martinschulz
New member
I hope some of you have read the May issue of classic boat with the article of John Cadd about the RumRegatta. I you have you will have some idea of what the RumRegatta is about.
One thing John didn't know about is the boats that take part in the RumRegatta that are english built or even sailed over for the RumRegatta.
There are more than those he mentioned in the article.
But I want to give you a short account to what happened this year in the Regatta were we usually have fair winds and sunbathing instead of really hard sailing.
Back to the RumRegatta.
This one was really something. 141 boats ranging from 3-mast Topsailshooner down to 12 norwegian sjekte's went out last saturday with a forecast of wind blowing 5-6 with rain and gusts up to 10!!!.
I put in a reef and sailed with staysail, but later on decided to get the jib out and shake the reef out (I wish I hadn't). After the turning buoy, which we took very handsomly the trouble started. The first thing I saw was a white, whirrling 6ft high cloud heading in my direction. All the big boats went windward to ride that one off. First I tried to get the jib in which was quite problematic until the outhaul ripped and the jib just came down in my face. Then we put in 2 reefs in the main, with the gaff-clew getting off the mast because the cord that usually prevents that broke.
Somehow I repaired the jib outhaul and from then on it was jib-in, jib-out, reef and shake out the reef - we definetely had to work on the boat this year.
Unfortunately one boat sunk in a gale, which is especially sad because it was such a nice open clinkered crabber from the english southcoast. Another one capsized right in the harbour. A Baltic Trader lost his Topspar and a flattbottom dutch barge broke their jib-boom.
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One thing John didn't know about is the boats that take part in the RumRegatta that are english built or even sailed over for the RumRegatta.
There are more than those he mentioned in the article.
But I want to give you a short account to what happened this year in the Regatta were we usually have fair winds and sunbathing instead of really hard sailing.
Back to the RumRegatta.
This one was really something. 141 boats ranging from 3-mast Topsailshooner down to 12 norwegian sjekte's went out last saturday with a forecast of wind blowing 5-6 with rain and gusts up to 10!!!.
I put in a reef and sailed with staysail, but later on decided to get the jib out and shake the reef out (I wish I hadn't). After the turning buoy, which we took very handsomly the trouble started. The first thing I saw was a white, whirrling 6ft high cloud heading in my direction. All the big boats went windward to ride that one off. First I tried to get the jib in which was quite problematic until the outhaul ripped and the jib just came down in my face. Then we put in 2 reefs in the main, with the gaff-clew getting off the mast because the cord that usually prevents that broke.
Somehow I repaired the jib outhaul and from then on it was jib-in, jib-out, reef and shake out the reef - we definetely had to work on the boat this year.
Unfortunately one boat sunk in a gale, which is especially sad because it was such a nice open clinkered crabber from the english southcoast. Another one capsized right in the harbour. A Baltic Trader lost his Topspar and a flattbottom dutch barge broke their jib-boom.
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