course, in a moderate gale and a lively sea, but there was also a subtle delight in gliding over smooth water, coaxing every ounce of thrust from what light air there was: an infinitely varied joy."
(From 'The Thirteen Gun Salute' by Patrick O'Brian)
Sail Area (DaveP)
From time to time it has been suggested that we should allow an increase in sail area for racing. In many ways it is an attractive idea as I'm sure anyone who has been becalmed in a race would agree. The trouble is that if we increased sail area the trimarans would win everything. Below about 44 sq ft the extra windage of the outriggers seems at least some of the time to outweigh the advantage of greater stability and a more slippery hull. I have nothing against trimarans, unless you have to descend a river or share a crowded beach. They are better boats than normal sailing canoes, but the future of canoe sailing depends on encouraging people to put rigs on conventional canoes and so the racing rules should be such that conventional canoes can be competitive.
I should like to suggest a change in the other direction. We could have a 30 sq ft class. We could call it the Little Pete class though I would not want to restrict it to Little Petes. Both classes could race together. Nervous or sensible people might choose to race in the Little Pete class by putting a 30 sq ft sail on their normal boat when the wind is a bit strong or gusty and they were unhappy about carrying the full 44 sq ft. There might be times when boats with 30 sq ft of sail beat other boats that were struggling to hold up 44 sq ft, which would be interesting.
Another reason for having a 30 sq ft class would be to encourage a different sort of boat - perhaps the Little Pete itself or some development of it. There is a great deal to be said for these smaller, narrower sailing canoes. They are much easier to paddle and to carry around. A variety of touring kayaks, folders and smaller open canoes might suit a 30 sq ft sail.
Musings On Safety (RoyB)
Last May a group of OCSG sailors set out from Cashel to sail to the head of the loch. A light breeze blew from the west and we gently beat towards the Ross Isles. Suddenly the wind rose and soon we found ourselves struggling against a force 4, with even stronger gusts. It occurred to me how difficult it would be to go to the aid of a capsized companion as we had become widely dispersed and each boat was fully occupied with simply surviving in the wind and waves.
In fact different solutions were found to the problem. With my ketch Estuary rig I could not lower either sail and so more or less let go the forward sail and played with the mizzen to broad reach across to a bay, which I had seen on the previous year's outing and knew would give me shelter. There I beached, reefed both sails and ventured out to round the point into the next bay, where Jenny & KevinL and SueB with JanetE had beached. With two up and a ketch rig in both boats, stability was pretty good. But where were the other two boats? Charlotte & JohnE had retired to the shore of an island, lowered the sail and paddled across, as did Mary & DerekJ.
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