Swift Solo

Originally posted by Sandy Hook

Bram;

I didn't bring up the fully battened/light hull quote, it was Furtive.

Where the quote was and those it was aimed
at, it may well have been reasonable - but it WAS there on the
site as he had said. 

About "As for Huntington Lake:  There was one Asymetrical Canoe and one Swift Solo there--no Mustos, no IC's."

Sorry, I thought Huntington WAS Jericho 2004, where the top SS was
beaten by an AC and 3 ICs (according to Bob Lewis and Anders on the US
IC site, where I got the two events confused).  My mistake.

About "The only single-handed mono out there that I am not willing to put up money against is the AC (the other three sail single-hander) unless we agree that we will not sail in above 10 knots of breeze."

Whenever I've been able to get what seems to be good info about the
relative performance of the UK ACs/MPSs/RS 700s, it seems that they are
all very similar in pace in the medium range with the AC possibly
stronger in 10-18 or so and the MPS likely better in more than that.
Maybe my info is wrong, but it seems fairly good. 

Given that the British seem to (generally) find that the MPS and 700
are about as quick as an AC in 10 knots plus, and you imply the AC is as fast or
faster than the SS in 10 knots plus..................Hmmmmmmm. 

I am of course in no way an expert
but surely have the right to raise such matters (when my info comes
from good sources ie top Canoe sailors, desigenrs and top sailors of
700s and MPSs etc).

While I happen to love jibs, it IS interesting that some VERY smart
designers with loads of success in high-performance singlehanders are
agitating to open the Canoes up to cat rigs. I 

hope you're right and the sloop is quicker but surely, balancing
the sloop supporters against cat-rig supporters like Steve Clark, Andy
Paterson, etc, we must allow a lot of room for doubt and this doubt
should be aired.

I've never had any trouble understanding your belief that maximum beam
is linked to gustiness, difficulty of handling and the number of crew.
This concept (in part)  has been mentioned since John Westell's
day, and it was very well known back in the '80s in the 18' skiffs.. Other very well
known designers have similar objections to wide trap singlehanders.

Despite understanding the concept and respecting those who believe in
it, I am not 100% sure it is defintely correct and therefore I felt it
was OK to raise doubts about its application. 

I just wonder whether the
problems with wide beam etc  in gusty conditions (which have never
been in any doubt) are enough to outweigh the advantages of wide beam
etc  in "normal" winds. 

For example, both the Moth and Canoes are  hard to handle yet
neither Moth nor (Australian) Canoe sailors find that it is better to
give away some of their RM in gusty conditions by sitting much further
inboard on the plank or wings. Even in conditions like the Brass Monkey
regatta in Sydney this spring (about 50% retirement rate due to VERY
gusty conditions) the Canoe that was 5th in the world (last time he
raced) and the Moth that was 1st in the world were fully out in the
gusts (as far as I could see, I was damn busy racing 'em!). Therefore
the world-class Mothies and Canoe sailors feel that maximum RM is the
way to go even in extremely gusty conditions, on less stable hulls than
that of the SS. If you don't WANT maximum RM, just move inboard - but
if you have the option of going wide it seems incredibly valuable. 

I'd assume that in the
gusty stuff, a top-class singlehander on a trap could have just trapped
high and moved onto an  intermediate position like dual world
Contender champ Arthur Brett often did. 

And  I would also assume that when the wind steadied down, each
inch more beam would have been a fraction more speed - no way am I
going to go to a shorter plank on my Canoe! 

That's the sort of reason I wondered about the relatively narrow beam
of the SS. Maybe it's different with traps (which is what Julian says).
But the fact that (as I understand it) the MPS and 700 can pace it with
the AC in 10 knots + indicates that they DO go very well in often-gusty
British conditions. A former world Contender champ reckons the MPS is
EASIER to sail than a 14, ergo gusty conditions may not be such a
problem for singlehanded skiffs.

I DO (as I said) believe that easing the jibsheet can be very
important. So I agree (for what its
worth) that your system may well be an advantage.

That doesn't mean (a) we have to just accept the SS system blindly
without mentioning that on other craft it has not worked so well (even
when I wanted it to!).

(b) that we have to accept that the jib system will be enough to make
up for what seems to be (from my non-expert viewpoint) a lack of hiking
power compared to the MPS and 700 (which DO seem to be as fast in 10
knots plus as the AC). 

I certainly agree with you that the rack may be undervalued, as shown by Canoes and Skates.

Anyway, thanks for the post. It would be fascinating to get all the
candidates for the title of fastest singlehanded mono together. I'll
have to leave it to others as I'm leaving tomorrow for the first of 3,
4 or 5 national titles I'm doing this season.  

You've got the Swifts, Anders can represent the Canoes very
well.......just got to get some of the British 700s and MPS and an
Aussie or British Moth along! I'd certainly put money on the SS in the
light stuff, but the all-round champ.......hmmmmmm.  

Edited by Chris 249