G'day,
> question:
> what do you mean the jib doesn't tack when luff tensioned?
The jib track was facing forward so only half the balls in the car
were working. Consequently it did not want to slide over during a
shunt, unless it had a thump from a fist oir foot to get it going. We
altered the angle so the track was pointing at 90 degrees to the
forestay, all the balls were then in contact and it went across with
ease.
> how is the weather helm reduced by changing the top of the mainsail?
Flattening, feathering or removing (by reefing) the top of the main
means less drive aft of the mast so there is less force pushing the
back of the boat to leeward.
> what were you doing two shunts for on the square run?
Course was 2 paralell reaching legson starboard seperated by a couple
of miles of near square running on port. We had to gybe to sail
downwind, then again to get back onto the paralell course. Most
embarassing to stuff it up as badly as I did.
> whats a tight fetch?
Upwind, but without needing to tack.
>
> and yes also enjoyed the full moon, but wasn't game to go night sailing.
It was too cloudy to be spectacular, but pleasant nevertheless.
regards,
Rob
>
> doug
> mandurahj
>
> --- On Wed, 15/4/09, Rob Denney <harryproa@gmail.
>
> From: Rob Denney <harryproa@gmail.
> Subject: Re: [harryproa] Re: Rare Bird b2g
> To: harryproa@yahoogrou
> Date: Wednesday, 15 April, 2009, 9:50 PM
>
> G'day,
>
> I arrived in Brisbane a week before the race to check out the boat.
> Sailing notes follow.
>
> Day 1 Scrubbed it inside and out, including the toilet which was
> pretty awful, and is still not ideal. Suspect some leakage under the
> holding tank. Otherwise the boat is in good nick for 3 years sitting
> on a mooring. Basics are good, some of the eye shine needs a look.
> Went sailing, main was very hard to pull up (salt in the cars), lots
> of headstay sag unless main leech very hard on. Jib track should be
> on top of the track, not the front face as the roller car can't handle
> it. Needs jib luff tension to get the shape right, but then the jib
> doesn't tack. Added a jib downhaul so the jib can be pulled down from
> the deck level. Shunting easy enough , but independant rudders are
> harder work than with linked rudders. Put the kite up, but 3 lines
> on one winch did not work.
> Boat seems sluggish, maybe due to only partial scrub. Lucky to beat
> the Seawind 12m on the strength of this performance.
>
> 2nd sail Bit more breeze, bit of weather helm, fixed with topping
> lift to flatten and twist off the top of the main. Jib needs hollow
> cut in luff. Main easier to hoist after a wash. Shunting better
> every time, down to 30 seconds from dumping sheet to moving on the new
> tack. Reached at 15.7 knots in 15-18 at the local weather station.
> Tacked through 90 degrees at 7 knots, about 20 knots of breeze, lumpy
> waves. Motion very nice, but wet on deck. Dismantleable boats need
> lips under the joints to stop waves coming up the trouser legs of
> unsuspecting crew. Steering blocks stuffed, need replacing. Boat
> sailing much better, may match the Waterlines if the breeze is up.
>
> 3rd sail 10-15 breeze, top speed 13.6 Steering upwind with stern
> rudder centred and steering with the bow rudder is effortless and
> holds course for minutes at a time. We could put the boat near head
> to wind and speed down to near stopped and still get back on course
> with the sails sheeted on hard. We lifted the front rudder except
> when going upwind, which did not affect the steering. The jib track
> rotated to 90 degrees from the forestay works much better. Motored
> at 10.7 knot (2x Honda 20's) in flat water, 7 with one. Kite up in
> 10 true, nearly made it to the end of the lines, when it fell in the
> water. System still not perfect, but two cleats and a winch works
> well single handed.
>
> Crew for the race was me, Col (owner, sailed a bit, but never raced),
> Karen (his girlfriend who has never been on a boat before), and Katy
> (my 7 year old daughter). The race started at 11 am, we left home at
> 7 and arrived just as the gun went. Gave the fleet 5 minutes start
> and took off after them on a broad reach in 5 knots of breeze. We were
> slow compared to the others who all had spinnakers or screechers, plus
> their working sails. I Can't find the sail area of most of the fleet,
> but it looked like our working sail area of 72 sq m was less than any
> other boat in the fleet, except the 9m tri.
