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From: Geoff Longenecker
Date: 07 Dec 1998
Time: 13:04:05
Remote Name: gatekeeper.canon.com
We headed out in 20-25 knot breezes about 1 hour before the start of the race for practice, etc... With 6 guys on the boat (about 1100 lbs..), I was pretty sure we had a heavy enough crew. Fortunately I had a sailmaker friend from New Orleans on board who knew these conditions and these type boats well. (He has built sails and raced on many J80s, J90 Hull #4, and other sportboats). The wind died a bit before the start of the race and we decided to use the kite. We were not going to until we saw every other boat heading out with it up and managing to handle it. Once under way, we were very fast, but in control. In the harbor, without waves, we were doing between 9 and 14 knots according to our GPS. We had a huge tide pushing us out and lots of large boats to sail through.
Once we got out of the harbor the seas came up, with the tallest sets nearing 8-10 feet. We were flying with this beautiful side swell launching us along. We past the current Shock 35 champion like he was a Catalina 27 and flew by the J 105s to leeward.
We guess that when the rig came down we were averaging 15-17 knots of boat speed. The rig tensioner was set to 1000 lbs. and we had no runners. (The boat did not have them equipped). The mast, it seemed to all of us, just lifted off the front of the boat when we came over the top of a medium sized swell. The mainsail was let out pretty far and the vang was in hand and not all the way off as we remembered it. We had no wraps on the kite sheet... just lead it around a winch. Our speed remained the same-- there were no sudden jolts or anything. In fact, we all remarked how quiet the whole ordeal was. Someone said that moments before it fell all of us got real quiet, sort of admiring just how great this boat really was. Surfing along, in total control, scary speeds.
Rig came down and we had to cut away a few halyards, the headstay and a shroud to clear it. We were able to get everything (sails and all) back on the boat. All of the sails were saved and all of the aluminum ended up back on board by some miracle. The boat took only minor scratches that can be buffed out with no trouble. The mast broke in two spots, at the lower spreaders and at the coupling. Also, the pin at the base of the mast torqued and pulled through the tube. The pin stayed on the boat somehow and may end up on someone's mantle somewhere! <g>
I can now fully grasp why you guys love these boats so much. I have never had more fun on a sailboat... ever. I am firmly convinced this will be a fantastic light air racer, and when the wind comes up, so will the goosebumps.