Tue, 6 Nov 12 10:17
We managed to get out on the course yesterday in slightly marginal conditions. The wind was between 17-24 knots... mostly around 20. We were happy to have Dave and Gordon Cameron out as guests today. No one gets a free ride though and they were both happily put to work taking photos and assisting with the launch.
NOT A 'FRICKIN' LASER I'M AFRAID... JUST THE TOW LINE!
HOISTING THE RIG...
PREPARING TO RELEASE FROM THE RIB. YOU CAN SEE HOW VSR2 IS NOW HANGING FROM THE RIB AT A POINT AT THE REAR STUB BEAM. THE WING IS OVERSHEETED AND STALLED SO THAT THE NOSE OF VSR2 SWINGS AWAY FROM THE WIND. I USUALLY WAIT UNTIL I AM AT ABOUT 90 DEGREES TWA BEFORE RELEASING.
I was keen to see how the new double-sized rear skeg would assist us during start up. The answer is that in light winds that we normally wouldn't even get going in... it transformed the boat. I could now ease the wing out to get the flow attached and hold a straight course without having to drag the small front rudder along at full lock. I was in control at 5 knots... you know... like a normal boat. This will make a huge difference to how we do the following start up procedures. VSR2 lifted nicely up onto the plane as I accelerated towards the beach. I made an effort to raise the skeg as it had done its job and we were going fast enough for the main foil to be pulling effectively. It then got a bit funky. The new rear skeg is too big to fully retract even when raised to its limit in the rear float. This means it can still steer the boat if the rear float isn't flying.
As I bore away onto the course and accelerated further, the rear float raised clear of the water. It was obvious that the boat was steering was still being affected by the rear skeg because when it lifted clear, the boat jerked to windward. I responded with a heap of rudder, the back sank, the skeg kicked in, I steered, we accelerated, the back lifted etc... We only went through a couple of rapid cycles before we accelerated enough to settle into a flying mode. It was a little un-nerving. No issues at 25-30 knots but it would be a big issue at high speed. The good news is that for the rest of the run the rear float was flying high enough for this to have no effect.
more on Paul's Blog here
and a new video
NOT A 'FRICKIN' LASER I'M AFRAID... JUST THE TOW LINE!
HOISTING THE RIG...
PREPARING TO RELEASE FROM THE RIB. YOU CAN SEE HOW VSR2 IS NOW HANGING FROM THE RIB AT A POINT AT THE REAR STUB BEAM. THE WING IS OVERSHEETED AND STALLED SO THAT THE NOSE OF VSR2 SWINGS AWAY FROM THE WIND. I USUALLY WAIT UNTIL I AM AT ABOUT 90 DEGREES TWA BEFORE RELEASING.
I was keen to see how the new double-sized rear skeg would assist us during start up. The answer is that in light winds that we normally wouldn't even get going in... it transformed the boat. I could now ease the wing out to get the flow attached and hold a straight course without having to drag the small front rudder along at full lock. I was in control at 5 knots... you know... like a normal boat. This will make a huge difference to how we do the following start up procedures. VSR2 lifted nicely up onto the plane as I accelerated towards the beach. I made an effort to raise the skeg as it had done its job and we were going fast enough for the main foil to be pulling effectively. It then got a bit funky. The new rear skeg is too big to fully retract even when raised to its limit in the rear float. This means it can still steer the boat if the rear float isn't flying.
As I bore away onto the course and accelerated further, the rear float raised clear of the water. It was obvious that the boat was steering was still being affected by the rear skeg because when it lifted clear, the boat jerked to windward. I responded with a heap of rudder, the back sank, the skeg kicked in, I steered, we accelerated, the back lifted etc... We only went through a couple of rapid cycles before we accelerated enough to settle into a flying mode. It was a little un-nerving. No issues at 25-30 knots but it would be a big issue at high speed. The good news is that for the rest of the run the rear float was flying high enough for this to have no effect.
more on Paul's Blog here
and a new video
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