scott.projectsomewhere

After sailing pretty much everything that floats in Sydney in the last couple of years, up til Saturday I was still yet to give the historical (hysterical) 18s a run.

But it was forecast to blow 25+, and Herman & Pete were roped in, so why not give it a run.

We were on board with Woody and the guys on Australia IV. A 1940’s replica launched late last season. As scratch boat, we had a bit on trying to work out how to get the thing around without sinking, let alone winning.

Anyway, after getting acquainted with the lee-cloths, 3-piece spinnaker pole and bailing bucket, we were off and racing. Not quite hydrofoil moth speed upwind, but downhill we had some great gusts and just launched the creaking and groaning beast across the harbour. The aluminium plate centreboard was humming away and the spray was going everwhere… at least it felt quick… loud but quick.

The old blokes sailing the hystericals over at SFS are definitely passionate about what they’ve got going. Not exactly my thing right now, but good fun every now and again. Not something you can do every day.

As for rigging and de-rigging… geesus. I wasn’t much help there. The comment from one of the guys afterwards was apt… “it takes 20 years to learn how to do this”.

I think in 20 or 30 years I just might be in form to sail one regularly.

Someone has also uploaded footage to youtube. More info on the sailinganarchy forums.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 24th, 2007 at 12:39 pm and is filed under 18' Skiff, Sailing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.