[Closed] Let's have a sailing boat thread

I'd suggest crewing a two-man skiff before heading out in a singlehander. Musto skiffs/RS700s have a bit of a learning curve on them. Compared to a Laser, you'll have a trapeze and a spinnaker to deal with, neither of which are optional. And it's all apparent wind sailing going downwind, which is a totally different game to a Laser. There's always demand for regular crews at sailing clubs, head to your nearest and have a look at the noticeboard

I've had both an RS600 and a Musto Skiff so here's my take on them. The RS has a powerful fully battened sail and is proper tippy as well - this combination can make it quite a handful. A friend has one and it still beats him to a pulp on a regular basis!
The Musto is a beautiful bit of kit (hardly any bits of rope making the place look messy!). It's hugely satisfying to sail and trapezing off the back of the racks with the kite up in just 8-10 knots of breeze is simply amazing. But over 12 knots and you really need to have good boat handling otherwise you'll spend all day swimming round it. To get the boathandling sorted you really need to sail it almost year-round which I couldn't and was the main reason why it was sold.
You're lack of experience could be seen as a hinderance or a blessing (skiffs are quit different to sail). I would suggest starting off by doing some crewing in a trapeze boat to get you used to being on the wire.
You can sail the Musto without the kite but it actaully helps downwind as the boat is more stable the faster you go - it's turning the corners that's tricky.

Thanks guys. Great advice. I'll head dow the sailing club and have a nose around soon.

29er is a kidies boat (and needs 2 people).

To get a similar level of instability in a normal boat, buy a lazer.

Go out in about 15-18knots of wind

Try running by the lee....................

Ended up hiking off the transom on the same side as the sail (which is to windward) doing some ridiculous speed and hopeing to god that the nose stays above the waves.

Never again!

My little mirror

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And yes, I know it's missing a sail.

Mirrors are ace! Bathtubs with sails!

Some great pics here, folks, keep 'em coming!

A bit more Merlin Rocket;
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Also, anyone had any experience with the IC? Always wanted to try one. Looks mad.
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Raced against a IC at the Birket Trophy at Ullswater - it was quick and they tack much easier than you would imagine.

If I'd carried on I'd have bought an 8.1 rig for my Laser, great in a blow!!

My old man has sailed the last 40 years,currently got a Prospect 900 & part shares in some bloody twin screw 35ft launch that does 30 knots,he must be getting soft in his old age.Mind he is 77....

love the Int. Canoe! completely mental! bit like the moth but more grown up lol! and without the prospect of hydrafoiling!

being a 5oh'er at heart after many years of one in the family (20 years now!) this is one of the better vids on the tube to make you want to go out for a Howl!!!!

brother and i would get fed upwhen the yacht club ood decided to keep the racing in the harbour, - flukey, shifty one sail boat advantage sailing, and head out and race the Yachts round! had some fun there!!

up until a few years ago, the mirror my pops taught me to sail in was still going!! used to be owned by the sailing club for the kids but got a bit trashed beyond its years!! mind you, is 28 years since i learnt in it!! such good boats!

I've sailed Mirrors, Ents and have sailed a Scorpion for the last 10 years or so. Been to the nationals and used to do all the opens on the circuit- I wasn't half bad once upon a time- I think I was a much better sailor than biker but focussed my efforts elesewhere now.

This is one of the Scorpions I've crewed in.

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spokes, do you remeber a Scorp called 'Shock wave'?? the only Scorpion with Hydraulic shrouds?? used to sail at the club we did and owner was a friend of pops, Cracking boat that!
have a picture of pops somewhere in the house, late 70's pulling his scorpion up the slip, 'Razzle dazzle', was yellow like the one in your picture too! of all the boats he's had, thats the one that left the biggest impression on him!
there's still a good fleet of them at the club now, Lovely looking classic lined boat, and in the right conditions have a suprising turn of speed too!!

Spent 3 days in the Baltic on a barquentine schooner called the Thalassa the other year. Full sail and heeled over as we hooned through Rostock harbour entrance was pretty cool.

We know people who sail race on baby, a traditional bahamian workboat. Some folk are just ballast sitting out on the pry. Sail area is bloomin huge. Boom pokes way way out behind the transom Never been lucky enough to get ride yet. http://www.abacorage.net/

That said, more than happy to blat round in a tatty sunfish.

