Rutland (NigelC)
Friday
Walter with Joyce, Nigel and Jim paddled and drifted in sun and very light airs to Normanton church on the south shore and then to the nearby fishing lodge where a fuddle in the shop revealed some comfy foam seat pads. These were immediately tested on the cafe balcony as we treated ourselves to fruited buns. As we sailed back in the sun on a marginal breeze a few strokes were needed and a sail was spied. Under the sail was Eddie who had read where we had gone from the safety notice on the beach and followed us.
After tea the trees started to wave a bit and Eddie and Nigel set off for the Western boundary of the sailing zone. Nigel's new sail, the biggest jib possible without a bowsprit (see Gossip 168) filled well and he kept up downwind. Eddie found the water tower's wind shadow and then in a failing breeze we tacked back to find Oliver getting a lesson from Dave as the wind and light failed completely.
Saturday
A rainy day with some very variable winds. Nigel's new pads for sitting out on the side of his kayak proved much more uncomfortable than the bare deck and coaming.
There were a few trips out and reports of stronger winds in the South West arm of the water where 34 Lasers raced. This was confirmed when a rescue boat delivered a wet Oliver alone to our camp site. Jan, with him at the time, later said her rig was not right for sailing with crew.
The new club meeting tent was admired and used for a committee meeting. Be warned though, everything seems orange when you leave it!
Sunday
Dull with good sailing winds and no rain. Two lovely races the first of which ended in a very close finish and the second with a paddled leg also had the placings continually changing.
Overall a good meeting though I got fed up with that woman on the Tannoy hectoring the triathlon competitors. We will avoid them next year. Also a chap came from Bedford to see us after getting details at the NEC show.
Njuzu - My Canoe (JeffB)
I needed a new canoe. My previous one was now about 18 months old and although it fulfilled one function beautifully (it was light and very good for paddling) its sailing qualities leave something to be desired. The low midships freeboard was quite a challenge and I was tired of being so cold and wet. What I now needed was a boat with a higher displacement, more seaworthy and with sufficient room for two people to cruise with camping gear.
Design philosophy
The guiding principles behind the design were to simplify construction as far as possible, but without sacrificing too much in the way of hull shape. I was after a design that would fall between the elegance and style of glued clinker and the simplicity of the Phil Bolger, Dynamite Payson "instant boat" school.
There are problems if you try using several chines to attempt to reproduce traditional hull forms in plywood. The narrow beam, relative to the length, makes stitch-and-tape construction rather difficult because the shape of the panels does not define the form of the hull very positively. I hate the idea of building over moulds; it's the thought of having to invest time and effort in something that is not part of the finished boat.
I dispensed with moulds by incorporating six permanent bulkheads and eliminated most of the chines by combining the hull panels into what is essentially one large sheet of ply. However, the forming of the hull was definitely not simple.
Evolution of the design
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