SSANZ Triple 2021

[Oldlog 11]

Hey Simmer balanced rudder ? Got my interest 🤔

have you removed the Skeg?

 

[Shimmer 43]

I had Shimmer out between the enduro and the first Lewmar race for a second big hit on her rebuild.

She had never been glassed and was starting to show lots of small cracks in the outer planking, partly due to the new darker colour but I suspect also due to being sailed a lot harder and raced with higher rig tensions than previous.

As part of the improvements I built a Grey Dixon Mk4 balanced rudder as fitted to Pahi and Palagen 

one of the most satisfying things I have done on shimmer was cutting off that  skeg.

I also removed the little knuckle on the front edge of the keel transition into the hull and Grey made me some proper foil shape templates and we faired the keel to this shape.

Its early days since all the changes but the boat is a pleasure to manoeuvre and reverse, turns in her own length in the marina and I felt she was much better two sail reaching. 

[Black Panther 1,674]

What was the original design of Shimmer?

Nice work BTW.

[Shimmer 43]

Shimmer is a Townson Talent Mk 2

my co skipper recons with all the mods we should start calling her a talent mk 3

[Oldlog 11]

That is a very good idea!!!!

I like it

[Oldlog 11]

The confidence that you will have control in reverse alone would be a win for me - im 50/50 whether ill have control every time i back up with that skeg of mine - i figure Des drew his boats to go forward with little to no consideration of the benefits of controllable reverse hahah

Wondering if it would also allow a shorter tiller to make it easier to manage the cockpit?

Im guessing the improvements in reaching would be from less helm needed with the balanced design so less breaks on.

i do find that the sail trim needs to be bang on to balance it up and keep the average pace up with that rudder/skeg i have or else its too much helm that acts as a break.

If it makes a better sail boat im all for it - chain saw or recip saw? haha - my wife would bloody kill me

I think we should talk shimmer - see you at the 100!!

[Shimmer 43]

We used to hold bets as to which way would end up turning coming out of the berth. So don’t miss that skeg

I think the whole water flow over the aft sections are a whole lot cleaner now, it’s surprising how big the “foot print” of the skeg is on the hull and how far forward it starts plus I remember from my piedy cleaning up the leading edge of the keel makes a difference too.

I had originally planned on a shorter tiller but have actually added a tiny bit to my new one and I sit at the front end of cockpit with fantastic view and easy reach of all the control lines works great for 2 handed and cruising prob a pain if you were doing fully crewed I used our recipro but recon a chain saw would be faster.

Def talk soon I want to have Closer look at your new sails

great to discover someone else as crazy as to want to hot up a townson caravan

[waikiore 438]

Hey Shimmer what happened to your old skeg? I may have a use for it..

[Shimmer 43]

Sorry went in the bin a month ago. What did you want it for?

[chariot 244]

I still have the skeg on my Lotus 9.2 but the trailing edge of the rudder is plumb and find it makes it easy to reverse and provides a balanced rudder.

[waikiore 438]

A Townson

[Jono G 43]

Might have a bit going on on Saturday!. At least the rain seems to have gone by then.

[waikiore 438]

Fresh to frisky

[Deep Purple 517]

Yep

Loaded up and ready to roll tomorrow #breezeon

Not quite as windy a forecast as last year and SW instead of NE

 

[Clipper 358]

Im excited. Should be a fun trip to coromandel.

Home, not so much

[waikiore 438]

A little worrying that it is still no wind here in North Harbour -does that mean it has slowed down and we will get a harder go tomorrow?

[Jon 390]

14 hours ago, Clipper said:

Im excited. Should be a fun trip to coromandel.

Home, not so much

There’s no gain in life without some pain Clipper

[Black Panther 1,674]

17 minutes ago, Jon said:

There’s no gain in life without some pain Clipper

Go cruising.  Sail to coromandel,  wait for a wind shift , sail home.

[waikiore 438]

Well those keen fellas on the mighty Deep Purple showed how to go out of the start powered up and away , getting more miles for their entry fee than most gybing at pace out of the harbour, we had a good view from the front of the adjacent line. When we finally caught them up towards Shearer Rock I thought I would go close and hand them some hot pizza but decided conditions a bit boisterous and didnt want to be accused of outside assistance. Feeling quite second hand today -it was a bit bouncy for gentlemen sailors.

A few notables: Booboo and Damon as usual making the best of their equipment showing the way, and the old Innismara isnt too shabby on the wind in +30 knots even if they did start 10 minutes early with the piedys.

[Deep Purple 517]

Deep Purple's Race Report

Watching the weather forecast every few minutes all week isn't going to change what happens. Breeze-on. Memories of last year NE pounding at the fore but at least this year South-West and calmer seas or so I we thought.....

We launched at Bucklands Beach and timed our arrival at the race area to be just in time to start. Reefed main, #2 Jib (really need a #3 for these days. Safe start and hauled the fantastic #willissails fractional and good speed clearing clearing our fleet and across to mix it with the big guys. Crossed gybes a few times with the Rogue2 but we cleared away on the 2 sail reach to Rakino. Next up a blazing kite reach to Gannet rock, passing Innesmara and Carrera in the non-spinnaker division that had started 10 minutes ahead. Sitting on high teens most of the time.

At Gannet it was really pumping so elected for a granny tack/gybe. Got knocked down, lost my dry bag over the side with phone, radios, keys, Bugger. Thought about it for a while then decided to go back, missed it first time but Grant grabbed on the second pass. Still well out front 2 hours into the race.

Then 6 hours of hard graft. The lay through to Tiri was just off tight hauled and the wind wasn't letting off. At first we lost ground and a handful of the big boats went passed all giving us big thumbs up. We probably were losing ground to our fleet way back as well. We kept a bit high and as we bore away our speeds went up and we were holding our own.

Another tight reach to the Haystack and again a few big moats going passed but we had good speed.

Around haystack and dead into the wind. Thoughts of tacking up the Motutapu/Rangitoto shore out of the waves were gone. It had swung west and there was no respite from massive seas. We were down to 4's and towing we were losing ground again even though we couldn't see our opposition. We played the shifts well and found a sail setting that worked, Back into the high 5's and the incoming tide was working. We slowly got passed by more big boats we consoled ourselves that our fleet would be a long way behind them. We finally saw our closest rival , a Young 99, well behind as we approached Rangi Light. Yay, once we turned the corner the eased sheets and incoming tide wasn't going to let anyone passed. And so it was, we crossed amongst the same boats in the division above as in Race 1. 1st on line, a little better than last race on handicap (10th). The wind was meant to drop during the day but we saw none of that until Rangi Light.

All in all a great result. No damage to the boat, some good bruises on the skipper. Thanks Grant for being awesome co-skipper. Thanks Rob Shaw for designing such a fantastic little boat.