Tales from aFarr

Well I finally got it all together, just about in time for the 1st race of the season at Hythe amid much appreciation on the looks of a properly disguised wood core epoxy hybrid as I call it when asked what's it made of.

Even had some help and insistence I didn't let it touch the shingle (I had planned the customary picture to wind up the Facebook mob) It was offshore had been 17 mph earlier but was dropping fast then naturally as soon as we shoved off it almost vanished entirely then began switching around NNE thru WNW absolutely no chance to get wired in.

So we shuffled out to the downwind mark it's a fair way out and the principle reason I've switched from hiking to wiring this year, well I will get on the wire one day, when I've finally got the wires of equal length and the right height, this however wasn't my main problem.

The nightmare came every couple of seconds as the plate shot back up to contact the boom as there's nothing to hold it down and it wasn't a tight fit so something I've got to sort later. Funny the last brand new boat I took on the water (a demo Solution) the plate wouldn't stay down, I can see why it's a problem in a confined workshop, but never the less annoying. Then again as SWMBO pointed out who but a complete and total idiot only ever goes out to race and would consider taking something straight out of the box onto the startline.

So it was a weird race me having to try and stand on the plate to keep it down, it shooting to the surface every few seconds (it would stay down if there was any sideways pressure but the wind kept dropping to nothing and immediately it would pop up so you can imagine what sort of start in 1st beat it was.

It was silly stupid wind we had a puff to start and I went off the line with an RS100 that I held for a bit but the plate popped up I started freaking and he slowly pulled away, the other end of the line had equal issues and there was of course the inevitable tide you kind of forget about with a winter of closed water lake sailing,

I eventually went round the 1st mark DFL with a Contender, we'd both managed to drift from hole to hole, all the Lasers had caught up and over taken us, he'd had enough and went in, I carried on to see what would happen off wind (the Lasers were already at the gybe mark stalled in another hole) it filled in enough for me to catch them, there then ensued a tacking battle against the tide to try and get round the mark which took another five minutes and I made it round first. The faster boats, a Blaze, an RS600 and the RS100 were long gone back down at the leeward mark and had been making no progress against the tide so the race abandoned signal howled from the club as the already too cold rescue crews considered their predicament of getting the boats that had been ahead back to the club as they were considerably down tide and the wind had all but gone.

So inconclusive really as far as the boat is concerned. I learned a few things, it'll be as I suspected hard work to deal with just about everything we have in light weather, Blaze, RS100, 600 all just marched away when the wind did fill in, before the wind finally went squirrel stupid I was just behind them but ahead of the Lasers, they then also overwhelmed us mainly due to lack of concentration, so it might help if the plate doesn't keep popping up. Off wind will probably be it's strong point where the light weight will help, if I can get on the wire then it'll be a whole new game, such a shame it didn't just blow enough for one wire run.

As to its sailing quality if felt like a glove, just slipped it on and off we went, not unlike the Solution, little bit of weather helm, but that could be the plate, there was a position you could almost hold it down by raking it back (something I guess you do when it's windy) at no time did I feel threatened by it and it footsteers a treat, probably is the closest thing I've sailed to a race board. So I'll get some bungee chord to hold the plate where I want it and try again, then report back.

was this the one at the dinghy show?

looked rather nice, but let down by the obvious fake carbon sticker on the foredeck. couldnt you have gone single skin of laminate and clearcoat? wouldnt add much weight if any, or is it not allowed in class?   

Hmmm baby blue chrome or gold leaf.
Nice looking boat, would be disappointed that a new boat needed fettling, loose daggerboard ?

The only new boat I bought which didn't need a bit of work was the Solo, everything else needed something sorting.  

iGRF - yep it fits like a glove, and feels like a Race Board. You will want to move the board angle around to suit your rig rake and rudder feel.