Wednesday, 3 October 2007
First Training Session
'A tiller' I said to myself ‘a tiller!’ This thing is sixty foot long and more powerful than anything I have sailed before! The last time I used a tiller was when sailing wayfarers at school which must have been….actually I do not want to think how long ago! ‘How can it be? Are tillers not reserved for boats under thirty foot?’ I thought to myself. Steve assured me that she is so well balanced that a tiller is in fact very easy to steer with! Unconvinced I accepted his claim but decided to reserve judgement and wait and see, albeit slightly worried about remembering which way to push or pull it.
As we passed the Needles for our first sail together on our own it was time to hoist the big A sail. ‘Time to hoist the kite’ said Steve. ‘Ok’ I responded and then came the pregnant pause, ‘oh that will be me then!’ I chuckled, remembering that we no longer had a team of ten to undertake such manoeuvres! ‘Ah’ I thought, ‘this thing is several time larger than Puma’s and I am going to have to pull it up on my own!’
Unsurprisingly, everything on the Open 60’s has been very well thought out and over the years the systems have been developed to ensure ease of use and simplicity. The kite is hoisted in a snuffer with a halyard on a double purchase, making it remarkably easy to hoist on your on. The kite will not fill until fully hoisted and the snuffer pulled to the top. ‘Great,’ I thought ‘no more telling the trimmer off for sheeting on too early!’
Despite all this I think Steve was slightly frustrated when we could not get the snuffer back down before a small tear in the huge sail expanded into a major repair. After some investigating we identified two bolts sticking through the deck that the kite must have snagged on when man handling it out of the fore hatch. That will be two more jobs for the ever growing list then!
Within no time we had the kite down and another one up. The new one is one was one of Alex Thompsons (Hugo Boss) cast offs, which had been kindly donated to Steve. As the kite filled Spirit of Weymouth accelerated with breathtaking performance. Wow, what an adrenaline rush.
A Royal Navy aircraft carrier escorted us out past the Needles. The relative speeds of the Open 60’s really sunk in as we kept pace with the carrier and two hours later it was still within our sights. Normally a ship would have long since disappeared over the horizon.
After hitting speed in excess of 17 knots in just 22 knots of breeze it was time to end our first training session. Having covered the mileage from the Needles to Portland in just two hours and thirty minutes the final task of the day drew closer. Getting the kite down whilst doing seventeen knots, powering towards the breakwater, with just two of us!
What a buzz. As for the tiller, Steve was right. Spirit of Weymouth was a dream to drive. So well balanced and amazingly responsive, just the tiniest movements would see us catch the next wave and surf down it before catching up with the next one. And yes, I did remember which way to pull and push, most of the time!
My final thoughts; I think I am going to enjoy this sailing. It is so refreshing to try something new whilst filling me with renewed enthusiasm for the sport. There is also several hundred more horse power waiting to be unleashed. I cannot wait. As Matt Lloyd would say, ‘Bring it on.’
'A tiller' I said to myself ‘a tiller!’ This thing is sixty foot long and more powerful than anything I have sailed before! The last time I used a tiller was when sailing wayfarers at school which must have been….actually I do not want to think how long ago! ‘How can it be? Are tillers not reserved for boats under thirty foot?’ I thought to myself. Steve assured me that she is so well balanced that a tiller is in fact very easy to steer with! Unconvinced I accepted his claim but decided to reserve judgement and wait and see, albeit slightly worried about remembering which way to push or pull it.
As we passed the Needles for our first sail together on our own it was time to hoist the big A sail. ‘Time to hoist the kite’ said Steve. ‘Ok’ I responded and then came the pregnant pause, ‘oh that will be me then!’ I chuckled, remembering that we no longer had a team of ten to undertake such manoeuvres! ‘Ah’ I thought, ‘this thing is several time larger than Puma’s and I am going to have to pull it up on my own!’
Unsurprisingly, everything on the Open 60’s has been very well thought out and over the years the systems have been developed to ensure ease of use and simplicity. The kite is hoisted in a snuffer with a halyard on a double purchase, making it remarkably easy to hoist on your on. The kite will not fill until fully hoisted and the snuffer pulled to the top. ‘Great,’ I thought ‘no more telling the trimmer off for sheeting on too early!’
Despite all this I think Steve was slightly frustrated when we could not get the snuffer back down before a small tear in the huge sail expanded into a major repair. After some investigating we identified two bolts sticking through the deck that the kite must have snagged on when man handling it out of the fore hatch. That will be two more jobs for the ever growing list then!
Within no time we had the kite down and another one up. The new one is one was one of Alex Thompsons (Hugo Boss) cast offs, which had been kindly donated to Steve. As the kite filled Spirit of Weymouth accelerated with breathtaking performance. Wow, what an adrenaline rush.
A Royal Navy aircraft carrier escorted us out past the Needles. The relative speeds of the Open 60’s really sunk in as we kept pace with the carrier and two hours later it was still within our sights. Normally a ship would have long since disappeared over the horizon.
After hitting speed in excess of 17 knots in just 22 knots of breeze it was time to end our first training session. Having covered the mileage from the Needles to Portland in just two hours and thirty minutes the final task of the day drew closer. Getting the kite down whilst doing seventeen knots, powering towards the breakwater, with just two of us!
What a buzz. As for the tiller, Steve was right. Spirit of Weymouth was a dream to drive. So well balanced and amazingly responsive, just the tiniest movements would see us catch the next wave and surf down it before catching up with the next one. And yes, I did remember which way to pull and push, most of the time!
My final thoughts; I think I am going to enjoy this sailing. It is so refreshing to try something new whilst filling me with renewed enthusiasm for the sport. There is also several hundred more horse power waiting to be unleashed. I cannot wait. As Matt Lloyd would say, ‘Bring it on.’
posted by Sailing Logic at 12:48 PM
