Spy photos

OK then - have a look - It is difficult to keep anything underwraps even when we test at odd times !

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/david4780/HaloFirstSail#528348 7647205644802

Very early days and all we are doing initially currently is sorting out the unusual mast /main combination and making sure the over-rotation works as well as we have been told.  There may be some killer vices in there but we have not found them yet and at last we have something tangible to show.  However do remember this may not be made available in the UK ... but just maybe. 

Also - it is for big guys as has been said already.  But HALO will be much much more than just a large mainsail on an existing hull.  If you are much less than 100kg you may struggle when it blows - it really is intended to be so ... HALO = Heavy And Large Option.

Blaze 720

The moth belongs to my brother (Adam or gbr884 on the forum).

The boat needs a bit of work but with a new sail and near new foils it was a bargain buy at only £2,200!

I cant wait to pinch it off him and have a go now

Mark.

Originally posted by Daniel Holman

Did I see 2nd at the BM? What handicap were you off???

Daniel

Well done - it looked good in the conditions. 

I was in the Halo, the bigger (heavy weights) rig Blaze and had a very enjoyable and quite educational race as well.  It was Halo's very first race against any craft whatsoever so we were unable to suggest any sort of  PN figure to QMSC but did declare that it had a sail plan 15% bigger than standard in advance and that we did expect it to be faster ... which it was.

However I wish we had suggested a number to them having read about your experience here.  The Blaze has sailed off 1047 for many years now - in the event QMSC allocated Halo the equivalent of 926 !!!  ie 13 minutes behind the Phantoms and 10 minutes behind the Merlins or 14 minutes faster than a standard Blaze.  Good learning excercise anyway and I have a good list of changes now to improve it further but a few people were wondering around the bar afterwards exactly how 15% sail area change equates to 121 pn number change !  

We know they should and must be conservative with untried craft.  However this would suggest Halo is, by a long county mile, considerably faster than almost any other hiking singlehander, Moths excluded.   God knows what they will allocate us next time if we appear with a spinnaker !   We better take advice ....

Blaze 720     

PS - I did enjoy racing with the Cherubs and 600's though !!   

Daniel

Thanks for the view. Would be interested in details of prediction assumptions.  The actual sail area change from Blaze to Halo is from 10.3 to 11.9m,  The mast is 35cm taller (6.5/6.85) and on Halo we rotate the mast.  All else remains the same.

Until we race in many more races it is difficult to predict what it really will do in terms of PN.   But it does point exceptionally high and initial feeling is that it will be between 1010 and 1025, maybe towards the lower end .... if we get to 926 I'll patent whatever it is !

Blaze 720