Weta, fastest boat on the water!

I suppose that part of the fun of sailing is talking about various boats when you’re not actually out sailing.

I happen to own a Weta. I also own the world’s fastest production sailboat (Hobie Trifoiler). It’s never occurred to me to pit one against the other or argue with myself or others about which one is a better boat. They’re different animals and comparisons between them or other boats is neither fair nor really possible. I suppose I could denigrate the Lasers, Radials, Contenders, F18's, A-Cats, etc., etc., by saying that the TriFoiler will easily blow any of them off the water in short order (provided I have at least 8 knots of wind!). But that’s not my game. Every boat has its virtues, in my opinion.

The Weta has never been marketed as the “Fastest Boat On The Water.” At least not by Weta Marine. It has been marketed as “Fast, Fun, Easy” and that’s hard to argue with.  

Fast: This is relative term. For a 14 foot boat, the Weta is indeed fast. 14 to 15 MPH is not hard to do. 17 to 18 is possible in the right conditions. It accelerates in an instant. It certainly “feels” fast.

Fun: Weta sailors generally have big, big smiles on their faces. Is this not the real object of sailing in this day and age - to have fun? If so then this claim is also true.

Easy: Okay, it’s fairly quick and easy to set up. A fit person can easily do it by themselves. It’s relatively easy to sail although it can be capsized a bit easier than some would have you believe if you’re not quick on the mainsheet and tiller in strong winds. I wouldn’t send a kid or a physically challenged person out in the Weta when the wind is much above 15 knots, unless perhaps I have run up the storm main, or removed the jib. But there is a strong argument to be made that it is indeed easy. Again, this is a relative term.

This I know - I have taken out cat sailors, laser sailors, mono hull sailors and a host of others in my Weta. And they all come back with nothing but praise for the Weta. They like it because it's... Fun!

I'm just back from a 3-week road trip from Sydney to the Gold Coast with my Weta that finished early as my partner had an accident when we were staying at Brunswick Heads. So we never quite made it but I did have some interesting sailing along the way:

• At Port Stephens where I joined the locals in the Wednesday afternoon race.
• At Trial Bay where another Weta sailor joined me and we sailed to Smokey Cape Lighthouse and back.
• At Brunswick Heads where you had to pick your moment to avoid the waves breaking over the bar at the river entrance -  but it was fun surfing on them on the way back from Byron Bay.
• But perhaps the best was at Ballina where there were Dolphins in the Richmond River on the way out and Whales breaching offshore once I was out on the ocean.

This is winter sailing in Australia BTW. Wish you were here?
 
Living in Sydney city centre, we don't own a car and use the GoGet share cars if we need one - but they don't have tow bars. So our tow car for the trip was a 5-year old Lexus RX350 4x4 with every extra from Drivemycarrentals.com.au which we rented for $49/day for 3 weeks (min 1 week) that came fitted with a tow bar. Use the Advanced Search to find cars with tow bars here http://www.drivemycarrentals.com.au/search
 
The Weta proved an ideal touring boat - it takes up little room on the trailer, it only weighs 100Kg and can be launched from a beach or ramp single handed in 30 mins.

And you don't have to worry about a rescue boat since it can be easily righted if it does go over (I didn't  - but I did have a "moment" in the waves).

Weta #325

Sydney