AUS 32 Launches and the 2009 Nationals

Though the images appear in the wrong order chronologically, they are:

1. Broken Self Tacker - AUS31 on Heat 6 of the Nationals
2. Broken rudder shaft - AUS32 Heat 3 of the Nationals
3. Nethercott, Flatpack, Serendipity (flatpack)
4. AUS32 'Serendipity' on her maiden sail

Pete launched Serendipity (AUS32) in almost no wind the day before the Nationals and quickly discovered that he needed grip and that he needed to plug a leak in the transom.

Hayden ran the measuring stick over AUS31, and pointed out that I needed to fair in the ends of my flares to reduce having 2 hollows in profile view - this is an easy fix. I also need to fair my tiller stock - which I was planning on doing anyway as i am switching from kick up back to cassette rudder.

For an overview of the Nationals I suggest you check out the Nationals report and results (which I will publish shortly) but here is my bullet point take on the nationals:

• AUS31's rig needs major work, the self tacker flexed too much meaning the jib pulled to dead centre and back winded the main badly - upwind I was lucky to be withing 15 degrees of the other boats pointing range. 
• The mainsail was far to full and the battens just would not click over, after day 1 I switched back to the old flat AUS018 mainsail and immediately performed better
• The hull slipped very easily through the water, and makes very similar noises to Haydens 'Miracle Drug' upwind. Though I was getting a gurgling sound down aft which may be a bit of air getting sucked in around the kick up rudder.
• I need to do more work on my plank to get it to slide better
• I need to round the leading edge of my foils a little more - suggested by Seth after he noticed it took me a little while to get going after tacks
• I need to move the daggerboard slot further forward, the boat was hard to tack
• I need to put on a conventional jib sheeting system, this decision was made easier by the self tacker ripping out of the boat.
• I need to strengthen the rudder axle on my boat as insurance against what happened to AUS32
• I may look at a different vang system to the GNAV
• I need to rub back the boat and get the finished surface that I want.

Overall I am disappointed with my result in the Nationals, but I am pretty pleased with my first 5 and a 1/2 races in the first boat I have built. Though  could not run with the other new IC's i could beat the Nethercotts when things held together even though I had some very visible major rig issues. I need to sit down and work with Geoff on a plan to address some of the above issues and incorporate the changes into the flatpack building instructions so that others can benefit from this Beta testing. I am looking forward to taking the flatpack back east in October to see if I can apply what I have learned.