Posted by Magnus Smith on June 16, 2013 at 13:21:50 user Magnus.
In Reply to: Re: Recycled "Swallow" posted by Robert Hill on June 15, 2013 at 14:27:08:
The books state Amazon's centreplate is iron.
Mavis (the real boat now renamed Amazon) had a drum/wheel which gave a mechanical advantage when pulling it up. I recall an autobiographical comment about the Altounyan children struggling with this.
In Picts & Martyrs there is a diagram of Scarab (which you recall was built to be identical to the fictional Amazon) and the centreplate doesn't seem to poke down beneath the boat much at all. Nothing like a modern centreboard.
So.....I am surprised AR suggested that pulling the centreboard up would give Amazon a noticable speed advantage with the wind behind (running).
However....AR sold the real Swallow as she was so slow compared to Cochy. In a book somewhere there is a record of a race between the two, and AR was disgrunted at how much he lost by!
Finally....having seen how slowly the Swallow-from-the-film tacks (due to the long keel) I would be more inclined to think that this is the aspect of racing which would cause the most loss/gain.