yesterday was a good day. driving out to lauderdale we didn’t think it would be: the moisture content in the air seemed uncomfortably high, and the combination of general cloudiness and lack of sunshine induced infrared radiation almost made us turn around.
given it’s just a short drive we decided we’d go and have a look anyway. maybe it wasn’t as bad out there? maybe all our mates were waiting just for us? and maybe the wind was going to be just right?
then there was the fact that i had made some improvements to the snazzy action cam mount i tried last time. it’s now mounted as low as sensible on the bridle wires, and i replaced the bottom ropes with shock cords. i’m rather pleased with the result: the camera moves a little more than before, but the movements are less violent, resulting in a smoother video. the new mounting point results in a better view of the sailor & it’s now actually possible to see what the hulls are doing.
here is a view of the sailor proudly flying the windward hull, as is the preferred state of a catamaran. as you can see it’s maybe a little higher than it should be, but it looks much cooler that way. with a decent breeze it’s not too hard to get the hull in the air: the a class carries a lot of sail, and the boat really moves, even in lighter winds.
this is when the sailor is expected to shift as much weight as possible as far out as possible. to put that in perspective: the entire boat including mast & sail weighs about 75 kg, so a skipper hanging off the side really makes a difference. this was my first time out on the wire: it’s a bit daunting to leave a perfectly safe boat and hang one’s backside out into thin air, but that shift really makes a difference, and it’s fun, too.
getting out and back isn’t too bad, but i need to get way more confident before i will be able to hop in & out at any point.i can see how that will be a lot of fun, though, and allow me to leave the power on much longer.
above is a video of that momentous event. it also shows how not to do it … don’t laugh too hard.