerate well. Jamie weighs 96 kilo and it didn't squat, with my 67 kgs it's only going to sit higher in the water, at this stage I was very pleased.



He seems to be making O.K. ground against that ferry and the tide, I missed the kite episode, it apparently went well until the cleat slipped and he sailed over it, hence having to go forward to sort it out and take a swim.

A small crowd had gathered as we arrived, some folk from the local Cat club interested in it's unusual design, it was the last night of Cowes week so there were lots of people down there. 'There,' was Calshot, the tide was low so we'd had to go down to the lifeboat station to launch. It was here that the original Spitfire in its Supermarine sea plane guise was launched so as historic venues go, it didn't get any better. Then another frustration arrived, a couple of the local Rangers, very pleasant started off inquisitive enough but it all got down to me moving my car, then being directed to this absurdly complicated cash machine to buy a park and launch ticket, I'd been videoing the boat overtaking a Ferry which seemed to prove it was moving O.K. in what breeze there was, but ten minutes of my time distracted saw me returning to a very different scene, he'd totally vanished.



As I moved further round the corner to see if he'd gone down the coast, a rather agitated lady came hurrying up the beach from the line of fisherfolk, saying she was going for the lifeboat crew, because a boat had just suddenly flipped over and couldn't get up. My heart sank, ' Er it's an experimental boat' said I 'he could be deliberately testing it where is it?' She pointed, sure enough there he was way out in the channel getting blatted by fast cruising stink boat wakes, upside down stood on the bottom. Why couldn't he right it I wondered, he didn't appear to be even trying, then a rib made it's way toward him. I pointed out that help was at hand and delayed further embarrassment at the hands of the RNLI.
But as the minutes ticked by, I became increasingly dispirited, it had been such a shit day, I checked my watch, the date said 11th (it was wrong as it turned out but nothing was going to halt my slide into depression at this stage) doh, why the 11th, (9yrs ago i'd gotten myself killed on August the 11th at the hands of a kite and the promenade wall for a few minutes), I wished at this stage that something similar would fall on me now to end the humiliation, it was all obviously a waste of time, my unsinkable 'un tip over able' boat was there in perfectly flat conditions at the hands of a very competent sailor, upside down going nowhere, the bottom quite literally fell out of my world.

Eventually they righted it, but he never seemed to try, didn't get out onto the end of the plate, just let the rib pull him over and climbed up the back, it did at least just sit there and not fall over the wrong way, not bad since it had been a windward righting. He then slogged back upwind to the slip.


This last vid as you can see him coming ashore unable to sheet in, having to play the jib right out and sheet on and off with the foil pushing against the flow, nothing working right yet still it moves through the water O.K. the only worry I have is that the racks are high enough. O.K. on this stuff, but in the waves of the channel I can see me removing them and Trapezing or at least lifting them another notch.

Once ashore, he seemed surprisingly chipper, 'did you get me going in?' No said I explaining about the infuriating car and parking machine incident. 'It's like an ice rink' he said 'the primer, I had to go up front to untangle the kite hoist and slipped arse over tit and grabbed at something or other and pissed the whole thing in, it did turtle a bit quick, you're right about those rack covers'.
Thank God for that I thought, 'and it's got massive lee helm I couldn't get on the racks even, couldn't get a footing, it's way out of balance.' 'Nothing unusual' he said obviously looking at my long face '' If it had been any different with this dog rig set up, I'd have been really surprised, I told you not to expect much today (He had but i did anyway not being the patient sort).
"The plate needs to go the next notch forward, the rig needs rake, we need some deck grip there's lots to do, but I've sailed much worse first time out", he then went on to regale me with tales that I can't repeat publicly of incidents with quite well known boats which took up to 27 repeats of what we'd just done before finally sorted, so it looks like I've got a tad longer to wait, he's off on vacation for Salcombe week and I'm up to my ears at work so it'll be a while. In the meantime they'll be finishing the hull and I'll be writing a snagging list and next time, i'm hoping to get a go myself and this time we'll need a rib.

Wednesday 10 August 2011

Failure to Launch

To many snags got in the way of a launch today, but I got a chance to finally see how it's going to be. Had a bit of a sit on it, took a stroll around the deck, lifted it up, tried to imagine righting it in the unlikely event of a capsize, confirmed my feelings about the inadequacy of using B14 washerwoman bits, talked about the jib gnav and how it would function and why it was necessary.

Suggested snowboard toe binding strap and ratchets, that we use on our two part Kayaks as a solution to the quick yet firm fix and or release of the racks for storage and transport.

But it did confirm in my mind that going ahead with it was a bloody good idea, I'm sure it's going to work, saw the massive plate, not finished yet, but the size is bang on what I want. Offwind was never going to be an issue, I just want to be first upwind as well.

It's righting moment is massive at 3.20mtrs rack to rack, it aint far off the righting moment of a 49er they tell me and 18 foot skiffs are only another 1/2mtr and should I decide to trap off the racks it'll go even faster.

Anyway here are the pics, best the iPhone could do in the circumstances, but enough to get the picture...





Monday 8 August 2011

Carbon wing-wang and racks

The first pics that I've found a little disappointing, not from a technical standpoint, more from a cosmetic visual, they look a tad ugly just sat on the deck of a flat grey primed hulk. They'll look better I'm sure when the rest of the fittings are in place and it's duly painted.

I hate the colour of the rack tramps, insipid cream, they'll have to go, they need to be black and mesh or there'll be to much windage if the day ever dawns when she goes over.

So in the essence of warts and all publishing, I give you this latest lot of pics, technically they'll all work well enough, but something will need to be done about the visual. We're due on the water come wednesday for the initial sea trials, if all works out well we'll have to see about tidying up the look.


The wing wang and spinnaker chute mouth, it does need to be big, but it looks so ugly not recessed, maybe when the bags in place and the mouth is all black with the jib mounted it won't look so bad, but it does address all the issues I've had with other wing wang devices, not least weight, it's all carbon with a nylon block which should prevent the pole lifting and make it easier to adjust under load.



Oversized, over engineered and all over my boat, B14 washerwomen racks the downside of expedience.

Well, it's incomplete, so will only get better... Once I've ditched those rack covers, they totally suck and don't even talk about the battleship grey primer, a necessary evil if we're to get it wet before we settle on where everything finally goes..

Wednesday 3 August 2011

More Progress missed in the email box

Some more pics of the laminated hull have been languishing in my email box, it's been that busy recently at work.

These show the final lamination of the hull and the screed fill and fair the surface prior to undercoat, which is now on and I'm waiting for more finished shots, as all the fittings are about ready for assembly.

Hoping to go down at the end of the week and see it going together.






The lines are becoming clearer, showing the hull planing facets, it all looks the way I wanted it, just hope my guesstimate calculations work out with the weight it ends up being and how early it'll get on the plane.