Ok, what gives? You guys have had plenty of time to get home from Hartwell and give the rest of us the lowdown on Spring Fever. Let's have it!

WHAT !!! You actually live in Atlanta and you weren't there at Spring Fever with your Taipan ?



What is your excuss ? (Joking !)



Wait a few minutes and I'll give you a write up on my experiences. I hope the othersdo the same so we can 't get the complete picture as I was also busy with trying to avoid the sailors next to me most of the time.



Wouter

I thought I told you guys about my J/24 race over in Columbia, SC over Easter weekend. 55 one design boats on the line. J/24 World qualifier. Come on, you've got to cut me a little slack here. Cat racing is exciting, but so is 35 boats showing up at the leeward mark at the same time.



Is Spring Fever always on Easter Weekend or did it just hit this way in 2002? If it's on Easter every year, I'm going to have some choices to make!

Indeed, I remember Kirt saying something like that during the weekend. It slipped my mind, sorry. Anyways a good excuss indeed.



Well about making choices, we as a class may consider a different regatta as our small version of the F16 worlds next year.



And there will also be other regatta's at other times. Kirt is even thing about coming over for Texel !



Anyways, you will get your report about SF soon. But how did you do at your races ?



Wouter

As described earlier, I arrived at wednesday evening which by that time was 2 am for me. I found my way to the lodging that Kirt Simmons arranged for us both. We were put in the Double Queen room, as stated on the reservatio confirmation. We may have given the wrong impressio somewhere along the line. Anyways, I opened up the door to go and find Kirt in the common area when he was looking for his key to open the door. This is how we met. And during the major part of the eveing and night we didn't stop talking about catamarans and Taipans/Stealth/Bims/Spitfires in particular. A great evening !



We decided to leave for the rushhour would kick in at 7;30 am in with the excuss that we both are maniacs when it comes down to sailing and so we did.



Somewhere early thursday morning we arrived at the Miltown camp site were we only saw one or two sleepy making making their way to the showers. We tried to register but found out that the earliest change we would get would be that evening so we soon headed down to the ramp area and started to work on rigging the Taipan.



Just before driven down the hill to the launch ramp we met Bill Moran from Ohio, who had gotten in in late the evening before. He told us how he had just picked up his Taipan the week before and had driven it home in a blizzard. The sun began to shine stronger and stronger and we set about rigging the boats. Both Kirt and myself piled the extra spi stuff we had brought with us on Bill's boat and gave Bill an overwhelming crash course in "how to rig your Taipan".



We drilled holes in Bill's mast track and slowly Bills boat was transformed in a Taipa 4.9 with a bastard spi on a snuffer pole but with the bag launched system. In short a 2-up to F16 modified Taipan with an awkward looking ring at the end of the spi pole.



Kirt fitted his new Guck snuffer system to his own boat and prepared to go out cat-rigged with spi, in short a 1-up to F16 specs modified Taipan 4.9.



Then we suited up and launched the boats. But only after I drooled over the lightweight daggerboards that seem to float on air. I have a picture of myself holding such a board with three finger; holding it at the end and keeping it horinzontal. I can't do that with a Prindle rudder blade.



So we suited up and did some sailing in the 5 to 9 knots winds we had that day.



As you know; when two boats are on the water than at least one of them is racing ! We quickly spotted a lonely Miracle 20 and sailed out to spar a bit with him. At first the Miracle 20 didn't make an effort and we easily gained on him. Than he kicked into gear and we pretty much raced one another where the Miracle 20 gave Bill and me a good run upwind. We did loose nor gain to him. Kirt on the other hand, who pretty much has the Taipan in his fingers as the current Alter cup qualifier for his area, managed to clearly outpoint the miracle on the last two tacks. Kirt gained alot of height on him as (I think) the Miracle 20 tried to outfoot him. By the way, isn't the Hobie miracle 20 heavily based on the Hurrican 5.9 ?



Anyways, we (Bill and I) we still just matching its speed and pointing ability. We had a good view and hoped thatthe H20 would tack towards Kirt and reveil the measure of difference. However the H20 gibed away. She choose to foot rather than to go deep and our genaker quickly tipped the balance decisively in our favour. We pointed lower and at the same time outrun her on speed. Personally I was very pleased with the first spi run that Bill and I made on his Taipan. The boat felt alive and capable. While, I tried to keep the spi fully powered up Bill made long S-curves trying to keep right on the optimum between footing and going deep. We rode the spi hot as the say and our sentences were short worded. Nevertheless we had fun. We did however overstayed our layline back to the launch area. And we pinched our way back close to the shortly with an extremely hot spi. In the commotion and explaining Bill how to run a spi I lost track of Kirt and therefor can't tell you how he did. I think he continued on tacking and came around on the other side of the island. So Kirt, maybe you can tell us your story here ?



We continiued sailing till the sun layed on the horizon and we beached the boats in the dark. A pair of car lights, lighted us while we did our last chores. Ater that we went out for a bite in Hartwell town.



