Today during race day I broke my second Taipan mainsail Halyard shackle. Exactly in the same way as the last one.
As described earlier I also "totally reformed" an Aussie selection hound shackle. The first Aussie telling me that Australia sees some major winds and we Europeans potter around on light wind lakes can expect a laud laughter from yours truly.

I'm pulling bigger loads on my F16 in the backwater that is called the North sea and you guys. Mind you the timber-epoxy boat is holding up fine. Knock on wood !

Had a race day today. Waves/chop to destroy your boat if not your pride, and winds of a force 5 (around 20 knots). Typical "pull everthing tight, keep her upright and survive" weather that seems especially typical for this years cat races in the Netherlands. What I wouldn't do for some plain force 3 to 4 racing with some mild seastate.

Boat is fully whole otherwise. Sadly without this top shackle you can't pull really pull on loads of downhaul which you do NEED to pull in these "fun" conditions. So after starting, racing, capsizing and getting up and still sail across finish in the first race, we had to retire. Taking 2 DNF in the proces.

Just picked up a Taipan 5.7 mainsail shackle, surely this one will hold. Although the forecast for tomorrow is westerly winds 22 to 27 knots (force 6) so maybe I should be more careful in making grant statements now, as I'm running out of wood to knock.

Did a good first race till we dropped it. Pointing angles and speed same as I-20's; what we lost was on tactics and because we dipped her 200 mtr before the finish, right in the gate.

Lets see what tomorrow brings

Wouter