Spy photos

A couple more details here:

http://www.vandercraft.co.uk/News=7

I was also lucky enough to be invited along for a sail last night, and what an interesting experience it was - quite unique. It's very much more a keelboat than, for example, Mark Giles' Orion SRD, which feels pretty much like a normal dinghy to sail till you get knocked over. This new boat feels like what i'd imagine an Int. Canoe would be like if you put a big lead bulb on the end of its 'board: you could hike or not hike according to whim, and while admittedly the winds were light, l was able to sail the boat upwind and down while crouched in the cockpit when I chose.

The pics don't really show just how long and narrow the boat is, especially on the waterline, though she would still happily carry the owner plus a friend if required. The hull is very light, and there's lots of weight in the bulb.

The big question for me is: should hiking be allowed in the class, or should the helm be limited to sitting on the side, such as in some keeboat classes. Given that the boat is designed to heel - i.e. it's more like an Elite than a Flying Fifteen - I think the target sailor would have more fun just sat on the side with his 'head out of the boat', thinking tactics - a bit like sailing an Illusion wherein you were allowed to sit up on the side out of the wet cockpit floor! It would also reduce the effect of different crew weights.