Sailing on Blondie, CAN 573

[Tim Ford]

Glad your "replacement parts" worked out well for you!!!

I may race the boat this Thursday...I think it'll be the first time it has raced in over two years. We'll try to keep the rig pointed at the sky this time.

[Warren Nethercote]

August 6/7 we sailed in our club's keelboat regatta in our preferred conditions, a classic St. Margaret's Bay sea breeze. Photos are beginning to trickle in as we ask around. The first is us thanking the RC as we finished the third race. It was our first use of a new, intermediate-sized spinnaker. Goooood decision. With a light crew our 39M2 A2 is usable, but scary big. The 26M2 A3 chicken chute is too flat in moderate winds. The 33M2 A1.5 (sails more like an A2.5 to my mind) is "just right", like Goldilocks said. But it is interesting to observe that until I ordered my spinnakers, the smallest i550 chute design in the North sails design database was 40M2. Must be a lot of lighter winds elsewhere (or heavier crews?).

[admin]

Looks great, Warren!

Just curious, what are water temps up there this time of year?

And yes, lighter winds down here. In fact, it's why we asked Jim Teeters to provide a "Very Light" (4-6 kn) set of numbers for the ORR-Ez ratings -- something ORC does not want provide.

[Warren Nethercote]

Water temps vary. Probably 17 or 18C where the picture was taken, but last week we were skunked one day at Chester Race Week and many (me too) went swimming while waiting for wind in Mahone Bay. Water temp was probably 21C. Not warm by Chesapeake standards I suspect.

[Warren Nethercote]

Trickle, trickle. Another photo from the club regatta, by Bryan Darrell this time. Finishing the first race, with Bryan taking the photo as we crossed the line. First good view of the A1.5.

We sailed again today in a club race in light airs with rain, and kept ahead of the Etchells until the middle of the race when we got full-on hiking conditions upwind. Downwind we dropped the jib for the first time and it helped assy trimming and stability a lot.