I'm incrementally making progress towards sailing KitetiK this summer. One of the remaining pieces of the puzzle is the requirement to hold KitetiK appropriately oriented to the breeze during the launch sequence. An attempt to do this last summer using a ground anchor was not successful. The load from the launching kite was sufficiently high to drag the ground anchor (OK, it wasn't a great anchor or tackle). Getting a better anchor would fix that - but then I'd need a very big winch to bring the anchor on board once the kite was in the air. An autohelm, or a person, on the outboard is an option - but not an attractive one.
A sea anchor was tried this morning - one that was on board Fun Hunter when MB and I bought her 8 years ago. The test, using the outboard rather than kite load, was very successful . These photos show the parachute anchor on the trampoline and deployed.
KitetiK was motoring at full throttle at about 8knots this morning. The hulls have not been cleaned for a few months but they're not too bad. This video shows the wake of the small hull and outboard. With the sea anchor deployed, speed was more like 2 knots. Importantly, under load, the sea anchor was easy to retrieve with a line off the apex.
Quite apart from the successful test, how spectacular is Moreton Bay and Victoria Pt in particular early on a glassy morning!?!?! I met a dugong, 2 turtles and a pod of dolphins.