I hit the water for the start of the season today, even though the official start is a few weeks away (I think), the forecast threatened 30-40, so we didn’t expect to hit the water, however it turned out to be less than to gusting to about 12 with perfectly flat water and high tide. After an hour of boat work I finally hit the water, and my boat was not nice. Not nice at all.

With this new height axis if your boat is not staying in the water, you can’t even sail. And that is the problem it was having today. Start … takeoff .. full height … wand flicks forward … does nothing … boat still goes higher … top of foil breaks surface … almost … stays there until it stalls … then crash land … repeat. So that is what it feels like to try and ride a bull. Exciting, violent and all over in a few seconds.

Not fun at all. I have been looking for an aggressive, Dave Lister like setup and I have pushed it too far. Tomorrow I will be dialling it back to an older style setup that should have a slower but more positive wand response. Something I can actually sail.

Oh and the 40 knots finally arrived at 5pm.

I’m feelin’ the internet love today … except from Florida.

Lister in the Sun

SA’er ‘teknologika’ continues with his excellent ‘mothcast’ audio shows, and this month sees Dave Lister, acknowledged as probably the fastest mothie on Earth. Lister wasn’t able to sail the recent Worlds, but he comments on Bora’s victory, developments in the class, and home builds vs. production boats (Lister sails a home build). Listen in.

Oh crap I just posted on my blog … looks like I destined to continue to loose (again).

Thanks Dave.

I have written a new article that covers the development and evolution of hydrofoils in Australia by the three main commercial builders.

the evolution of moth main hydrofoils

So the season is almost upon us and after the first real winter in a while, trips out into the workshop have been few and far between.

I did manage to get out there today and yesterday, and after seeing the “almost Aussie” (well he spends enough time here) Bora ripping around to win the Worlds in fine style, I have set myself a goal for this season.

Move from back of the pack to mid pack.

Ok there have been some key fundamentals that I have been getting wrong, and I am determined to right them and get my ass up the fleet, this includes some really basic things like:

• Getting my ass out of the workship and onto the water.
• Getting fit and loosing 10 kilos.
• Grow some cahones and learn to really leverage my weight in 15 knots plus.
• Learning how foil gybe and nail it every time
• Turning my OK tacks in to consistently good tacks
• Finally take Les’ advice and build some new spreaders with the correct geometry. If necessary get a new, stiffer mast.
• Get my foil’s “finished”. Which I was doing today … see pic.
• Find another 10 knots of boat speed.
• Did I mention more sailing and less boat work.

To that end, all the technical work that is being done for the 2009-10 season is refinement, refinement, refinement. Cleaning up things, getting details right, solving little niggles. To that end I got around to painting the “franken foil”, aka my 2008 foil design. I realised when I took the photo that my garage is quickly becoming a hall of hanging foils with my old school square foils tied up behind.

I already have another main foil horizontal, although it needs a vertical which I will build in the coming weeks, as well as starting on the designs for the foils that I will use in Belmont in 2011.

I am not going to Perth, so my “nationals” will be the SIRS regatta in Sydney. I am freezing my equipment for that regatta today, as if there is one thing I have learnt, it is that you can’t turn up to a regatta with new, untried gear (like I have for the last two nationals) and expect it to provide you with a string of results other than DNF’s.

I know it’s completely un-Australian to be wanting a Yank to win the 2009 worlds but mates come first. I really hope the dude (Bora) can hold on to his current spot tomorrow and come away with the win.

Then his roundel will change from this:

to this

(if it hasn’t already).