Hi all,
Emails such as this could get quite annoying. Please let me know if you'd prefer not to receive them. The first 8 yearly review of my website is nearly due - I might get a blog happening there to reflect the evolution of the business!
We didn't have a chase/support boat yesterday but decided that, as we'd made some rigging changes since kiting with the nacra last, it would be prudent to go for a sail in displacement mode. That transpired to be a good idea. The new kite rigging system was terrible and the new steering line broke! (That's a line to the helm, not a kite steering line.) At least the steering line worked well before it broke. This allowed me to steer, for example, while flying the kite while Graham was sitting on the sterns getting the rudders down. Not a trivial task for him, but made easier by his new tapered locking pins that are much easier to insert - thanks for them G.
We'll make modifications to the tow points, one on each gunwale, to improve helm and heeling moments before going out again. And I'll get some better string for the steering system!
Notwithstanding the lack of success of the new systems, we sailed quite nicely with a 12m ram air foil in 12-15knots of breeze. Always a little lee helm, which, particularly when foiling will be better than weather helm - but quite mild and easily resolved.
The GPS tracking app did a great job. as ever, of recording speed and bearing - but as it was left in the kite box on the beach rather than put on the boat, the information it recorded provided little insight into our sailing performance. Ggggrrrrr. That of course has its advantages. Untroubled by nasty data, I can just make up stories about how well we sailed! (I could yet become a politician!) We tacked through about 100° but gybing angles were terrible. Better on starboard tack as we were running down the odd wave to make better speed and hence apparent wind angle. I'd guess 8-10knots upwind but not much better down - we hotted up the angles a few times and had the boards well and truly humming. Downwind angles should be much better when foiling as our apparent will be further forward....but data to show that is still some little way off. But even in displacement mode, kite piloting can be improved, perhaps when I'm more confident of the rigging system, for downwind sailing.
Angin angin yang baik (Good winds!)
Trevor