51 fecking hours

[Deleted member 478]

Yep, 51 fecking hours after leaving the good ship Mojomo, I removed my smellies and climbed aboard Stingo. There were several flights where I missed the closing time for check-in. I think they realised I wasn't going to move from the counter until they checked me in and putting up with my smell was a worse option than the apparent havock of a late check-in. Ah well, I made it in the end, including one upgrade to 1st class, where many a furrowed brow was cast in the direction of Stinko the travellor. Would I do it again, NOT A FAARK. eg a 16 hour wait in Charles de Gaulle wearing shorts and t-shirt. I eventually decided that sleeping on the central heating radiator would be the only way to survive.

Was brilliant to meet ScillyPete and exchange beers and tall tales.

The good news is that you lot are not going to be exposed to much of my drivell. There is no net access in the marina and I couldn't be arsed driving to this over-rated and over-priced coffee shop every day.

Hope you all had a great festive season.

 

[Deleted member 478]

Yo TCM, that technical advice on getting a boat to slid to windward when beating, is possible. All you need is a dinghy with a gybing daggerboard. Sorry mate, but your cat just won't cut the mustard when beating. In fact, no cat will.

Thanks for a great few weeks.

 

[wotayottie]

tell that to Connors - he thrashed a much bigger mono with a cat in the Am Cup.

 

[Searush]

Cats are faster (in general) but seldom point well. I know I had a cat dinghy for years & loved it to bits. The trouble is that as you pick up speed on a beam reach, the apparent wind starts to head you. In the end you will be screaming along with the sails as hard in as you can get them, with one hull clear of the water, but still at only 60deg to the ACTUAL wind. She would point, but at a very much slower speed, so, in general, it paid to sail her full & by rather than hard on the wind.

It was a similar story downwind, it generally paid to tack downwind as the speed gained more than made up for the greater distance sailed.

 

[Danny Jo]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry mate, but your cat just won't cut the mustard when beating. In fact, no cat will.

[/ QUOTE ] It's hardly surprising that most cruising cats won't sail well to windward - they usually lack a decent aerofoil-shaped keel, relying instead on the long narrow underwater profile of the hulls.

But I don't believe the statement is true of all cats. Give them a couple of decent dagger boards and they'll make your average monohull look silly.