scott.projectsomewhere

About a month ago Tim called me a Moth geek when I started
explaining the foil concept of virtual-width and how it made the
boats stable…

Now I’ve taken another step into Moth geekery and have ordered the
customary
GPS unit. I’m set to become obsessed by how fast I’m going -
and how slow every other boat is!

I’ve just got to find some good mapping software and a way to
import the data onto my Powerbook… then I’m set. It’ll be
interesting to use training for San Fran.

Then comes the job of getting it over 22.8
knots!

So here’s a question… why are so many of the new hydrofoil Moth
foils
breaking up?

Every other week I hear and read stories to major failures, from
breaking complete T-joins, to ripping off trailing edges to
breaking linkages and push-rods. The Stevo’s would have to take the
record for the number of breakdowns… with Andrew claiming the
record for 15 major structural failures in the past 12
months!

Now Moths have always been pretty fragile boats for sure. There’s
not a major championship where someone hasn’t lost a rig, or wings,
or something else. It just seems that after a prolonged period
where professionally built boats didn’t break - we’re coming back
to the bad old days of lots of development - and lots of
failures.

I guess it just goes with the territory. Things are developing
quickly, and some ideas won’t work. Maybe the manufacturers need to
tighten up their warranty conditions to avoid going bust under the
weight of repair costs…

Maybe I should learn how to carbon things up for myself! I’m lucky
not to have broken a set yet - but since I don’t own any (yet)
that’s hardly suprising!

Being involved (as an admin user mind you) in the redevelopment of
49er.org and 29er.org from the outset… I think I’m in a position
to be brutally honest about the success or otherwise of the
project.

It’s safe to say its been a case of “otherwise” for a while… and
the litany of stuff-ups just keeps coming.

Now 29er.org has gone offline, along with the thousands of bits of
content built up over the years, and over 11000 messages in the
discussion. Not only could nobody work out where the admin details
for the domain were, but there was no meaningful way to import
content into the new - and featureless - content management system.
No useful help from the CMS developers (even though its a
commercial product), no ftp access to the server, no ability to
update templates and no ability to add content through the CMS (no
suprise its a bit empty then).

Oh and then we have no used-boats functionality. We have nice
broken links on framed old forums (which can’t run in our
featureless CMS by the way).

We do have some shady deals with affiliates selling gear - those
affiliates who make competing products to the 49er - talk about
good politics.

But then I must say, the CMS does have some great workflow
functionality built in for document publishing and approval. How
useful that will be with all 4 editors managing the site!

All in all, it’s been a complete stuff-up from the beginning. If
we’re building a site with information for sailors - then give them
information. If you’re trying to impress people with pretty colours
and fancy picture-buttons, then you’re wasting everyone’s
time.

Function over form please!

Update #1: The forum is back online for 29er.org, but seems to have
been pretty well killed off by the outages. Something that usually
gets posted to several times daily hasn’t moved in several
days…

New regatta ideas are coming out all the time these days…

RMYC Toronto on Lake Macquarie are planning a Flying
Mile regatta. The regatta involves 6 timed runs over a straight
mile course. All classes are welcomed, with each boat counting
their best-of-3 runs as their record.

I’m not sure if the course is directly downwind, or if its on a
reach. Anyway, a foiler borne Moth would probably kill everything
there… if there was enough wind to foil.

In the middle of June there’s a high probability of there being
nothing at all… and its a shame I won’t be there to compete…
with my flight to San Francisco leaving the week before!
Damn.

Along with Les’s “don’t ask me about hydrofoils” t-shirt idea…
I’m thinking of getting a “don’t mention the blog” one made.

Seriously, as much as people (for whatever reason) happen to read
what I write, I would be much more confortable if I didn’t know.
The more people I know read this, the less I have to write
about.

I would prefer to rant in ignorance of the people reading… but
isn’t that what blogging is all about?

And then why do I allow comments?

Update #1: Reading this blog is
probably lowering your IQ anyway.

Yet another weekend of not sailing a dinghy… the only consolation
- and savour for my sanity for another week - was trimming the main
on Atomic today.

It was a nice cold and wet 20 knot Southerly on the Harbour, with
180+ keel boats of various sizes from AAPT through to a mini
transat. The front end of our boat had plenty on, with almost every
manouvre a total screw up. Let’s hope we don’t have another one of
those days…

I could get used to yachting sure, but I can’t wait to get on the
water in my new boat. Even Rohan is feeling the
pain… after having his new boat delayed til the end of June.
I wonder if he’ll make the Australian Moth Champs, since his boat
after this one is probably a long way down in the queue?