scott.projectsomewhere

New boat is coming soon…

In the meantime, Ben got the keys to the old one and took it out for it’s first race on Saturday. It was his first time out with a 40mm mast, and he promptly lost all the cams. An hour and plenty of frustration later he made it back out for the last race.

I got to sail his Bladerider X8 for the day, just to keep me on the water. Despite taking a bit of time to get used to, my 3 months of Bladerider sailing back in 2007 all came back to me, and I got around the track ok.

Phil took most of the 2nds, pulled off a couple of foiling tacks when nobody was watching, but came unstuck when it got patchy.

Dave launched for his first race, and took a bunch of 3rds and a 2nd. You could hear him yelling from almost anywhere on the track as his excitement boiled over. A bit of a worry. He will be getting faster and faster all the time given he will be sailing every day – if the boat maintenance program doesn’t slow him down.

Another weekend of X8 sailing next Saturday, then the new boat arrives for October, with our later start time of 3pm kicking in once daylight savings ticks over.

Results

I may never win another Moth race again.

After both Tom Slingsby and Mat Belcher order new Mach2s. Due to be delivered in October.

Add in John & Nathan.

Then new guys like Dave O’Connor and Stu Pollard who’ve recently bought into the fleet and have plenty of enthusiasm and time. And Joe, Matt & Ben who have bought M2s. And Phil who is smashing everyone – including me – in my old Prowler.

I’ve got a bit on!

It looks like my last post had the desired effect. Get a bit of fire and motion back into the mothosphere.

Quite amusing that it’s so simple to wind people up for a handbags at dawn showdown. One of the more perverse ways to get a laugh out of it.

Anyway.

Nice to get the boat back out for a run this weekend. Nice and slippery as expected with a trail of suds following me wherever I went.

We raced WSC’s Cock of the Harbour season opener on Sunday against an assembled fleet of 49ers, i14s, B14s, Tasars and Lasers. In a building Nor-Easter, I port tacked the fleet and then built up a nice lead on the shy reach down to Ft Denison. The harbour was a washing machine with a run out tide and plenty of traffic, but the open water at the Sound proved more of a challenge with the opposite swell and wind chop making it difficult to foil on starboard.

Phil was in 2nd place as I headed back from Manly, but he was tiring quickly and Ben, Marty and the trailing 49ers were running him down.

I did a quick pitchpole near Sow & Pigs trying to thread the needle between a fishing trawler and a keelboat heading in opposite directions. But despite that little hickup I crossed in first, about 10 minutes in front of Ben in 2nd. A 65 minute lap around the Harbour.

So nice to be back on the water.

Ben also got the first taste of his new Mach2, and promptly pitchpoled his way downwind in the chop. A bit of re-learning to be done going from his Bladerider to the M2. But shouldn’t take long.

I also had Donosan make up vanity name tags for my sail. Prototyping suggestions from Thierry for better sailor identification. Maybe it will make it easier for photographers, and easier for commentators to identify boats around the course. What do you think?

Finally my boat is back after having a bath in a 5% detergent solution. I think things will be a little slippery the first time out thanks to AQIS.

In the meantime I’ve had a bit of time to get the ball rolling for Belmont, and catch up on the latest in the mothosphere.

Although I’m loathe to give it oxygen, it was fun to get a bit of a ribbing in the latest episode of the Mothcast. A little less talk a little more action was a good call, albeit a little cheap coming from someone who contributes so little to the class. Online or off.

It was also interesting to listen to a perspective of the recent Worlds formed via the Internet. When we were in Cascade Locks, we joked how different everyone’s recounting of the same events were, so in a way it’s not surprising to hear an account so divergent from reality given the multiple sources of information.

Not surprising that it goes hand in hand with the statement that no development goes on in Melbourne. Ha.

Though as a hack blogger, I couldn’t let the premise that to blog is to lose stand without correction. The absence of evidence is unfortunately not the evidence of absence. Given all the recent Moth World Champions have a blog in one form or another, along with various facebook profiles, and youtube or twitter accounts. The premise doesn’t stand up to proof, let alone logic.

Perhaps when a non-blogger actually wins an event we can reconsider a better thought out argument. Though it’s probably easier to stand back and claim anything when you don’t actually have to back yourself up at the Worlds.

Who said anything about cheap points?

A bit of a shame. I just hope Dave’s scientific approach to equipment development is based on surer ground. Otherwise it might make Rohan’s approach look rigorous by comparison.

In the meantime, the blogosphere rolls on. Filled the verbiage of both the vain self promoters and those who are passionate and confident enough about what they do to want to share it with anyone. The poor insecure tinkerers can meanwhile safely hold onto their precious secrets and their dog-eared copies of theory of wing sections in relative anonymity, hoping to strike it lucky with their likeminded puddle-dwellers while everyone else gets on with the business of making things better. Or they could get sailinganarchy logins.

I look forward to listening to what happens in Dubai. When I’m actually there.

PS. I love you too Dave.