>
> After a couple of miles we had a short beat in a bit more breeze.
> Difficult to tell how we were going as we way overstood the mark,
> partly due to not knowing where it was as the sailing instructions
> were at home.
>
> Then a long reach out to Tangalooma with the breeze up to maybe 15.
> We went past the Seawind with main, jib and screecher up and near the
> end got past Catalina (Rogers 11m cruising cat) also under screecher.
> They got us at the mark as we were a little low. Bore away onto a
> broad reach, got a puff and went past to leeward of them at 17 knots.
> Boat under control, lot of spray, but no problem. Then a 2 mile
> square run. We did 2 incredibly bad shunts and Catalina got past
> under symmetric spinnaker. A long broad reach in a little less wind
> and Catalina stayed the same distance ahead under screecher again.
> The first of the non 50'ters in the mono race with shy kite caught up
> half a mile on us in this leg. Then a very tight fetch for a couple
> of miles in pretty choppy waves on a sizable swell. All 3 boats were
> about the same speed and height.
>
> Next leg was 130 miles of beam reaching in 15-22 knots under a
> sporadic full moon. Rare Bird loved it, we had dinner and Col and I
> were doing 4 hours on, 4 off while the girls slept. We were cruising
> happily at 10-15 knots, steering with the stern rudder with the bow
> one free streaming. At midnight we had an accidental jibe so decided
> to put in a reef until daylight. Speed dropped a bit and it was much
> more relaxing to sail.
>
> At 2 am we were half way up Fraser IsIand when heard a quiet, but
> distinct, bang. The steering and speed were unchanged and nothing
> seemed amiss so I kept sailing. 10 minutes later I got up for a
> stretch and noticed the bow rudder at right angles to the hull. The
> 19mm/0.75mm stainless pintle had sheered at the bottom gudgeon, then
> bent 75 degrees at the top one. There was a little bit of damage at
> to the carbon tow at the lower gudgeon but no other damage. Got Col
> up and we wrapped a rope round it to stop it floating away if it came
> loose, dropped the sails, started the motors and headed for home.
> Informed the Coastguard and through them the organising club at first
> light.
>
> On inspection, the ends of the broken ss rod had rust spots on most
> of the surface, indicating that it had cracked (crevice corrosion?)
> almost all the way through before breaking. This was supported by the
> quietness of the bang and the obvious lack of load on it.
>
> It was disappointing that one of the few structural non composite
> parts broke, and that it probably was not the marine grade specified,
> but all in all, a fun experience with nice people. It was my first
> decent trip on a large cruising harry that I had not designed and
> built myself. I have a couple of pages of notes and changes to make
> to future boats, but nothing happened to alter my conviction that a
> harryproa is the best way to get space and performance at low price.
> Col started out pretty dubious about the side mounted rudders, but was
> sufficienty impressed to decide to repair them with carbon rods and
> use what he had learnt about racing, preparation and his boat to have
> another go next year.
>
> The boat was definitely slower than the 15m/50' cats in the race in
> light air when they put up screechers and spinnakers, but given that
> Rare Bird was designed as a cruiser for an owner who never bothered
> with extras on his earlier cruising cats, this was not a surprise.
> Col is debating whether to get a screecher or add 4m to the mast (or
> both!) for next year.
>
> Doug, welcome home! Your trip sounds more exciting than mine, any
> chance of some details?
>
> Answers to other forum and personal questions in the next day or so.
> Any that aren't answered by the weekend, please send them to me
> personally. Got a bit on as the 15m panel boat started without me
> knowing and they are waiting for some drawings, the Chinese have some
> orders for a yet to be designed 6m and there is a bunch of other boat
> stuff going on at the moment.
>
> regards,
>
> Rob
>
>
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