R Speculation

Have you waited for a new boat to be built?  It's a painful roller-coaster experience... you get all excited about it, work yourself up in a frenzy enough to commit to the order and then sit back, waiting...  waiting.... waiting.... Praestolor was up there for the 'top boat names' list, well done Grumpf!

I waited 8 weeks for a Phantom, enough time for doubt to set in courtesy of the emerging RS300s who were getting the best of the summer sailing under their belts- as each week passed another one joined their ranks.... and there was me, on the side-lines, waiting, waiting, waiting.... determined not to buy another RS boat despite the great fleet that was building.  Eventually I backed down thanks to a 'big brother' style bit of advice from Inland Sea (cheers mate!), I then got shot of that barge and bought one of the best single handers ever produced.  I caught the tail end of great boom of great racing at Draycote- it's such a shame some of us dropped the ball chasing other dreams.  Hindsight's wonderful hey?

It was a longer wait still for the RS100 for those of us who knew about it before it was 'known about' (enough to buy and then give away a Laser to keep me on the water).  And look how that turned out- the novelty value of the kite soon expired and you're left with a sub 1000 PY boat without the grace and glide of the 300 in light winds, and without the righting moment of the MPS when its windy.  And don't even go there about the majority of its upwind sailing time... fun factor: nil.

My rock has been windsurfing- always filling the gap.  I've probably spent more time windsurfing 'between boats' than I have sailing the boats.  I guess that's why I did alright at the windsurf event last week- more time on the water without a rudder over the last 10 years than with   .  

Looking further back, I had a few weeks waiting on a Vareo only for it to fall apart.  A few weeks waiting for a replacement Vareo, only for that to fall apart too.  Then I had to wait for the Musto Skiff- that was worth the wait though.  Loved that boat for what it was but life through a curve ball into my sailing, and no way that was going to work with a baby on the horizon.  A better sailor could probably ride the storm, but 6 weeks off the wire was enough for me to fall back down a steep learning curve.  

I had to wait an age for my Solo- trying to fit in around the build slots of the pro-resllers.  I didn't complain with that though, it did at least feel like a piece of custom, hand built work.  A sail craft fabricated by a true professional.  I bet that's how some of the Moth or IC customers feel- especially adding their little nuances to the build process.  You not only pay, but you wait for quality.  

Another life curve ball down the line more recently: if I could have bought one there and then, I'd still have a D-Zero and doubt I'd be selling it.  It took 20 seconds to place the deposit and decide to sell my Solo.  The boat looks so right, a test sail confirmed it later.  But since placing a deposit and the potential of taking delivery, we've sold our house and in the process of moving, any further significant expenditure is put on hold for the time being.    The windsurf board I'd ordered and received within 3 days is still in the garage, and there's no plans to sell it and release the equity in it.  The same could have been said for a D-Zero if I'd got hold of it at the point of deciding to buy it.  Frankly 5 grand won't make much of a dent in the mortgage, but it's enough not to take it on fresh now.  I'm not blaming anyone at Devoti or Suntouched- that's the way the dinghy industry works, but it does seem wholly out of sync with 21st Century consumerism.  I guess the one silver lining is you know Devoti are producing a quality product with great after sales, so once you get it it should be time on the water, not time fixing a shoddily released beta product.

the real test will be the number of speeding tickets you get driving it back to the club.... get back early enough and you can sneak a cheeky sail in and tell your Mrs the 'traffic was bad' to explain your tardy attitude towards helping sort the kids out that evening.  

I have had 3 people take mine out already and many more admiring glances. If the wind is nice then I expect quite a few more to have a go in the coming weeks.

The boat is insured after all and people know I expect them to pick up the bill if they bend it.......

(Having said that I was in a Phantom and Solo sandwich at the weekend....)