There were plenty of strong results for P&B powered boats last week. Internationally P&B Sails continued their strong form at the Lake Garda annual 505 regatta, the top 2 teams both sailed with a full inventory of P&B sails and the overall winner was also using a P&B high aspect rudder.
In the UK there was plenty going on at Hayling Island with large turnouts for both the Fireball and Merlin Rocket classes. In the Fireball David Edwards and Vyv Townsend barely put a foot wrong with an incredibly consistent scoreline to win the event against all the key UK contenders for the World Championships later this year. Using the latest full cut P&B jib design with the bi-radial mainsail and Selden Alto mast they showed great pace across the variety of conditions during the 6 race series. The P&B Medium Spinnaker is still showing as a firm favourite within the class, offering the best all round performance both running and reaching. It is cut to suit the triangle/sausage courses usually sailed.
In the Merlin’s the results sheet was dominated by P&B with 4 in the top 5 using P&B sails. Much to my surprise, Roz and I ended the weekend on equal points with Nick Craig, losing out on count back in what was our first open event together in the Merlin since 2013. With a new mast, different mainsail design and a P&B high aspect rudder all of which we have only used a handful of times, it was great to be right in the mix and to come away feeling that although we were on the pace, there is still more to come.
The Paragon mast is quite a bit stiffer than our old Selden S2 and with an all up weight of 136kg we never knew how this would go for us in open water against the bigger teams. With changes to rig tension, lower tension and jib car positions we were pleased to see that in the 15-18 knot final race we were hanging onto Nick at the end of what felt like a long and hard weekends racing. The paragon rig certainly generates power in the lighter breeze compared to our previous set up and this went a long way to securing us the overnight lead after the first 3 races in Saturday’s lighter wind, for the strong winds we will continue to work on the rig set up to get the most performance possible. Nick and Tom were also using a Paragon mast and as one of the heavier teams it is encouraging to see the mast adapting so well to suit one of the heaviest and lightest teams in the fleet. The teams with Paragon masts seemed to have an upwind height advantage over other spars.
I was uncertain what to expect from the high aspect rudder. I have sailed with it all the way through the winter but this was the first test in waves, where a Merlin Rocket’s bow can often steer the boat when off wind, asking a lot of the helm and rudder to stay upright. I came away from the weekend confident the rudder is quick but also very confident it never stalled or presented any issues even on the exciting sail in down the side of the Hayling bar with wind over tide.
Having come away from the weekend feeling pretty rusty in a lot of areas we managed to get out for a sail one evening this week, it’s always great if you have areas from an event that you want to work on to address them as soon as possible and our biggest issue was our boat handling. We had a camera on for the session and there is a highlight video on our Facebook page.
For more information on P&B sails and manufacturer products contact us via email or call 01489 577748. Check out the P&B South Facebook Page for the latest videos and in store offers.
IS YOUR BOAT SECURE?
Adrian took the time this week to enquire with a few of the insurance companies as to what people need to do when their boat is in transit or in the boat park in order for their insurance to be valid. It’s an interesting point that quite often it is easy to park your boat somewhere that isn’t secure, the input from the insurers was that they would require signs of force for a boat to be covered under the insurance. There are a number of products on the market that can protect your boat, wheel clamps and hitch locks can go a long way to preventing a boat from being stolen and are a very cost effective solution.
Adrian also raised the questions over equipment left in boats and guidelines for boats left hitched on a car overnight. Generally equipment in boats is insured if the cover has to be removed for it to be stolen, if you are travelling to an event and leave your boat hitched on the car overnight then it needs to be chained to the car or the trailer locked to be covered.
Certainly the information we received produced a lot of instances where we all leave our boats in situations where they aren’t covered. I can think of a lot of championship venues where there wasn’t any security at all and I like many others never think twice about parking in a motorway services where it would be all too easy for someone to unhook a trailer and take it. Policies and responses vary from one insurance company to another but check your policy wording and speak to your insurer should you have any questions.
P&B offer a range of locks and security measures to protect your boat. Contact us in store or visit our website for more information.
Fareham –
enquiries@pinbax.com 01489 577748
Northampton –
info@pinbax.com 01604 592808
www.pinbax.com
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK!
This week Adrian has picked our puncture proof trolley wheel as the product of the week. This inner tube free wheel will not puncture preventing the possibility of moving a boat around with a flat tyre. One of our best selling products and currently availa
ble in store at the bargain price of £45 for a pair!
Also in stock Pneumatic trolley wheels for £15.95 each and beach trolley wheels for £27.75.
Contact us via e-mail (
enquiries@pinbax.com) or phone 01489 577748 to take advantage of these fantastic prices while stocks last!
10% off Baltic Buoyancy Aids – offer ends 31st May 2015.
Visit us in store in Fareham or check our website for more information.