Greetings pop-pickers! Mirelle

[Kristal]

Spinnaker practise tomorrow

I. To be fair, Crystal is quite happy without a reef up to about F3 and will be happyish up to about a 6 with two in. Using the small jib in the staysail position, rather than the Genoa, helps her enormously. In fact, Messrs Lawrence have suggested that her sailplan could be improved considerably by giving her a cutter-rigged wardrobe, and could add up to two knots to her speed, as well as giving her considerably better balance.

Above a 6, we'd drop the main and run for shelter. Do bear in mind that she does have a small mainsail aboard, never tested by me - I might experiment with it and see if she's happier with it in stronger winds.

It's not sail area that concerns me, it's sea state - I have a suspicion that Mirelle will be a lot less bothered by a moderate sea than we will (going green just thinking about it).

V. Am going for "Tarzan Of The Halyards" approach, personally. Or the delegated crew member will, at least...

VII. Have you really?! The only improvement I can think of is to ship the Spinnaker (so far unused) and practise with it between now and June. Yet another blow to my nerves. I'd vowed never to touch the thing.

/<

 

[Jeremy_W]

Re: Not just a pretty face...

[ QUOTE ]

And whilst one the subject of Top-200 position, she's only just noticed she got pipped by Vashti... I was trying to keep that one quiet.../<

[/ QUOTE ] Yes, but Mirelle is a member of the OGA, unlike Vashti [which was flying a White Ensign at Hellevoitsluis in 2003].

 

[Kristal]

Re: Not just a pretty face...

I was talking about Crystal being pipped - but Mirelle is indeed a member of the OGA, and Crystal will be joining this year, hopefully, once I've gritted my teeth and done the handicap measurements!

I saw Vashti and her white ensign at Hellevoetsluis - apparently, her owner holds a civilian position within the Royal Navy of the same grading as an Admiral, hence the warrant to fly the White...

...I must admit being a tiny bit envious of that privelege!

/<

 

[Santana379]

Re: Not just a pretty face...

Just teasing about the reefs, but I'm sure that you would agree Crystal might fairly be described as "initially tender"!

Being pedantic briefly, (and why not?), a burgee is flown, but an ensign is worn by a boat.

Francis Fletcher

 

[Santana379]

Re: Sail Wardrobe

Small mains can be useful. In the eighties we had a 505 dinghy which my eight stone wife out on the wire could not keep on an even centreboard. We aquired a GP14 main and still planed like a very fast thing, but with a reasonably horizontal attitude.

When most of the country were celebrating 50 years of the current sovereign's reign, members of the EOA were sailing past the Bench Head buoy in the Blackwater to celebrate the centenary of Maurice Griffith's birth. There was very little wind, so we hoisted everything on FF, including having genoa and cruising chute wing and wing. We even hoisted the storm jib up the backstay, uspside down, sheeted to the end of the spinnaker pole. Even then everyone overtook us.

Francis Fletcher

 

[Kristal]

More tender than a Tender...

Oh, absolutely - tippy as you like, she is. And I'm still not very familliar with her sailing qualities, so I tend not to push her too much at the moment - I'm not absolutely sure of what she can do yet.

And I'm annoyed about the ensign thing, cos I know that and it's precisely the sort of thing I'm prone to be pedantic about!!

 

[Santana379]

Re: Wearing an Ensign

/<ris

Just so you feel a little better about being caught out on "the ensign thing" in so public a forum, (8 other people are browsing as I type this), I am still smarting at being corrected on the very same point a few weeks ago by the master and part owner of Avola!

Francis Fletcher

 

[Leon_Steyns]

Re: More tender than a Tender...

What a great idea to have a genuine duel! I'm looking forward to the results already.
Any chance for Continental crewmembers? I'm not Tarzan, but I'd be more than willing to try my luck at the halyards... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Anyway, my money is on Crystal. With some clever tactics, speed is not necessarily a decisive factor!

As for the ensign issue: maybe you should fix yourself a green one and have everyone wonder what the devil *that* is all about... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

For a nice tender, I'd recommend Dinky, Duckling's baby sister. Uffa Fox and/or Alan Vines devised her for the Atalanta 26. Can't seem to catch a picture off the shelf...

