MK 4 OSPREY

Aye was being thick - resized now 

Originally posted by JimC So have the folk who kicked up the s***fight calmed down?

Just having alook back and saw that this question was never answered properly.

There is no longer any problem regarding the Mark IV's legality. The centreboard issue was resolved at the AGM's, however the Mark III that did change their centre board said there was **** all difference in performance anyway. The boats coming out of the mould measure and the regulations for the measurement of the new boats are in place. So all is hunky dory as far as that is concerned and anyone buying a new boat will be buying a legal Osprey .

The nationals had an ok turn out but still well short of what the fleet has achieved in the past. it was a good event with just about every wind condition available making an appearance . Unfortunately dad and i only really got the boat going properly for the occasional lap, but we were still contented with 20th out of 36th as we havn't raced other Ospreys before/sailed together long. The social side was ok too. the nationals was won by a wood Mk III, showing that the old boats are not outclassed. there was also a team of 3 in a boat (which is class legal and may be appealing for lightweights/family teams), who were well placed, a highest ever womens finish in an Osprey nats (grats Viola ), and a 12 year old helm making it 3rd to the windward mark! Hopefully next year now that the politics are over, the Mark IV's in full production, the venue being Cornwall and it being the 50th nationals next years will be bigger and better.

Our twin pole system works pretty well now we have got the hang of it, though there is still a glitch that crops up from time to time that we are trying to eliminate. however when all goes well i can gybe a lot quicker than i ever could with an end to end pole, though whether that is the case for someone who is actually good at using one is a different matter .

I believe that there are now have now been 25 MK IV's ordered this year (including those built already). Hartley laminates have a stand at the Soton boat show with a shiny new boat on it which i'd encourage anyone to go look at. There is even a special show offer for a free trailer with a boat show order if you are besotted .

Lastly there are a few Ospreys attending the SGP of which i will be one. Ifg anyone wants to try a new boat either at Shoreham or at the SGP dont hesitate to PM me and i'll see what i can do.

Yachts and Yachting November 3rd 2006 print edition has a sailing test report by Jeremy Evans of the Hartley MkIV Osprey.

Quote " We had loads of wind for our session with the nearest inshore wind station recording a steady 20-plus gusting 28.6 knots..."

Quote "The Osprey rocketed upwind from Cobner Point and made mincemeat of the waves off Hayling. Despite having a decent RIB with a 40hp outboard, we gave up the chase. So the Osprey came rocketing back downwind with the kite up and Mark flat out on the wire - and our RIB still had a lot of trouble catching that 1950s missile which was impressively fast at full bore!"

Great to see an established class grasping the future and getting a really great boat out of it as well - listen up some of you out there who go to AGM's and vote against this stuff just cos it's different to your's - - it's called progress!!

FRP hulls - for the sailor who wants to sail, not sand and varnish

Carbon spars - for the sailor who wants to get the best from modern technology, not look at it as it goes by (again) on the first reach...