Cardiff Yacht Club - Portishead Cruise

[Alcyone]

Only a one nighter, but we took 16 boats up to Portishead this weekend (Hi Damo!)

Some pics:

Great fun, and enough wind to sail, just. Only just!

Nice to meet up with Graham in the bar on Friday night, too. Catch you soon for a sail, Graham.

 

[graham]

Great to see You guys even if only briefly. Hopefully get together for a sail somewhere in company at some point.

I am impressed with the junk rig boat in the pictures.Is it a Kingfisher?

 

[Alcyone]

Great to see You guys even if only briefly. Hopefully get together for a sail somewhere in company at some point.

I am impressed with the junk rig boat in the pictures.Is it a Kingfisher?

Yes, she's a Kingfisher 26, 'Sui'. The one we tried to bring back from Chichester, last summer, but were stopped by bad weather. Easily keeps up with the other boats, up wind and down. Her skipper used to post here as Pi Pi, don't know if he's still around on this forum.

Catch you soon.

 

[watermint]

hi martine ( Alcyone ) ,
just wordring when will u be at dail with yor yacht ,
i do hope boating and sailing will be a erley start this yer on the water as the wether is been verry good !

it looks like evrey one is having a good erley start on the water in pembrokeshire and lots of boats have been gowing in the water ?

 

[Alcyone]

hi martine ( Alcyone ) ,
just wordring when will u be at dail with yor yacht ,
i do hope boating and sailing will be a erley start this yer on the water as the wether is been verry good !

it looks like evrey one is having a good erley start on the water in pembrokeshire and lots of boats have been gowing in the water ?

Hi Adam. I'm just servicing the RIB, and then I have some moorings to do. Once they are sorted, sometime in the next month or so, I'm sure we'll be there.

 

[Wunja]

Thanks for posting those Martin.

There is something special about the light over the Bristol Channel at sunset. Quite makes me homesick!

 

[operator6]

Yup, still here

Yes, she's a Kingfisher 26, 'Sui'. The one we tried to bring back from Chichester, last summer, but were stopped by bad weather. Easily keeps up with the other boats, up wind and down. Her skipper used to post here as Pi Pi, don't know if he's still around on this forum.

Yup, still here; as 'operator6' but not very active
FYI for anyone interested in the rig - it's a converted Kingfisher 26 (Newbridge also made a 'factory' version, with the unstayed mast a few feet behind my one), with a carbon fibre unstayed mast (a racing spinnaker pole) through reinforced topsides partners (including kevlar). It's a very light mast, but has large windage. The sail is of Odyssy III cloth, with 8% camber (the barrel-cut method) on the first 5 panels, flat for the remaining two (top two) - it gives it a 'baggy' shape, until filled with air, and the cut puts the max camber around mid-way in the panel between the battens (which are alu), 380 sq ft overall. I've just fitted a new boom, and a couple of the battens are actually broke, so seeing how they behave (still doing excellent service!) [it means the Hong Kong parrels cannot be too tight, so there are a lot of 'wrinkles' about, much to the amusement of my BM colleagues]. Sails well, nicely balanced (for 5+ tons, due to all the 'spares' onboard), and goes well to windward (again, to the surprise of my new-fangled leg-o-mutton friends. If you sail the channel, we'll meet.

 

[chrisedwards]

Yup, still here; as 'operator6' but not very active
FYI for anyone interested in the rig - it's a converted Kingfisher 26 (Newbridge also made a 'factory' version, with the unstayed mast a few feet behind my one), with a carbon fibre unstayed mast (a racing spinnaker pole) through reinforced topsides partners (including kevlar). It's a very light mast, but has large windage. The sail is of Odyssy III cloth, with 8% camber (the barrel-cut method) on the first 5 panels, flat for the remaining two (top two) - it gives it a 'baggy' shape, until filled with air, and the cut puts the max camber around mid-way in the panel between the battens (which are alu), 380 sq ft overall. I've just fitted a new boom, and a couple of the battens are actually broke, so seeing how they behave (still doing excellent service!) [it means the Hong Kong parrels cannot be too tight, so there are a lot of 'wrinkles' about, much to the amusement of my BM colleagues]. Sails well, nicely balanced (for 5+ tons, due to all the 'spares' onboard), and goes well to windward (again, to the surprise of my new-fangled leg-o-mutton friends. If you sail the channel, we'll meet.

A really nice job - well done. You must be the only person in the country with this rig - the rest are in Norway.

I see others are saying she is as good to windward as bermudan. I would be most interested if you could post some comparisons as the season progresses - against what types of boats and in what conditions.

 

[operator6]

Not quite the only one, but it's rare enough! The main idea and research comes from Norway (through the work of Arne Kverneland), but this type of rig attracts people who like to tinker and the JRA is quite active. I'll be keeping an eye on her performance during the season, but I'm more interested in improving myself and getting the best out of the rig. So far, I manage, under a reasonable blow, to keep up with most larger boats (28-30ft). And all to windward! I'm looking forward to some air behind me I'll post what I find. cheers

 

[Alcyone]

It's also worth pointing out that that performance is with a very heavy boat - given all the spares you are currently carrying. Were she a ton or so lighter, she'd be even faster.

 

[operator6]

A really nice job - well done. You must be the only person in the country with this rig - the rest are in Norway.

I see others are saying she is as good to windward as bermudan. I would be most interested if you could post some comparisons as the season progresses - against what types of boats and in what conditions.

Hi, just a quick update - after a few weeks sailing, I am getting used to my rig. I am not actually looking to make comparisons between the junk rig and others with whom I sail, but it's fair to say I'm taking notice of certain sailing features. On my last outing, there were three yachts going in the same direction at the same time (locked out, along the coast, for a while) - 26, 29, 33 feet respectively. I kept my boat/rig a few degrees off the apparent wind on a loose close-haul (a nice F4/5), and in the same direction/heading, overhauled a Sadler 29 (with full sails) and was catching my friend's Westerly 33 (also full sails). Of course this could be tidal, wind, or luck, but everything looked even to me. SUI was perfectly balanced, straight tell-tales, and filled panels all the way, with maybe 10 degrees over. This was the best balance with full sail I have achieved so far, and she flew along (at hull speed of just over 6 knots) completely unstressed. For her short LWL and weight, this is a good outcome and will inform my future decisions.

 

[Allan]

She looked very good and certainly had plenty of speed across the channel. Sui's speed down the Welsh coast from Newport to Cardiff, into the wind, was most impressive!
Allan

 

[operator6]

She looked very good and certainly had plenty of speed across the channel. Sui's speed down the Welsh coast from Newport to Cardiff, into the wind, was most impressive!
Allan

only as fast as the boat in front! (aka 'the rest of the story'

 

[Alcyone]

I wouldn't judge your speed by that Westerly 33, Operator6, I don't think that fella knows what he's doing half the time.......

 

[Allan]

I wouldn't judge your speed by that Westerly 33, Operator6, I don't think that fella knows what he's doing half the time.......

Sir, I beg to differ. The fella in the Westerly 33 doesn't know what he is doing most of the time. It all an illusion caused by a trick of of the light.
Allan

 

[operator6]

yes, a trick of the light, rolling a rolly, boiling a cup-o-tay, badly set sails, eh, oh no scrap that one