QSIV, time to spill the beans

Twister_Ken

Twister_Ken

Well-known member
Joined
31 May 2001
Messages
27,584
Location
'ang on a mo, I'll just take some bearings
Visit site
There have been lots of kimono twitches about your new race boat, but no full exposé. Time, I suspect, to reveal all. And tell us where to form an orderly queue to get a ride. (Although I suspect the OWN might require me to go on a diet before getting anywhere near).

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>
 
Q

qsiv

New member
Joined
30 Sep 2002
Messages
1,690
Location
Channel Islands
Visit site
Ok here is a <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.dynayacht.com/designs/schock40/schock40_index.htm>link</A> - it isnt really YM fodder!

The builders site is offair at the moment, but has some nice pics. The boat is 40', 4 ton, 2 ton ballast on a swinging 7' keel, and has fore and aft rudders - think of her as smaller precursor of Wild Oats that was so spectacular in the Solent.

Quicksilver is due in Lymington tomorrow evening (if the wind performs as the GRIBS indicate) - hopefully Berthon will find a buyer so we can progress the Schock quickly. Initial plans are to truck the new boat from California to Key West in January, then break her down and ship back to the UK for Red Funnel. We then hace Cowes Week in the programme, with American Dave Ullman (of 470, Melges and IACC provenance) scheduled to drive. After that, just as much as I can squeeze in - rather dependant on how SWMBO fares after the ghastly experiences of the past 12 months, and if she is still off-line how well I can arrange the boy's childcare. After a year of no sailing I'm champing at the bit! Because of the canting keel she should be ultra competitive in shorthanded racing (we will suffer less than others from lack of weight on the rail, and the sails are fairly small), so the Santander is on the cards (and perhaps some other Royal Southern races). the 05 Fastnet is scheduled (providing I can the right number of crew hours on the boat).

As for a ride - certainly - and the OWN doesnt count body mass as it's movable and therefore an asset! Do bring courage (but not Dutch) and a sense of fun - the boat has been clocked at 30 knots sustained, and the polars run out to 24 knots with winds of only 35 knots ....

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
jimi

jimi

Well-known member
Joined
19 Dec 2001
Messages
28,660
Location
St Neots
Visit site
Put me on the list for a ride. Do you reckon Kim will let you change your name to Schock?

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Q

qsiv

New member
Joined
30 Sep 2002
Messages
1,690
Location
Channel Islands
Visit site
Oh, I'm sure there'll be an opportunity! I may have to take the boat to Alderney and back before hand as I wont be paying the VAT, and you have to touch base outside UK, before you can use the boat - mind you I will try arguing that a couple of shakedown trips would be safe and seamanlike before a longer trip.

I ran the Schock polars through my nav software for tomorrows met data. The current boat is looking like a 13 hour trip from Jersey (plus mucking about at each end) - the Schock shows a passage time of 8:05!!! Admittedly the system reccomended Sunday rather than saturday (the Schock can use the extra breeze due on Sunday, whereas Quicksilver will already be at hullspeed with Saturdays forecast). Thats 5 or 6 hours less - quite astonishing. Of course there would be absolutely zero comfort whereas on Saturady we'll have the stereo on, roast chicken in the oven, maybe the heater if it's chilly.....

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Q

qsiv

New member
Joined
30 Sep 2002
Messages
1,690
Location
Channel Islands
Visit site
Re: Looks a weapon

preliminary 1.214 (F40 about 1.165, Farr 52 about 1.316).

As the US S40 fleet regularly beats Transpac52, Andrews 50 & 70 on the water the rating looks quite acceptable. The builder and designer think we should be much the same speed in all but very light stuff as the F52's (Bear of Britain, Volvo team Tonic).

I think the really difficult ones to beat are going to be the Kerr11.3 and the perennial X332 - they just seem to sail consistently to their rating, or even a bit above. The Prima 38 at 1.089 also looks as though it could provide trouble on the wrong day. We dont seem to have such a heavy loading as Full Pelt (but gawd knows what Jo Richards new design will be like...). At the end of the day it will be horses for courses - if we get some legs with the wind a bit free when we can into the 15 to 20 knot boatspeed zone we will be competitive. If the course has a heavy upwind bias we wont - but at least we wont be going as slow and tender as thos stupid IMS design with wooden ballast!!!!

The other unkown that is paralysing my cheque writing hand is the upcoming rating rule re-hash. It is a bit of punt when we dont know what will happen - but the inferences from the review commitee is that they are looking for a rule that will reward boats that are fast and fun to sail - so we might be OK. Apart from that I'm waiting for 'due dilligence' reports on the builder, and some contractual details before we can roll.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Q

qsiv

New member
Joined
30 Sep 2002
Messages
1,690
Location
Channel Islands
Visit site
Re: New name Competition

Unfortunately that ones already gone - Neville Crichton's new Alfa Romeo is the latest in a string of ShockWaves (I know SchockWave is syntactically different).

I've been thinking long and hard and have many rejects but few possibles!

No, 2 son thinks 'Fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee' would be good (it is apt), and lends itself to some 'interesting' graphics...

Another was 'In flagrante delicto' with the tender called 'mea culpa' ...

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Q

qsiv

New member
Joined
30 Sep 2002
Messages
1,690
Location
Channel Islands
Visit site
Re: is this allowed?

30 knots is the exception not the norm - but I do hope to frighten the odd MoBo in fresh breeze, perhaps as they are getting out of their comfort zone at about F 5/6.

The really neat thing as that fully powered up at downwind angles (about 120 degrees) the boat has the keel fully deployed and a heel angle of only a couple of degrees! At the other extreme the keel is fully canted, upwind in as little as 8 knots. I did a very, very slow race to La Rochelle last year, and I never, ever want to be in the slowest, heaviest boat in the fleet. Not ever.

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Q

qsiv

New member
Joined
30 Sep 2002
Messages
1,690
Location
Channel Islands
Visit site
No, no wind up. And yes performance and polars matter - if you dont know your target speeds, then you cant know how close to 'good' your current helm,trimmers is/are. Farctions of knots matter, and equally important is knowing which direction to sail after the next mark, what the apparent wind speed and angle will be so that the correct sails/trim settings can be establsihed as soon as possible.

The other big problems with sportboats is that they have very narrow chord keels, and until you are moving forwards you have almost no lateral resistance. Linked is the fact that in order to keep waterflow over the keel, when beating, you nearly always have to sail 'bow down' - this is one of those silly buzzwords, but does serve to remind all that you must never, ever get anywhere near pinching - closer to full &bye. The data and instruments also answer the other perrenial sportsboat issue which occurs down wind - colloquially whether to 'soak' or 'plane'. In marginal conditions you need to know whether the fastes way downwind iss 'to heat it up' - point up, bring the apparent wind forward, it increases, boatspeed increases, so you 'soak' down a little. If you watched the IACC in NZ last spring, you would have seen the boats weaving gently - that was the AWA/AWS being juggled - and it is always the faster way to sail. Now - crusinh - the autopilot does its own wandering act!

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
Q

qsiv

New member
Joined
30 Sep 2002
Messages
1,690
Location
Channel Islands
Visit site
Re: New name Competition

AH! If not a name I do at least feel a bumper sticket or crew motto in there somewhere...

Fast is fun,
Swingers have more fun

<hr width=100% size=1>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 2,297 (members: 48, guests: 2,249)

Share this page

Top