Olivier's GIS videos

[Boatmik]

Some time ago I received this pic of the GIS that Olivier Chamel is building in Florida.


[media]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2170/2514848875_03dc73ae10.jpg[/media]Anyway, I was showing some of the PDR and GIS video clips to someone today and noticed that there are some mysterious new videos on youtube.

I just tried to track some details down about Olivier, but it looks like he might be involved in some of the USA distance races.

Someone described him as "a man to whom the word REEF is a four letter word". This means he either likes sailing fast or likes sailing in shallow water ... quite possible around Florida.

Anyway ... I'll see if I can remember how to embed videos.
if I can't this is a link to all Olivier's Goat Island Skiff Videos incase the below does not work


Can anyone see these work below?

[media]http://youtube.com/watch?v=hiY469mgE3U[/media]

[media]http://youtube.com/watch?v=ilCL2E7UaIY[/media]

[media]http://youtube.com/watch?v=FP3MHMngeEU[/media]

[media]http://youtube.com/watch?v=1jJcIkAusAI[/media]

[media]http://youtube.com/watch?v=fseMm6Ddbho[/media]

[CCBB]

Saw the videos. Were they sailing her trimmed stern down? Seems like the trim was off...when the wind is this light what is the best seating arrangement with two aboard?

This reminds me...when rowing with two, one rower with one crewman, how does she trim best when one is rowing...where should the second person be for best trim?

Cheers,
Clint

[Boatmik]

Howdy Clint.

When sailing it singlehanded it is best to cram forward against the back of the mid seat.

So the early pics showed the skipper sitting too far aft. With the videos with the camera aboard the boat (isn't the boat moving really well - nice impression of a Goat's speed) the guy with the camera is on the mid seat and the helm has moved forward - so boat has responeded and is .. OFF!

As far as rowing ... you have hit the nail on the head. It is a problem with any rowboat ... what to do when the second person is aboard? There is only really one place that makes sense and that is on the rear seat.

Note that with a fine sterned traditional rowboat this normally means the stern sinks and the bow is out of the water.

With really proper rowboats designed to carry different loads there are often a second set of rowing positions forward ... but most modern boats are too short for this to be really effective as the rower ends up near the bow at a narrower part of the boat with the wrong spread or inadequate spread for the oars.

Happily a sailing hullshape with more width at the transom will sink less and be less affected. Particularly with my rowboat and the goat to some extent I have made the rear seat quite wide to force the passenger out of the stern area more toward the middle of the boat.

Also the Storer rowboat has a very fine bow which allows the rower to move forward a bit (second set of rowlocks a bit forward are an option and the mid seat is very wide to allow the rower to shuffle a bit further forward).

With the rower and TWO passengers or some goods it becomes a bit easier.

[CCBB]

Those videos flying along in the rain are great to see. Our chop is bigger, but it seems like a GIS will take Casco Bay waves pretty well.

Question: The sail they have seems quite light...and I could not detect battens. Will heavier cloth deal with heavier winds better, for longer, in terms of holding shape and durability. (I still have not gotten a Sailrite quote) The yard looked to be bending a bit so it looked like a good 15+ knots! How much should a yard bend? That stick looked solid, too, which I know is a good thing.

Cheers,
Clint

[Boatmik]

Howdy Clint,

The yard should bend about an inch with just the normal tension on the downhaul before the sail fills with breeze at all.

In a good gust it probably bends up to three inches.

Reputable sailmakers have the cloth weight well and truly pegged down. So I'd be quite happy to follow the advice of whoever you buy from.

Peter's GIS sail is now 14 years old (is it?) and the famous pic from a couple of years ago shows the sail is doing OK. If you are out three times a week it might take you a couple of years to get the same type of wear and tear.



The full length battens are optional. The biggest wear on a sail is flapping. and the lugs don't seem to flap much even when the boat is left on the beach. Though I do often lie a boat down with its bottom pointing into the breeze if it is being left for a bit.

[Boatmik]

From Gary Blenkinsop about Olivier's Goat

Michael:
Glad you like the videos. We had a great time building the boat, starting in January, so it was a pretty fast build. The further along it got, the more confident Olivier got and the more of the work he did, especially the finishing. He's an architect with a fine aesthtic sense and insisted on varnishing the rails and inside; I would have painted for easier maintenance and to keep a bit cooler in the Florida sun. I feared the varnished seats would be too hot to sit on, but they're not.

Chuck has a story on building the GIS, which should run shortly, and I'm shipping the second part on sailing it tonight. The videos you came across were posted on YouTube so Chuck can link to them for the story . . .

Gary Blankenship

P.S. Thee must be a lot of searches for the GIS on YouTube; I noticed one of our posted videos has had almost 700 hits, with no publicity.

[Boatmik]

From Gary Blenkinsop about Olivier's Goat

P.S. Thee must be a lot of searches for the GIS on YouTube; I noticed one of our posted videos has had almost 700 hits, with no publicity.

They are all me!
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=gbship

Actually up to 900 now.

MIK

[Boatmik]

Just noticed there is a great write up on Duckworks of Olivier and Gary building this Goat Island Skiff



Best wishes
Michael