Light. Bulb. Moment
Blue Robinson gets access-all-areas onboard Ian Oatley's ground-breaking 42ft Reichel-Pugh 'rotivator' Q on Sydney harbour
Ian Oatley called me on Friday and invited me to race on his 42ft all-carbon flying-keeler Q at the weekend. That was the good news. The bad news was that the forecast was woeful: less than 10kt forecast for the CYC race on Sunday. In this wide brown land people have been known to pray for rain. I was praying for breeze...
At noon on Sunday Sydney harbour was a sheet of glass. Winter racing here is either frustrating or frightening – with light zephyrs or roaring westerlies. We motored among the fleet and waved to friends. Every crewmember on every boat stared at us. The Q is beautifully built by McConaghy, entirely of carbon with just a clear coat on the hull and no antifoul to spoil the shine – so it is certainly a good looker, but everyone wanted to see the keel. After a short postponement a light northerly shuffled down the harbour and we were off.
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August 2011
FEATURES
Stunning start
TP52 class manager ROB WEILAND is in the best possible position to assess this year's fleet
Turbocled tubercles
It's not just Paul Bieker who is onto the merits of these strange lumpy bits... GUY WHITEHOUSE
Light. Bulb. Moment
Time to look more closely at the rotations and inner workings of Ian Oatley's extraordinary new Reichel-Pugh design. BLUE ROBINSON
Cutting the corner
If you thought that ACRM's AC72 design package for 'general sale' was going to be a bit average, then think again... says ANDY CLAUGHTON
Two heads better
JASON KER and DAVE LENZ do not just put fast new IRC boats on the water together, they are also getting to be pretty good at speeding up some of the older ones
Trick boards (postscript)
DAVE HOLLOM's piece on the merits of gybing foils and trim-tabs got you going... enough for Hollom to now revisit some of the points raised
REGULARS
Commodore's letter
ANDREW MCIRVINE
Editorial
ANDREW HURST
Update
TERRY HUTCHINSON dodges some carnage, BLUE ROBINSON has thoughts on best use of those Volvo media slots, HANNAH MILLS and SASKIA CLARK turn up the heat in Weymouth and DEE SMITH ends up back where he began!
World news
Farewell to Hubert, Cammas gets going, Rogers (Simon) scores in Normandy, Soto 40s everywhere, Coutts comes clean, sailing the MOD 70 and (another) false start for US Sailing. PATRICE CARPENTIER, CARLOS PICH, VINCENT GILLIOZ, IVOR WILKINS, DOBBS DAVIS
Rod Davis
Why it's all about the right here, right now
Olympic and small boat news – It's been a great ride
MARK ASQUITH reckons that the 'new' 49er is coming good at the perfect time ahead of London 2012
ORC column
MAURIZIO COSSUTTI thinks that fast boats are go – and not just in IRC
RORC news
EDDIE WARDEN OWEN
Design – Four out of six
ROLF VROLIJK explains why he decided that the time was right to introduce some more variety into the TP52 design solution for this year's boats
Seahorse build table – So far so (very) good
MICHAEL APPLI is delighted with the initial pace of his prototype DSS sportsboat
Seahorse regatta calendar
Sailor of the Month
Time for some international recognition...