Rob_Webb
Active member
After a silly season of Fray Bentos pies and talk of 'that other place' I thought I'd break with tradition and make a truly radical post about sailing - pure & simple.
Yesterday was the maiden voyage in my new toy, delivering 'Aily's Comet' (previous owner's wife called Ailsa) her from West Auckland up to her new home berth at Gulf Harbour on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula (try saying that that when you're half-cut).
Boat is a Lidgard 35, kiwi design, basically a 5.5ton fin-keeler billed as a fast cruiser but sea kindly characteristics. Simple but solid masthead rig and ordinary cruising sails, nothing hi-tech or sexy. Looked right and short seatrial went well but until now really an unknown quantity to me. Trip report as follows.....
First third of journey heading East for 6 miles from western end of Waitemata (Aukland) Harbour to entrance of Hauraki Gulf. Blowing N @ 25-30kts with single reefed main + 50% jib making 8kts, which was surpisingly fast for me, previously used to speeds closer to 5kts!
Called Auckland Coastguard to report passage - first experience of saying "No it's AILEY'S Comet not HAYLEY'S Comet". Expect that will become a regular feature. Considered changing the name and apparently a friend knows the correct Mauri procedure for doing it 'safely' but I just don't know......
Anyway, then turned left around North Head to lay course for Gulf Harbour into a 30-40kts NW - reduced to 2 reefs in main + 30% jib - now on a hard beat into a 2m chop (wind over tide) - but still making 6-7 kts! Couldn't believe how well behaved she was - I was steering with wheel in my finger tips and only small hint of round-up in severest gusts (40kts). OK, we were taking big green ones over the deck but they but weren't stopping us - just continued to power on and make speed through the water. Only problem was water leaking in through dorade on cabin top - hastily plugged it with a towel and will have to rethink that one.
Despite the wind strength and time of year it was damn warm with the strong northerly bringing down tropical air - quite comfortable in t-shirt and sunscreen.
By now my partner & crew had made herself comfortable lieing on a sun lounger cushion on the cockpit floor! Not feeling seasick just a bit drained - long-tail effects of chemo, still not quite out her system. But very happy to be afloat again!
Next 12nm in 2 hrs making total journey 3 hrs - and I had estimated 4-5hrs especially if it was going to be a beat.
Blown away by how fast but yet friendly the behaviour was. To get that kind of speed in a 35 footer I though you needed a twitchy bastard of a racing hull and a high maintenance fractional rig, nothing so benign as this.
Tied up on our new berth, had a warm pasty and a bottle of fizz, then packed up and drove home in 3 mins!
So as you'll have gathered I'm very happy with performance! But it got me thinking, if I was heading back to the UK and looking for an equivalent 35 footer with a similar blend of performance and cruising comforts, what would I go for that wouldn't disappoint me? It took me a few months to find the right boat and many of the kiwi designs disappointed me initially and I nearly held out for a Euro AWB - but I'm now glad to have gone for something local - certainly very well suited to Gulf conditions. These kiwis know how to design a good boat. Fingers crossed for the AC!
Sat night went out to friend's birthday party at marina restaurant, late night but only a few mins stumbling distance from home so slept in normal bed. But this morning (Sunday) we took our hang-overs back down to boat (3 min drive) for one of those truly spectacular bacon, egg & mushroom sandwiches that can only be created on a boat.
Then cast off and motored 200 meters to opposite end of marina until underneath apartment balcony of birthday friend - hand-delivered card onto deck of his boat which is moored outside his back door. And made plans to meet up later for some fishing. Pootled out of marina to Te Haruhi Bay and dropped the hook into 6m of sand - deserted white-sand beach in country park with rocky headland both sides - ideal for picking snapper off the seabed. Birthday friend appeared a bit later (in his custom-built Townson 39, another stunning kiwi design - in fact the designer Des Townson was at the birthday party last night but that's another story). Few beers and relaxed chat in the sunshine. Went aboard his boat 'Caballero' and got first view of Aily's Comet from afar - I like her lines, she wants to be off the anchorage and underway again. BTW, as a birthday present I set Brett up with a YM forum ID 'Caballero' so hopefully in the next few days he'll be venturing online and making an appearance. God knows what he'll make of us though and whether he'll stay!
