Posted by John Nichols on February 12, 2004 at 15:01:22 from 165.91.196.181 user Mcneacail.
In Reply to: Re: Young Sailors posted by Adam Quinan on February 12, 2004 at 11:29:53:
Sailing:
Tales of sailing races consume much time and I suspect keep the beer manufacturers in business through out the sailing world. I think we all have our favourite beer and boat. I would point out that Lipton is still the largest tea brand in America, being a grand loser did not hurt his business.
In the Swallow plans I have made, I have put in a normal modern centerboard case, when it tips over it makes it so much easier to right if you have a centerboard. The case is not as big as Amazons.
In the races, John seemed to manage to get an advantage by some clever thought, such as beams end over the River entrance. My opinion is Ransome never really told us who was better.
The boat Ransome draws in the pictures for Amazon is not the Mavis, she is to narrow of beam for his boat. I suspect that he had the design in his head as the "alternative to Swallow and finally saw it in Scarab." I specifically refer to the last picture in SA.
Mavis is nice but she is not a real Amazon, close but not quite.
The auld bugger still keeps us guessing.
My brother (who hates SA) but is a mad keen sailor owned a Diamond (10 meter) boat he built himself. There are unfounded, although true, rumours that he drilled the keel lead to reduce the keel weight below the legal and make the old boat better in light winds. I gather the race committee finally nailed him by putting a weight gauge on the hoist as David lifted her from the water. My boats were so old and heavy that I never won a race in my life.
Competition can be fine, but I think AR's celebration with a cake at the end and the promise of a future race is a better ending than late night drilling.
As Roger would say - pass the chocolate and I better eat it before tomorrow or Susan might dock my rations tomorrow.