A dedicated sailor! I am jealous.

And that is very nice decal artwork, for sure. Congrats. I am saying a prayer for your boat that you sail many happy years with no hull worries! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'm just glad the camera was already away. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I have been playing with my gps i got for my birthday (thanks Mum!) and discovered a new art form.

From Drop Box

GPS track art:



http://www.theworldismycanvas.com/

ok that's just showing off!

Hi Simon,

congrats, the boat looks great. Trapezing with spinnaker on your first time out is certainly showing your ability, I am sure you will be feeling comfortable with the boat very soon.

A word of advice if I may. In the nose dive photo's, it looked a bit like your mainsail may have been eased a bit too much by either sheet or traveller. This is what tends to cause the nosedive, as you bear away with the increase in speed on trapeze, the head of the mainsail starts to attach flow or slightly oversheet, which drives the bows down. If conditions are at risk of overpowering, I find it best to sheet the main in firm so it completly stalls, so the deeper you drive away under spinnaker the less the main has effect. It is slower between gusts than having the main set correctly, but if you are on trap it is the only way I have found to survive most bear aways, not all of them though <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />. Footstrap on the back corner is a must as you know.

Look forward to sailing against you one day. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the advice Gary,

next question, where do you hide the third arm on the upwind legs or what technique do you use during while gybing with the kite up? how do you not let out too much sheet, steer and pull the new sheet on at the right time? Any secrets anyone wants to share?

Simon

Gybing with spinnaker :

Totally forget about sheeting the main, just make sure you keep good speed through the manouvre and let the main gybe itself. Just keep the spi tight and pulling in the initial stages of the gybe (sheet out only a little to compensate for the changing apparent wind), then let go in mid-gybe and quickly grap the new sheet and move over to the new hull pulling the new sheet behind you. The turn of the boat is never stopped everything is one smooth motion. The following stuff happens : you start to luff up and the main gybes itself, you turn around sit down and pull in the spi and get it drawing; then you look for the proper course again.

Like this you can gybe very quickly. I think some people also place their knee on the old spi sheet when grabbing the new spi sheet to prevent the spi from flapping.

Wouter

What was the model gps you got?
Boat looks gr8
Cheers Ben

that might work, I'll give it a shot this weekend. One of my problems was letting the sheet go out too much and then there is lots to pull in. It basically felt slow as the spinnaker wrapped around the forestay. The critics on the beach (ie Marcus) confirmed it was slow and ugly. It has been suggested holding the original sheet with my teeth and bring the new sheet over with my hands. Not sure my dentist would be impressed, but hey if it's good enough for Bundock.


Velocitek SC-1, still learning how to use it but it has some nice features and big numbers. Haven't worked out where to put it though. This weekend I tied it to the boom, which meant that I can only see it from starboard tack. Another option is to attach it to the spinnaker pole half way between the forestay and mainbeam.

the 3rd hand is used for waving at all the boats you passed going down wind.

I use the following method.

1, Come in from the wire (if on it) and gather up what will become the new sheet; hold this in the same hand as the current sheet.
2, let out a "bit" of the current sheet as you start the gybe
3, continue on a smooth arc and move across the tramp.
4, You now have to drop the tiller for a second having passed it around the back of the mainsail
5, Pick up tiller
6, now this is the bit I do differently, I KEEP the tiller in the same hand as it was (so now I am facing across the boat looking outwards, I then let go of the old sheet and pull the new one in
7, change sheet hands and turn around.
8, get the kite driving and heading in the right direction
9, back out on the wire if it's the right thing to do.

Hi Simon,

I think I do similar to what Wouter describes. It realy depends on the wind strength and what your priorities are. When it's heavy I let the old sheet go as I gybe and just concentrate on getting across the boat and steering back down as the boom comes over, then pull in all the new sheet. When conditions are lighter I grab the new sheet as far forward as possible and take it across the boat with me which pulls alot of it in.

But don't worry too much, what works best for you will come with time, but if you are having trouble getting spin wrapped around the forestay, I think I would ease more sheet before the gybe. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Boat looks great Simon.
I will have to come down sometime in the season and take some pics on the water.

Ben, another gps that is good is the garmin fortrex201. It is a wristwatch type unit which can be strapped to your boom. When I had my Mossie I had one on each side of the boom. The cost of these are about half of the Simon is using.

Chris Dean

Thanks Chris'
I actually got the fortrex 201 for fathers day. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
Will take it out tomorrow
Cheers ben