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Yesterday was the maiden voyage in my new toy, delivering 'Aily's Comet' (previous owner's wife called Ailsa) her from West Auckland up to her new home berth at Gulf Harbour on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula (try saying that that when you're half-cut).
Boat is a Lidgard 35, kiwi design, basically a 5.5ton fin-keeler billed as a fast cruiser but sea kindly characteristics. Simple but solid masthead rig and ordinary cruising sails, nothing hi-tech or sexy. Looked right and short seatrial went well but until now really an unknown quantity to me. Trip report as follows.....
First third of journey heading East for 6 miles from western end of Waitemata (Aukland) Harbour to entrance of Hauraki Gulf. Blowing N @ 25-30kts with single reefed main + 50% jib making 8kts, which was surpisingly fast for me, previously used to speeds closer to 5kts!
Called Auckland Coastguard to report passage - first experience of saying "No it's AILEY'S Comet not HAYLEY'S Comet". Expect that will become a regular feature. Considered changing the name and apparently a friend knows the correct Mauri procedure for doing it 'safely' but I just don't know......
Anyway, then turned left around North Head to lay course for Gulf Harbour into a 30-40kts NW - reduced to 2 reefs in main + 30% jib - now on a hard beat into a 2m chop (wind over tide) - but still making 6-7 kts! Couldn't believe how well behaved she was - I was steering with wheel in my finger tips and only small hint of round-up in severest gusts (40kts). OK, we were taking big green ones over the deck but they but weren't stopping us - just continued to power on and make speed through the water. Only problem was water leaking in through dorade on cabin top - hastily plugged it with a towel and will have to rethink that one.
Despite the wind strength and time of year it was damn warm with the strong northerly bringing down tropical air - quite comfortable in t-shirt and sunscreen.
By now my partner & crew had made herself comfortable lieing on a sun lounger cushion on the cockpit floor! Not feeling seasick just a bit drained - long-tail effects of chemo, still not quite out her system. But very happy to be afloat again!
Next 12nm in 2 hrs making total journey 3 hrs - and I had estimated 4-5hrs especially if it was going to be a beat.
Blown away by how fast but yet friendly the behaviour was. To get that kind of speed in a 35 footer I though you needed a twitchy bastard of a racing hull and a high maintenance fractional rig, nothing so benign as this.
Tied up on our new berth, had a warm pasty and a bottle of fizz, then packed up and drove home in 3 mins!
So as you'll have gathered I'm very happy with performance! But it got me thinking, if I was heading back to the UK and looking for an equivalent 35 footer with a similar blend of performance and cruising comforts, what would I go for that wouldn't disappoint me? It took me a few months to find the right boat and many of the kiwi designs disappointed me initially and I nearly held out for a Euro AWB - but I'm now glad to have gone for something local - certainly very well suited to Gulf conditions. These kiwis know how to design a good boat. Fingers crossed for the AC!
Sat night went out to friend's birthday party at marina restaurant, late night but only a few mins stumbling distance from home so slept in normal bed. But this morning (Sunday) we took our hang-overs back down to boat (3 min drive) for one of those truly spectacular bacon, egg & mushroom sandwiches that can only be created on a boat.
Then cast off and motored 200 meters to opposite end of marina until underneath apartment balcony of birthday friend - hand-delivered card onto deck of his boat which is moored outside his back door. And made plans to meet up later for some fishing. Pootled out of marina to Te Haruhi Bay and dropped the hook into 6m of sand - deserted white-sand beach in country park with rocky headland both sides - ideal for picking snapper off the seabed. Birthday friend appeared a bit later (in his custom-built Townson 39, another stunning kiwi design - in fact the designer Des Townson was at the birthday party last night but that's another story). Few beers and relaxed chat in the sunshine. Went aboard his boat 'Caballero' and got first view of Aily's Comet from afar - I like her lines, she wants to be off the anchorage and underway again. BTW, as a birthday present I set Brett up with a YM forum ID 'Caballero' so hopefully in the next few days he'll be venturing online and making an appearance. God knows what he'll make of us though and whether he'll stay!
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