June 30, 2003
Back from the NACs -
Back from the NACs - we placed 16th of 21 boats. Our best finish was a 12th. The Brazillians won it, for the first time in class history(!) As class president I've got some things to deal with as far as getting the perp. trophy to sent safely them. It was a really great time. It was fun to see the folks from around the country again, and meet new ones.
Things I've learned so far:
1. I may be starving myself of power. I'm going to try to power up the boat a little more: less mast bend, baggier outhaul, etc. I may need to have Lindsey cut windows in the mains to look at the spreaders to help trim the jib. Need to become a "master of heavy air" as someone at NACs mentioned. I'm told my sails are very flat. I also want to experiment with the mast rake.
2. Jib trim - may consider tighter inhaulers and slacker sheets...
3. Rudder head - I spent a lot of time this weekend cutting it down to reduce weight and improve the flow. I also rasped down the flat leading edge that protrudes below the hull line into something resembling the leading edge of the rudder. I've got a layer of glass on it now. I will need to fair it down tonight and tomorrow. I repainted the rudder head a nice blue color. Looks better, for a short time, at least.
4. Boat weight will always be an issue... Need to look for ways to remove weight, both from myself and from the boat.
June 19, 2003
I've remembered a comment from
I've remembered a comment from Roy Shaw last night. He said "The compass tells you where the wind has gone to." this was in response to a comment I had about how the wind shifted and how I saw xxx on the compass... I think his comment was that I should not use the compass to tell where to go... I understand that, and I don't know how to predict it, except for looking at boats ahead, for puffs, but how to tell if the puff will head or lift - often I can't see it. I don't think I'm trying to use the compass to tell me where the wind is going to, but it may have come out that way...
June 18, 2003
The new sails are great!
The new sails are great! Dave Lindsey out did himself!
Here's the track from our race:
So it's off to NACs... Whoo hoo!
Got the new suit of
Got the new suit of sails from David Lindsey today - they look very nice! He does good work, and aims to please. I'll try them out tonight, and see what, if anything, needs to be tweaked. I doubt much.
The rudder will need some
The rudder will need some major mods in order for me to interface them to the rudder gudgeons. I'm disappointed I wasn't able to make it work before the North Americans in Shreveport. Oh well.
The position of the pintles on the transom is the problem. The upper one is no issue - perhaps I could just replace that one? - the lower one is such that it's gudgeon will interfere with the rudder itself. Additionally, the old boltholes in the rudder head are too close to the position of that the new boltholes needed for the gudgeon. It would turn into an elongated slot. So what I think I need to do is to raise the position of the lower pintle and gudgeon - this could be good as it will probably reduce the amount of stuff hanging in the water creating drag.
June 12, 2003
Got this cool photo from
Got this cool photo from the CLRA website...
(click for a larger version)
June 11, 2003
Winds were strong tonight, we
Winds were strong tonight, we must have had steady 15kt, gusting to 20. Here's the GPS track:
We did very well, considering that we muffed the 1st spinnaker set. The 'chute got caught inside the forestay. Poor Joe had to crawl out on the foredeck and clean it all up. by the time he had it all ready, it was too late to set it, so we saved it for the last down wind run. -- Rhetorical question of the evening was: "Joe, Where's the mark?!" Of course he was busy packing the damn chute... The second downwind run redeemed us! We were screaming along and almost caught the Nomad on scratch time.
These were following boats:
2 Day Sailers, 1 Lido 14, 1 Flying Junior, 1 Thistle, 1 Nomad, 1 Vanguard 15. A little lighter than normal but still a healthy fleet. The winds were a little screwy, we got puff, and gusts, and it was a bit annoying at the start but we got through it.
O, what Fun,Fun,Fun!!!
June 06, 2003
Placed an order for two
Placed an order for two rudder gudgeons with Blue Water ship's stores. I found RWO part# R3773, a rudder gudgeon that is 1-1/2" wide. I ordered two. RWO makes part# R3743 which is an 1/8" thick shim. I ordered 4.
June 05, 2003
Cameron Sails reports the material
Cameron Sails reports the material for the new sails are in, so I should have them soon.
Last night the winds were easterly at 10kts. Boats that came out were: 2 Day Sailers, 1 Thistle, 1 Coronado 15, 1 Flying Junior, 1 Vanguard 15, and 1 Nomad. Total were seven. We sailed pretty well, and got 1st. The FJ was second and Jim Wells' Day Sailer was third - He's re-rigged his jib sheets and I think with that ergonomic improvement as well as the prebend in the mast he's faster, which is great news! Dick Hoover hurt his knee so he wasn't able to sail, unfortunately. The Thistle was joking (I think) afterwards that the Day Sailer is underrated in Portsmouth. I've wondered if that is the case. Must send the results into US sailing.
Took the GPS:
Series two trophies are Blue Water Ship's Stores gift certificates - I think I'll order new rudder gudgeons - I need to confirm the width of the my rudder head and see if the RWO R0792 model will work. Blue Water will need to order them.