posted Dec 13, 2011, 8:19 AM by Philip Watson
[
updated Dec 13, 2011, 8:49 AM
]
Transcript of
e-mail received immediately after 2011 ARC from Norwegian sailor Ingvar Solem
in his Hanse 370 Fri Flyt
"Hello Philip!
We had a fantastic
crossing and I want to thank you for convincing me to buy those Yankees! Except for the first night, and the last
three days, we had perfect downwind sailing, and we beat a lot of larger
boats in to St. Lucia.
Today a Hanse 370 owner
from Sydney came to my boat. He was a crew member on a Beneteau 46’ and was
really impressed by the speed of my boat (we parked them completely!).
The boat was overloaded
so it was pretty tricky to get a real surf, but we managed to reach a speed of
13.4 knots over the ground.
Ingvar.
Also
in the 2011 ARC was the Skerries/Rush Hallberg-Rassay 48’ Emilija (Noel & Brenda Ruigrok) They sailed most of the way
under twin jibs, one of which came with the boat and the other was designed by
Watson Sails to be as close to being a “mirror image” as is possible with
modern technology.
It all
started nine years ago when Philip Watson and three old friends crossed the
Atlantic on the Hanse 371 Megawat in
the rather rapid time of fifteen and a half days. Most of the “secret” to this speed was a pair
of identical Yankee jibs which could also be used as one headsail when the wind
went ahead. A couple of years later, the
Hallberg Rassy 42’ ketch Safari (Ken
& Carmel Kavanagh) had a fast and comfortable crossing with the very same
jibs that had proved so successful on Megawat.
Then Pat
Donnelly and his expert crew took the Sweden 45’ Aimless to St Lucia in the 2006 ARC using a pair of Watson’s twin
jibs. Interestingly, those same jibs
were “recycled” for the 2009 ARC on Hugh and Valerie Pilsworth’s Jeanneau
48’.
All the crews
reported the twin-jib rig as being very simple and easy to trim. It makes the autopilot’s job easier too. Most
people prefer to drop the main when using twin jibs which are hoisted together,
one in each groove. A small but
important detail to the success of twin-jib sailing is the addition of an
extension sheet on each sail. This lowers the attachment point allowing you to
change from one (two-ply) jib to two jibs peeled apart and then back again very
simply and quickly a moment after rolling them up fully. Their clews would be too high above the deck
to reach up to when furled without sheet extensions. |
posted Aug 12, 2010, 2:42 AM by Philip Watson
[
updated Aug 12, 2010, 4:00 AM
]
We've just learned that an enterprising firm in Crosshaven (Loc8ioncode) has "invented" a type of postcode similar to the UK.
If you click on ours, it will show you the exact location of our loft entrance.
So far they have done a deal with Garmin to allow you use their code to guide you directly to an address, and more such deals (such as Apple i-phone) are apparently in the pipeline.
We wish them every success.
Try this link www.loc8code.com/NL9-06-V03 |
posted Dec 8, 2009, 4:33 AM by Philip Watson
[
updated Dec 16, 2009, 4:57 AM
]
Our running asymmetric spinnakers are an excellent example of how knowledge, acquired in serious one-design racing, filters down to the cruising community. Having had a 1720 fleet on our doorstep in Howth for over ten years, a fleet that only raced windward-leeward courses, we just had to find a way to make our spinnakers fly lower than the opposition. We'd be the first to admit that our earliest designs were little better than "coloured genoas", collapsing too early when you tried to sail really low. But when we "cracked it" (in 1996) we came up with a design that still outperforms any other we've seen, or tested against since. This running mould is winning races on J-109's, (seen here on a J-92) and many other classes that use asymmetric spinnakers.
When a cruising yacht needs to fly a spinnaker it is almost always to sail low and avoid using a pole. Running in medium breezes, only very light planing yachts can gain enough speed by sailing high to usefully sail the extra distance. Our spinnaker, which can sail extra-low, is therefore the perfect shape for a cruising yacht. Our cruising chutes are extremely stable and easy to trim too - so stable that you can cleat the sheet and steer to it. We've even had customers say they can fly their asymmetric spinnaker with the autopilot steering!
Shape is just a part of what makes our cruising chutes special. Size is very important too, and careful measurement is part of what we offer. Flick through the pages of any yachting magazine and you'll see pictures of asymmetrics that are flying far too high above the bow because their luffs are too short to haul them right down to the stem/pole. On a closer reach it is essential that the luff is long enough to bring the tack right in to the centre-line, otherwise most of the sail's power will drag you sideways rather than forwards. Contrary to what some sailmakers want you to believe "one size doesn't fit all" |
posted Nov 30, 2009, 7:53 AM by Philip Watson
[
updated Nov 30, 2009, 7:52 AM
]
If anybody out there (and especially those a long way away)
want to call me on Skype, I'm on line nearly all day and many
evenings after dark, so try making contact with
"WattyYachtie1"
|
posted Sep 28, 2009, 11:07 AM by Philip Watson
[
updated Jan 18, 2012, 2:36 AM
]
posted Sep 28, 2009, 6:39 AM by Philip Watson
[
updated Oct 1, 2009, 8:47 AM
]
- Are you in the frame and winning Races?
- Are you safe and comfortable when Cruising?
- Is buying a new yacht the only answer?
If the answer to any of these questions is NO – READ ON...
PHILIP WATSON is Ireland's most experienced sailmaker, and has now launched a new boat optimization service. A lifetime in performance sailing has made him an acknowledged expert in squeezing that bit of extra performance out of every boat he steps on. This expertise is available to you if you need to get your boat sailing more quickly and more efficiently, whether on the race course, or cruising to a distant destination. A lot of the fun in racing is winning, and making a fast, safe and efficient passage when cruising is truly satisfying. Philip can help you with any aspect of boat performance: selection of equipment or the techniques of using it. You can benefit from his decades of race winning experience, and thousands of miles of cruising, including a fifteen day Atlantic crossing. Call him for a chat, any time. You don’t have to buy a new boat or even order a sail to improve your sailing enjoyment next year! Tel/Fax +353-1-8462206 Mob: +353-86-2550655 |
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