But who can tie the tightest[url= http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/international/iran-should-tire-of-yachtsmen-fairly-quickly%2c-say-experts-200912012271/ ] Bullscock![/url]

Did a stag do consisting of a few sailors on this from Hamble to Cherbourg.

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All was going fine until we got out into the open sea - wind hit force 9 and even 10, waves picked up to 15ft. I spent 2 hours throwing up, the rest in a bunk trying not to throw up any more. Out of the 10 on the stag do, 3 were very ill, 4 were quite ill, 2 were okay.

The boat set it's all time speed record (it was built in 1917 I think)! At the time a major yacht race was on and had to be cancelled - many boats went over. All we saw was a couple of massive tankers crashing through the swell while waves regularly broke right over the boat (the Jolie Brise)

Me and a mate took the fast ferry home once we arrived.

Put me off sailing a bit!

Racing on a sonar at the moment, but the best boat we raced was an Etchelles. Don't have photos, wouln#t not how to post them even if i did!

Sailed (badly) at school for a couple of summers, and crewed for a mate on one of the school Laser 2s on hols down at Rock during my teens.

Always loved a particular Fireball that would turn up for Camel week every year - beautifully restored with wooden deck.

Mrs North learned to sail in a Mirror. Now we have Junior North, I'd like her to be able to sail, so will waiti a while then go and re-learn so i can buy her a boat and tootle around off the coast near my mother's house in Ceredigion.

yetidave - Sonars should be banned. When i had the Melges we would race in the SBR fleet at Round the Island etc with them. We were so far ahead of them we couldnt even see them and they would still clean up.

At Scottish Series they have finished 1,2,3,4 for the last few years. THey have since been separated from the proper sportsboats. There SBR rating is phenomenal and with the symmetric kite the planing boats stood no chance.

carbon337, good arn#t they...Not quite true about the placings at Scottish Series, mostly 1,2,3 though... 🙂 I sail on Haggis btw. Having said that over the last couple of years in the Sonar we beat (on the water) the likes of the SB3s, the RS Elite, and a Melges 20 sailed by Mr Ruairidh Scott all far faster rating. In marginal planning conditions the asymetrics should have the edge, in proper heavy wind the sonars at Scottish Series were mostly winning on the upwind legs. Next year at Scottish Series will be interesting as to who we end up sailing against right enough.

I would have raced ypu in the past then on Risky Busines the Melges 24 at Scottish.

Havent been for last 2 years like as our last trip was a disaster with the bearing collapsing on the trailer and costing a grand to get to Tarbet from Lochgilphead - total nightmare.

Sailed (badly) at school for a couple of summers, and crewed for a mate on one of the school Laser 2s on hols down at Rock during my teens.

Always loved a particular Fireball that would turn up for Camel week every year - beautifully restored with wooden deck.

Wife grew up there and her dad instructed occasionally at Rock Sailing School (wife taught waterskiing at Camel Ski School too). You may have been taught by my FIL!

I know the boat Risky Business, but think that you were in SB1 when I last saw you, whilst we were in SB2 at Scottish Series. Not a great place to break-down up there, at least we were only coming from the Clyde so could have sailed home if needed...

Just found a picture of an Ultra 30 that I raced on full time (on telly don't you know!) way back in 1990/91........ they were a lot of fun but we broke them a lot as well!
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Always liked these... (original Dart 18)

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Lovely looking boats, simple, easy to sail - I'd still be tempted to pick up a second hand one....

Ultra 30 - ace

I think someone has made one into a powerboat somewhere - it was on Sailing Anarchy site.

For Grumm: Which shotgun is better? Purdey or Holland & Holland?

No contest - Holland & Holland 😉

No International 14, Cherub or Moth, foiling or not yet? Sailed down in Waymouth a couple of years ago, in lots of wind with a foiling moth darting about the harbour like a mad thing on speed.

Remember a picture somewhere of an Uffa Fox boat called the Fairy Fox I think, back in about 1965, with someone water skiing behind it. 23ft, planning dingy in 1965. We had a Jolly boat (1957 I think hull) for a while, and just before breaking it quite nastily overtook a Boss downwind. 😯

Timmo- YGM.

