The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Well, it would have been  a warm but light Nationals had they gone ahead in Adelaide, but with the change to Toukley in June I got the chance to get some more time on the water:

The good

• Adding more mast rake made the boat handle much better, tacking and gybing were easy in the 7-12 knots which is comforting
• Switching the jib sheet to coming back from the mast stump worked well as does the vang off the boom
• The plank came out dry showing that my work on it during the week was worth it

The bad

• I snapped the tiller (a drop in piece which is now re-enforced with a 100mm resin impregnated wooden plug and is strong as houses)
•  have to play around with my mainsheet blocks as I am having a few issues cleating and uncleating the main

The Ugly:

• I really need the new sails for the boat as the AUS018 sails don't do the boat justice
• I need to clean up the hull and fittings now I know they work
• The mast is 55mm too long - not sure if I'll live with this or trim it
• I need a longer forestay as I may want to have even more mast rake and I am on the last setting

Sailing wise - the boat went upwind beautifully, I had the carriage forward (in fact over the centreboard) tracking upwind and had the bow just pushing into the water (about 3-4cm) as I slid along. Stern had very little disturbance and the boat slipped quietly through the water. The boat really doesn't like healing too far and has a definite 'groove' when sailing flat. Unfortunately with AUS13 not hitting the water (Kyle was taking his son and nieces out on a pacer and some bics) and AUS9 only getting out yesterday (Pete had pressing car issues) I can't give a write up compared to other IC's (hopefully next Saturday). But I can tell you that I am very happy with the way she handles and responds and I am looking forward to racing with the new sails on.

Geoff (not the designer) asked me to give my opinion on the self tacker - I have been a fan of this since having it on AUS018 (which was an IC/AC convertible Nethercott). To be honest, I don't think the self tacker track needs to be any wider than the standard 'slot' for the fairleads in the upwind position (so basically a 20-30cm width). This allows for hands free on the jib upwind sailing and the jib is still able to be trimmed easily downwind. My self tacker track is wider, but i don't believe it makes a difference on these skinnier boats (and a narrower self tacker means no need for sheet position control). A self tacker is a little more annoying in that you need to be creative to ensure the sheet can be led to you on the seat, but in my opinion it is worth it.