{"id":18168,"date":"2022-02-28T15:28:11","date_gmt":"2022-02-28T04:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zo-zo.com\/?p=18168"},"modified":"2022-02-28T16:15:34","modified_gmt":"2022-02-28T05:15:34","slug":"high-wire-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zo-zo.com\/?p=18168","title":{"rendered":"high wire act."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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then there was the fact that i had made some improvements to the snazzy action cam mount i tried last time<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n