They don't want to keep me or nobble me (so far) - you guys are in such a rush - it is only Monday Morning and I uploaded the video last night.
Am in Dallas Airport now waiting for a flight to Florida.
So Brian's boat is pretty cool but he hasn't had much of a chance to sail it since the Texas 200. It looks pretty high sided on the trailer.
BUT ... we went for a sail yesterday on a lake near the city. Surrounded by a big park with lots of cyclists and walkers. A group of Chinese students having a BBQ had a couple of members who were very interested to see us rigging up beside the lake. One kept coming over and asking questions so my crappy Mandarin got a bit of a workout.
Anyway we headed off two up. Bryan steering and me crewing. Wind was about 6 to 12 knots with a couple of shortlived gusts coming through maybe just under 15.
Boat pointed well and in the low chop had no problems knifing through wakes from some of the other boats. It is noisy the forward compartment acting like a drum but bottom is stiff and progress unimpeded. Tacking is "stately". There is no doubt she will, but doesn't flick round like a sloop.
Bryan was steering and I was handling the mainsheet. I was really enjoying the bank of Brian Pearson style rigging adjustments all lead back to the front of the cockpit. Downhaul, outhaul, kicker/vang. See the thread "Lug rig heaven" on this forum.
At one stage a bit of a gust came down the lake so we went onto a beam reach and I eased the outhaul to put a lot more fullness in the mainsail (you can go up to 1:7 on a reach when the flow is attached) and with the wind increase the boat jumped up on the plane doing the same cush cush sound that BETH makes at the front as the foam gets spat out the sides.
Some Flying Scots came over for a closer look and waved.
Running, the boat goes faster and faster without much sense of "planing" but it is truly above hull speed.
After a couple of hours gallivanting we started to go in and Bryan suggested I go for a short single hand. I said ... yeah.
So dropped him off on the wharf and he went back to the car to get my camera and I sailed around for a bit while he took photos ... I made one reach across the lake and back and in about 7 to 9 knots the boat was planing happily and a couple of gusts made her really pick up pace. I tacked and headed back. About half centreboard down reaching and running - all down when working.
By this time Bryan had identified the video function ... so there is about 3 minutes of me spinning and sailing in the moorings. There wasn't really enough wind to make the boat difficult to sail, so it wasn't really a test of that side of things at all. But those sides are pretty tall.
So here it is ...
MIK
...tell him about it...