Here's a couple of pics of our Ultra taking part in the 1990 (I think) Round the Island race. We were about half way round when we broke the mast driving into the back of a wave. Real pity as we were about 30 mins ahead of the monohul record at the time (slow nowadays!).
We ended up with a helicopter over us trying to winch everybody off - we didn't go and got towed back to Cowes by the coastguard instead. The next weekend we had a new mast and sailed from Cowes to Brighton to take part in the first televised event 🙂
[Pics look a little odd as they're phot's of framed pics]

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great thread.

must have bumped into some of you guys in the cornerhouse at scottish.

owenfackrell - how big is your refurb project? i recently bought a miracle but have only had it out a couple of times. still trying to figure out if something is missing for rigging the outhaul, dont suppose you have any pics?

bumped into

or picking me up off the ground outside the Victoria Hotel

yep vic sadly closed at the moment as of my last trip to tarbert.

Here's a few pictures of the boats I sailed on.

Babbalass - '94 Commodores Cup
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Christie Cancer Care 1st Scottish Series Overall, 1st Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2009 as part of the [url= http://www.checkmatesailing.com ]Checkmate Sailing Team[/url]
Yes, we did drink in the Cornerhouse too.
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Campaigend a 49er for 5 years on the UK circuit. (Not my picture, but nice anyway)
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Another Ultra 30, this time David McLean. Haven't got any digital images though. Sailed the '98 series, the first with trapezes.

Loads more but can't find images.

Ha, hello Jeremy...... thought you mght surface 😉

How are you matey? Was Babbalass #1 all that time ago?? Jeepers 🙁

Ted

It was indeed may moons ago Ted. Hadn't realized that you'd sailed with Glyn. Thought you were with Stu, Lawrie and Russel. So this is where you lurk these days. Have you heard Nipper's sad news?

ultra 30's now your talkin!! Awesome boats!
eremeber DBS from the coverage!! Think they sort of lost the way a little when they went trapeeze though?? still awesome mind!!

While I remember, I also used to crew in these every week when I was abroad. They loved having me on as a dinghy sailor because I rushed around where all the yacht sailors were more chilled.

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Loads of sailing in my family. My uncle skippered Bristol clipper in the 2002/2003 race, and my dad races a Sweden 42. Captainflashheart, did you own Mill bay? we have 2 (a laser and a GP14) boats there every year for 3 weeks 🙂

Ultimate 30 gone very wrong...
http://www.biekerboats.com/Bieker_Boats/Nemo.html

That is very wrong indeed

707s:

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I'm a tart for a Six Metre:

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...but a complete whore when it comes to ACs - got to spectate a while back:

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Most recent campaign - slightly overpowered in more than about 24kts:

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Finally, for a bonus point, can anyone identify the boat, and the name for the little metal zimmer frame around the canting keel ram release?
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My uncle is lucky enough to have a small share in this. Beautiful old AC boat.

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6 meters are Truely Stunning boats!!!
they had the champs in Fowey a fair few years ago, but Such lovely looking boats!
there used to be one of the original rigg'd ones up in plymouth, used to come down for the champs etc.

is that one of the newer X-Yachts btw?? always been spritely boats!!!

Spokes, that's a beauty. 1950s or early 60s?

Timmo - that shot of the 7-ohs was from when we held the nationals at Fowey a few years back. Not enough wind on a couple of days, but the last couple was proper good - sunny, about f3-4 consistent and some of the best sailing I've ever had.

The X is an X35 I sailed out of Hamble for a year or so. Spritely is one way of putting it. Rather oversailed is another - very high aspect ratio rig, and I've no idea how X-Yachts ever managed to sell it as a cruiser/racer design, except to people who needed to persuade their family it wasn't an out and out racer.
I think the last sail I did on it was the delivery back from Dartmouth Regatta at the end of the season. Averaged 10kts with just the main up for the most part, with us two bowmen (long story) and two randoms as extra filler. On reflection, getting a nice big curry in for the trip back wasn't so bright - the randoms were pretty much instantly incapacitated by the smell of reheating onion samosas and the motion of the boat with 14kts up the bum and the main and kite up. 😀

Bent Udder - could that be Full Pelt?

It's Sceptre, which is from 1958. A genuinely stunning boat.