Tuesday 20 September 2011

Autumn Days

Autumn is a good time to sail a Moth and I like this time of year. If I had enough money I would spend my life, not in internal Summers, but between one Riviera and another, moving only to find the next Autumn. Yet for many it signals the end of the Summer, and I guess it's possible to see Autumn as a decline, where yellow leaves show through like greying hair on a fading film star, a star who has seen one BAFTA too many.

Or you can argue, (as I do) that Autumn is a second spring, where the harbour is empty, and this means it's a relaxing sail. Arrogance, and his cousin Ignorance are largely confined to marinas and there is freedom to move again.

Saturday was a good sailing day, A day when it felt like you had been handed a special gift, unique because it could not be replicated. For a while I darted about, turning when I wanted with no constraints other than a ribbon of weed reminding me that the harbour wasn't all mine.

It was the second time I'd used the new Mach2 small main foil, I also sailed on Friday eve with Mike Lennon and felt fast, where previously I had not. Its an incremental change and so you will get incremental improvements, but I want to thank Joe Turner and before him Rohan Veal for forcing development forward, albeit with a Dremel. I will sail with it at Paignton Open meeting this weekend. the last Moth Grand Prix of the year. I hope there will be lots of Moths there. If you blurr your eyes and ignore the Donkeys, It could be Garda.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you made a mistake about Joe Turner - Nathan Outteridge invented the smaller foil. Maybe Joe copied him.

Anonymous said...

Hmm, i think Gio was even earlier,before euros in swiss, last year

Joe said...

$50 that first Anonymous is either:
A: Scott Babbage
B: Tom Slingsby
C: Nathan (fat head) Outteridge
D: John Harris..


thanks for the plug Si...

Ordered the new boat the other day with 2 small front horizontals, i like to call them "blanks", as from there you can tinker and trim them up as you see fit. Il be taking 50mm off each tip of the small horizontal this season....35knots here we come.

JT

Simon Payne said...

Hey Joe.

Looking forward to seeing the first launch pictures of "Charge of the Light Brigade" soon!

I was watching the AC45's in Plymouth last night on You Tube. Was amazed at the speeds until I realised its in kilometres per hour! 50 clicks is only 27 knots!

We (well you) are quicker! ;-)

Si