The next day, Friday morning, Micheal arrived early from Florida and later on Jerry and Hilary Kalin as well as Kenneth and Ann-marie Newbury arrived bringing their Taipans. When talking to Micheal, we saw a beautiful gelcoated cat driving by. The hulls were depicting a shark and thus J.P. Ayers made an entrence at SF with his Isotope. Soon after that we met John Riley, the second Isotope sailor. Chuck Harnden would arrive till saterday morning and both David Swingle, John and Sue Pierce aswell as the Bimare F16 had to cancel due to various reasons. However, Personally I was thrilled seeing such a mixed group of sailors participating and trying out new stuff. Several of the crew would fly a spi for the first time that day. To bad John and Sue couldn't be there that time for that would have made three male-female teams attending, showing a much needed growth path for the F16's. The class was very much intended for this.



Anyways, the afternoon races were about to start, so we headed for the water.



At the skippers meeting we learned that the F16 boats and at first also the only Tornado (sport) out there of Mark Schneider were put in starting group 6. Mark immediately requested to be put in starting group 1 with the other spi equipped 20 footers. They granted him that right after he advocated he claim on a trophy if he would come out on top. The F16's stayed in the group 6 as we had our own 6 competitors together anyway (Chuck wasn't there yet) and it didn't matter to us when we would start.



Now I certainly learned to regret that part later that day. When finally our start ahd arrived (we were the last) the wind had shifted dramatically making the up/down course into sort of a beam reach both ways. The start / finish line was situated right in the middle of 5 fleet reaching up and downon both sides of the line. Getting to the start was difficult and even dangerious in my opinion. There was also hardly any room to make a proper approach. We did start acceptably in my opinion. Both Bill and I breached ourself for a fast leg right after the start and we found that it was VERY FAST indeed. For only 2 minutes or so after the start we reach our orange bouy which marked the course layed out for fleet 6. The bouy was crowded and several taipans in close proximity changed placings every 10 seconds or so.



At the C mark there was a pile up and the lead Taipan was involved. Bill and I went wide and passed the pile on teh outside and worked our way into clean air and could control the raceing a bit from a luff position of the other boats.



Now some 10 minutes before the start we had quickly checked the start and had looked at the course number; 6 we remembered. So after we rounded C we powered up for another loop around the orange bouys. So we passed the start/finish boat on starboard. So did Jerry or Kenn and crew, I can't remember who. Suddenly the other Taipan slowed down and yelled If we were suppost to finish or not. We yelled back that the course was a 6 meaning two loops around the bouys. They said that some others were already finishing. I replied inaudibally that that could never be the case for we had only been racing for some 8 minutes. Such a race would have been far to short. Anyways, as it turns out the Race Committee had changed to course number for us into a 5 (a single loop) And several of us turned around and headed back for the finishline, being aware that that race was blown.



I still couldn't believe it as we already were given a shorter course than the spi fleets and now also given one loop less than all the other classes, including the other fleets racing around the orange bouys.



So all in all our first race lasted about 10 minutes.



So instead of the other way around it was us who had to wait for the other boats to finish.



Kirt / Micheal and Bill and I had just started sailing along side to kill the time when an F18HT passed in front of us. Within seconds Kirt and Micheal who were leading us turned toward the F18HT and went into persuit. Bill and I immediately followed. Speaking now I feel that that run was the most fun of the day. The two T's sprung alive giving what they weren't able to so in the first race and actually pretty much gained on teh F18HT. The T's were just about single trapezing. It was a scream. After a while the F18HT tacked away and bore off setting there spi. Kirt and Micheal failed to follow and Bill and I tried but couldn't get the spi to work. The F18HT walked away from us. 1 to F16 and 1 to F18HT I would say.



Around that time the RC had decided to reposition the courses to a different part of the lake and all the boats raced after the committee boat. Our play with the F18HT had taken us in the other direction and so we started way back in the fleet. Then we caught a similar gust that the F18HT had rode before us and Bill and I , being on the luff side of the fleet, passed a good 2/3 of the fleet while running to the committee boat. The Taipan ran really smooth then. However I can't really remember if we sailed that leg with a spi or not. Bill can you help me out here ?



Anyways, the second start come soon and we were put into a combined start with fleet 5. That race was probably my best race of the weekend. We had a okay start and did our lap around the organce bouys (a course 5 again). We were continious in close proximity to 3 other Taipans. We all made a few mistakes. I dropped the spimway to soon and thus allowed Kirt to ouvertake Bill and myself. Next to this we totally misread the laylines and ended up reaching to C. Micheal on the Taipan with Kirt had done the same here or other places around the course. However the three Taipans had walked away from the Isotopes and the spi less T on that short Spi leg. We were driving less deep then the Hobies but be heating it up we did have considerable better VMG. Finally the three Taipans finished close together in the following order. : 1: Kirt / Micheal 2: Kenneth / Ann Marie 3 : Bill / Wouter. I missed the finishings of the others so maybe J.P. can help me out here ?



And this was the end of race day one.



I wil leave the next installment to my colleques or to a later time. I'm going to bed now.



Wouter