Windy Weekend coming

This weekend I shall be sailing the RS400, so no D-One updates I am afraid, sorry.

Wishing I was in Torbole at the D-One Regatta, but hoping for a good result in the 4's

Looks like a windy weekend.

Sunday NO WIND

Sorry to say....no wind today, so nothing done D-One wise.

Tim

My D-One Tuning Guide

Mast Rake = 6m65 - 6m60 all wind conditions ( so far )

Light winds Upwind
Traveller 15-18cm from centreline
Kicker = loose
Mainsheet = eased slightly
Battern tension = slightly increased to add depth.
Downhaul = off

Light Winds Downwind
Traveller centreline
Kicker = loose to create nice slot and get the mainsail telltails flying correctly
Mainsheet = boom in off rear gunwhale.
Downhaul = off

Medium to Strong Winds Upwind
Traveller keep easing as the wind gets up
Kicker slack
Mainsheet = tight as you can get it.
Downhaul = on and progressively tighter as wind gets up

Medium to Strong Winds Downwind
Traveller centreline - eased slightly before gybe
Mainsheet = boom in off rear gunwhale.
Downhaul = off

Reaching in all winds
Kicker = on enough to keep boom level and not riding high when mainsheet is let off.
Downhaul = on if you need to depower else off.
Traveller = eased slightly as wind gets up.

Saturday

Shame I didnt get chance to sail today, as it looks like it might be the best wind of the weekend.

Anyway I got time to nip up the club and adjust the mast rake.
The mast was 20cm too upright and needed to be raked backwards.

Apparently it does not depower the D-One, just makes it point better, which I was concious of last week.

So Sunday I shall be sailing with a rake measurement of 6m 65 from the top of the mast to the bottom of the transom.

I changed the chocks at the mast collar, it was really simple.

Downwind traveller position.

I have found out that centering the traveller is the way forward.

It's much faster.

Mast inversion

So as you can see, this piccy is the side view of the previous post.

Spot the mast inversion, creates the perfect mainsail shape in relation to the spinnaker.

This is a seriously amazing mast arrangement.

Downwind Main position

When I first started looking into this boat and its design, I was really concerned about the weird mast bend with the spinnaker hoisted....

But I have learned that this is what makes the thing go mentally fast!

So if you look at the piccy you will see that the "slot" between the main and the spinnaker is pretty "sweet".

The main looks like it nearly has the same shape as the kite.....brilliant.

RS400 racing

Mid Tack

The boom height is fine to get under when you are tacking, when the mainsheet tension comes off.

Sunday Racing Force 2-3

Today was fantastic, feel totally "cream crackered" after this weekend.

Well it was really interesting today, I am pacing myself against the other boats.

Musto Skiffs are off in the distance to be honest although sailed around with them for a bit.
After 3 laps windward leward the leading skiff was half a leg in front.

I finished just behind the 29er (off scratch)

RS400.....that a different story.
I found it quite a challenge to stay with the leading 400 upwind, but downwind was great, I reckon I was a hell of a lot faster, although downwind is an art....

Keeping it going is a case of staying in "the groove" going high to get the gust and going low with the gust.

Tell Tales

Check out the tell tales on the main including the leech.....Nailed it!

Set it....forget it

So I noticed today that the outhaul kind of sets itself for all points of sailing.

I set it for beating to windward, kind of tight.

So when I bear off downwind, I let the downhaul off and release some kicker and also mainsheet tension.....the outhaul actually goes slacker as if I have released the tension automatically.

When all tension goes back on for upwind then it goes tight again.

What a beautiful setting....set it...forget it.

Kicker Tension

The Kicker is "super" powerfull (and adjustable too).

Last Saturday, when I went out in a Force 5 I definately had the kicker on too much while going downwind, which actually felt horrible.

Because the top of the main was powered up it felt all wrong.

By releasing the kicker downwind I can go a hell of a lot deeper as the wind escapes "up top".

So I did ask myself the question "why bother with a kicker then", but then I got to realise, if it's too tight a course and I cannot fly the spinny without going "too deep" then this is when the kicker comes in.

With 11m2 of mainsail under control and powered up the reach will be very fast indeed.

This is a very well thought out boat!

Downwind technique

Today I practised getting the mainsheet tension right downwind.

The trick is to get the mainsail flying more or less the same shape as the spinny so that the slot is "sweet" and not starved.

By watching all the telltales on the leech and main it is possible to get it setting beautifully.

I am not toooooo sure about the traveller position downwind.

I am tempted to say that bringing it centreline felt a lot better.....I shall keep looking at this until I get it right.

No Pictures today

Sorry I have no piccys today but I had to sort the spinnaker pole and hoist out by adjusting a few rope lengths, and also I put a wedge in the mainsheet cleat to help with the cleating angle, so I only just had time to sail.

I shall hand the camera to someone tomorrow, so hopefully get  a few to post tomorrow afternoon.

Perfect Day

I have cracked it.

Today the wind was a Force 2 sometimes a bit more (just)

I had her planing upwind, unbelievable.

Very happy.

So the key is loads of mainsheet tension and then as the wind gets up release the traveller, and if you run out of traveller then start pulliing on the downhaul to keep the boat flat.

The downhaul is incredibly effective. It flattens the square top main, in fact it blades off backward a bit, so it depowers really efficiently.

Long Weeks

Since the Wednesday evening handicap races have finished the weeks seem really long!

Roll on April 2010......

Chock-tastic

I can't believe I forgot to tell you!