Greets, Leon Steyns.

 

[Kristal]

Re: More tender than a Tender...

Ah, yes, but if my memory serves me correctly, Leon, you're already a confirmed Crystal fan...

...and if there are any tactics (read dirty tricks!) at play, they're far more likely to be performed by the wily alliance of Mirelle & FF! Not that I'm not already formulating my own desperate resolution. My poor friend has suddenly found her pleasant Sunday afternoon's boat-lounging has turned into a "send the smallest person into the bilge to shift around the ballast" day.

And if I wait long enough for the Thames RNLI launch to be left unattended, their twin jet-drive motors will be mine, mwahahaha...

 

[Kristal]

Joining In...

Oh, and joining in sounds like a fine plan, Leon - having just plugged your location into the GPS, you're only 221nm due East of me at 0945 GMT today. Admittedly, I'm currently in the Western Hemisphere by about a mile and a half... and yes, posters, I'm still amused wandering around Greenwich with the handheld GPS...

Please note the specific rules of this race - especially those involving the bar of the Butt & Oyster, which I believe will feature prolifically at both beginning and end of the tussle.

/<

 

[Leon_Steyns]

Re: Joining In...

Historically, the Dutch know their way around British rivers... /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

As for Pin Mill: it's reputation is widespread. That is, if it looks a bit like this:

I now understand Mirelle's Jolly Roger a bit better... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Greets, Leon Steyns.

 

[Kristal]

Pin Mill

It looks a lot like that!

 

[Mirelle]

Timing of event.

It seems to me having glanced at the Tide Tables that there are two suitable weekends in June, i.e. weekends when High Water at Pin Mill coincides with a luinchtime pint, so the expanse of "hard" that Leon so aptly illustrates can be traversed by dinghy, rather than by seaboot.

Viz, the 11th/12th, and the 25th/26th. The latter date has slightly bigger tides, but there is not much in it.

 

[Kristal]

Re: Timing of event.

The 11th is fine for me - I'm just waiting to hear from the First Mate, but I can't imagine there will be too much booked up then. If he is, maybe I can bribe Leon to ship along with me...

/<

 

[Leon_Steyns]

Re: Timing of event.

No bribing shall be necessary: I will consider it a great honor to set foot aboard either vessel (although my impartiality may lack some credibility /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif).

If I may add a little to the competition, I have an extra prize for the winner:

Greets, Leon Steyns.

 

[Mirelle]

All fixed, then? Any other boats want to join in?

Leon, you will be most welcome on either boat.

 

[Kristal]

Seconded.

Other participants welcomed. Does that date suit everyone?

What about the twelfth? Seeing as anchoring in the Orwell will be a new experience for me as skipper (hence, I won't sleep a wink), is there the possibility of something more peaceful and sociable on the Sunday? I intend to lurk around Suffolk for a few days and be back in London for the end of the following weekend...

/<

 

[Transcur]

Sounds like this may be a lot of fun. I would love to adjudicate this match but will be racing at the East Coast Old Gaffers race on saturday the 11th June. Quite a big event this year as there are lots of activities planned for the Brigaff festival. Tall ships etc.

 

[Kristal]

Oh, is it that weekend? I'm rather out of touch with what the OGA are doing at the moment, and hoping to catch up with them at the Thames Frostbite race, which will be our first competitive stint ever.

I am intending to lurk around the East Coast that weekend, although I may well be singlehanded and would therefore probably tag along rather than race... alone in waters I'm not terribly familliar with (that is most of them, I fear) could be a little unnerving, especially under the unforgiving eye of some of the OGA stalwarts!

Leon, if you're keen to come over for the 'friendly', are you likely to be able to stay a bit longer, or will you be required to do something awful like returning to work? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Ships_Cat]

Is it possible to see some photo's of the competitors so we can see the form before visiting the bookies? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Have actually seen Kristal on her web site before that went into maintenance mode, but not seen Mirelle - would be very interested to see (and admire) them.

Regards

John