Clipper

There must be a few now. I lost mine shooting the finishers one day...

Wrap video. Apparently the drone went swimming, so no aerial shots this time. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/nKypxijeKNBTJ9gH/?mibextid=xCPwDs

The best OA I race with does plenty of safety checks...

Its bloody cool. And designed and built here. Awesome.

wow. OK. I just saw the size of the waves ('98 Hobart) and assumed if one of those breaking waves came at you hove to, you'd be well stuffed. I did hear from some guys in that race they carried on as they thought turning around would be more dangerous.

Heaving to? In those waves? Really? Doesn't sound like something I would want to attempt….

If kept in good nick, they are pretty amazing boats. Great cruiser, great racer. Nearly as good as a Thompson 38.

If it does all they say, its not bad value

The orca looks cool. Even just the chart software orca does is nice. If you choose it, id love to come check it out!

I went to the event. I will echo what Bad KItty said. Its incredible. I thought I knew all about it all, and was on the water for all bar 3(?) days of the AC when it was here. The sailGP is another level of viewing. in person is soooo much better than on tv, I wasn't expecting that. I hope it is in Lyttleton again, or anywhere in NZ for that matter - I'll be going.

That fire video is terrifying!

In summary, lessons from the wise K4309: HT is ignorant i speak nonsense Boats should all have booms higher than carpe diems head (dont worry about the square metres of sail area being lost)

I typed a different response but then realised without a helmet, i shouldn’t bother beating my head against a brick wall. i do stand by my statement.

Id argue that is situations where a crash gybe is a possibility, a helmsman putting on a helmet is more likely to cause one. Safety is not just about PPE, its about managing situations. When it gets wet or icy when driving, you don't put on a helmet, you slow down. Perhaps managing the boat different is a safer option? I do agree a helmet for going up the rig on a rough day is a bloody good idea

For sure they are a good idea on high speed boats, but i would give up racing rather than wear a helmet on a slow old family cruiser like mine. Happy to wear a helmet if i was lucky enough to be on a foiler though, but for crashes, not booms.