Last week I was messing around with the mast rake and it was really easy to remove the chocks at the mast, held in by elastic.

If it didn't feel right I just hoved too and swapped the chocks around, moving the mast for and aft till the balance felt right..

The mast was under no load so it was easy.

I will start measuring the rake after this weekend.

No piccies for this yet...to follow.

Nearly right

Nearly right....I think I will be trying to sail a bit tighter on the main from now on, see how I get on.

Wind dropping off now

Approach to windward mark

Giving a 400 a run for his money.

Keep her flat

As in all boats I guess.....flat is best!!!

Not enuff....

.....Mainsheet tension.

Seriously, when I wacked loads on, she just wanted to fly upwind.....crack off the traveller and planing upwind is possible.....just like the Tasar days.

"the Groove"

Found the groove upwind today, interestingly enough, it meant freeing the traveller to leward a tad and wacking loads of mainsheet tension on, boom over transom and gunwhale.

Loads of mainsheet tension is the key I reckon....although it seems ok on the grip as the mainsheet thickness is huge, so effort is really easy.

Spot the 400 sailor in a D-one

Really interesting picture this.....I must sail the D-one, not a 400, check out the mainsail and spinny, nearly the same as the 400 to the left, realised it was seriously not fast and ended up sheeting in main and spinny and sailing to windward of this 400....now that was much faster.....all about sorting the angles out.

Getting used to spinnaker

Ok so this is NOT a 400, obviously, but old habits die hard!

Took a while to get used to the spinnaker and mainsail settings.....she doesn't like soaking off downwind, cos she ain't got a "wing-wang"!!
So I found that huling the mainsail in quite tight (off the rear gunwhale) and easing the traveler a bit, seems to work a treat.

The difference being.....sit with the 400's or paste them

:o)

Spinnaker flying today

A note on capsizing

I forgot to add yesterday that when I capsized, because the mast is sealed the whole boat floated on her side waiting for me to get her back up again.

She was really light to right and hopping in around the wing was easy.
Once I was back in the boat she just stayed the right way up, which was nice.

My Mistake

Glad to say that I had made a rigging error yesterday, and it was not the boat's fault that I couldn't get enough leech tension.

I had not put the halyard lock in the right place so it slipped.

Today was wonderful, and the rig performed great.
I shall upload pictures later

Lighter than that....

Forecast changed....light winds not a 4.....nevermind

Lighter Winds forecast

So all in all a fantastic day really.

I am seriously glad to have gone out in such a blow for my first outing, really proves a point on boat setup.

Got some racing to do tomorrow, I shall make a few changes, especially to the rake, stand it upright, give me more leech tension.

Tape the gooseneck fitting up, and hoist the kite.

Force 4 forcast I think....plus sunny, can't wait.

Hopefully more pictures tomorrow.

You're probably wondering...

You're probably wondering... where the hell the spinnaker pictures are????

Well to be totally honest I attempted to houst the spinny early on and the halyard wrapped around the gooseneck fitting, which simply has to be changed or I will have to tape it up. (I will tape it until further notice)

I have to say that the spinny was seriously needed today and I was a bit sad not to be able to risk a hoist with a partial jam, but like I say I shall sort that tomorrow.

Reaching

Have to be honest.....

I have to be honest....I tipped it in on the first gybe, but I can't really beat myself up about it.....I realised I should have let a shed load of kicker off before I did it.
So I gybed fully powered up and the main just punished me

D-One at speed

I was surprised at how in control I felt in such a large breeze.
I think the unstayed mast helps, and the downhaul blades the square top of the main off.
I am sailing with the wings inboard on the heavy helm setting, but I still felt it was incredibly stable.

First outing - With lots of breeze

Launching

Launching at Queen Mary SC always gets slagged off, but it's not that bad.

So the D-One behaved very well while I was getting her off the trolley.

It was a joy to be totally in control, due to its light weight I could quite easily put the dagger board in and sort ropes out before hopping in.

Ok ready to go

Getting Ready to sail.....reading instructions

Ok, lots to say about today....

Blowing a solid Force 5 was a great introduction to what the D-One has to offer.

I have to say I was really impressed.

Lets be honest.....it was a tuff one, but then I am sure I got a few rigging bits wrong.

Firstly, I feel that I went out with too much mast rake, and therefore found it a tad difficult to get enough leech tension.

There is a lot you can do with the rig so I shall risk standing the mast more upright tomorrow.

Having said that I think I needed more mainsheet tension going upwind and not to rely totally on the kicker to get the leech tight.....found it hard getting mainsheet in correct position with a big wind and the angle of the cleat needs changimg, so I shall change to a smaller shackle for the rachet to get the angle right.

Ready to unpack

Friday afternoon collection

Friday
Took afternoon off to pick up my boat from Hayling, rather than break up the day on Saturday.

Looks like it going to be a bimbletastic morning, so early start so I don't miss out on the windy day.

So first impressions...(well 3rd in fact)....

I arrived and it was all packed up in its towing tog....covers for spars, foils, wings....it's like special attention to detail...wow.

All padded kit specially for towing thought it was supposed to be roof racked....
I reserve judgement on roof racking it, however what I would say is its sooooooo light on the trolley, but it packs away so nicely to tow it seems a shame to bang it on the roof.

Oh....nearly forgot to say....my RS400 roadbase fits the D-One launching trolley.....which is nice...saves a bit of dosh.

The mainsail looks huge on the lawn.
:o)

I shall post tomoz after a force 5 sail.....can't wait.

Tim