Torpy senior suggested that a Champion of Champions regatta - using the RC Laser - could be a distinct possibility. All the Marblehead, 10 Raters, IOMs, EC12s, etc winning skippers would be sailing identical boats so the Champion would truly deserve the Champ of Champs title. I like it.

Gallery.

email me

It started as A rig but developed into B rig by 11am - and stayed there. It is a GREAT venue and PRD Nationwide and their development wing should be congratulated on their sposorship. And if you are looking for a great place to live seaside, you really couln't do any better than the Isles of Newport (plug, plug).

And for the pix, click right here! Results and more pix here.

Nick

Here is a run down of my SkiffEater experience. Dealing with Glenn was an easy exercise. He delivered on time, exactly as ordered. The boat straight out of the box was quick. The guys at the lake were impressed with the speed and the ease at which she sailed. We have had some light breezes lately and although these are not the conditions that the SkiffEater was designed for, as long as there was wind to fill the sails I did not lose a real lot to most boats except an SC4 and a Trinity (both light air boats).

When we get into the mid A range and the boat can heel over she is incredibly fast upwind. It is almost clinical that I know if I round the leeward mark close to another boat there is a great chance that I will have them beat upwind. I have had the B rig up on occassion lately and she seems to relish the conditions. In last weeks Region 5 Regatta in Tyler, Texas the breeze increased to very marginal upper A condtions. I chose to change rigs and while the conditions remained marginal I was most competitive with the other boats.

I think I got a couple of thirds and only lost ground where the course was protected. Unfortunately for me the beat to the finish was in the protected part of the course so I couldn't make up the ground I lost downwind (due to less sail area). Where the course wasn't protected I was very quick and I think was in the top 3 to the weather mark for the most part. The last race with the B rig up the wind dropped to mid A conditions and I was not competitive against the boats with A rigs up. I then switched rigs and won the next 3 races in a row.

From now until May next year we hit the windiest part of the year and I am keen to get to the lake with the B and C rig up. I will send photos of her in those conditions when I can. We get a good chop in Dallas to match the wind and I am hoping the flat stern will surf the waves. I am delighted with my new boat and everyone I come across are impressed with its performance. Some of the phots I have sent aren't the best quality.

Cheers
David


Also from texas, Brig North sent these two emails:

Nick,

I just completed my first year of IOM sailing, and it has been a blast. We had our last points race this past weekend, and while I didn't win, or even come close, I learned a whole bunch. In the past year I have sailed the IOM twice in Tyler, Texas, which is in the piney woods of Texas, San Diego twice (1,500 miles away), Detroit (1,200 miles away), and Toronto (1,600 miles away). I have gotten to sail with several of the better people on our continent, Australia, and the UK. I have also met a slew of really, really good folks!

I have replaced just about everything on the used boat I bought for $1,200, but I tell you, the Stealth has been a great first boat. Now I pine for a Disco or an Isis, but I am on the two year waiting list for both, so I will be sailing the Stealth a while longer! My dad just can't comprehend that you have to wait two years for a boat!

The best thing for me is that I qualified for the 2007 Worlds, so I am very excited about that. I am ready to get my nose bloodied as that is the only way to get better. I am still nervous when I get in close quarters with the better guys, but that is a lack of experience. I have got to get the rules down cold.

All in all, it has been a fun first year. I wanted to let you know that I really appreciate your encouragement, particularly early on when I was having such trouble diagnosing my lee helm issue.

When I started sailing IOMs a year ago with no clue about fractional rigs, but I have learned a whole, whole bunch since then. You have helped me in that regard as well through the pictures on the web site which I have mulled over and measured several times.

I know I am still mediocre at best, but the trying sure is fun. Our little fleet, which was moribund before I got my boat, is now getting pretty good. We have a long way to go, but I think we will be able to increase our intramural competition to help us when the "show dogs" come to Dallas in March. I know I will be much better prepared the next go around!!

Hope all is well with you. Take care.

Brig North

Nick,

Our little fleet in Dallas has a core of five folks who come out every two weeks for sure, and often every week. There's a lot of excitement with our guys. We have had two mini regattas which include people from our fleet and the Tyler fleet, located 90 miles away, and those have been extremely well received. One regatta had a piece of rock for the trophy and the other had a trophy made by one of the participants. The point wasn't the trophy, it was participation, and it has been great.

One of the guys in our fleet is from Australia. His name is David Eldridge, and he is one funny guy. He really knows how to needle people in good fun. He writes regatta reports that are pretty doggone hilarious. He made my cry on one regatta report for the Blow Out regatta we had in Dallas last March when he described the drive home of the San Antonio group. He said that the over/under for the number of times "dude" was said on that trip was set at 500. I just about died because those guys say "dude" all the time!!

Anyway, David is a fixture, Mike Hughes, an A/C engineer and incredible builder of boats is hardcore, Ralph Kelley, who's 75, I think, and prior to retirement was both a rocket scientist and nuclear engineer is there everytime, and then our free spirit, Martin VanWolfswinkel, the mouth of the south, sails just about every day. Beyond these guys we have two or three who are hit or miss. So it's been fun being with a group of people who never would have gotten together if not for a 39 inch toy boat. Funny how that works!

Brig

Only did a couple of races and then reverted to ohotography mode. See gallery.

North Lakes is sailing more and more at Newport Waters. Weed is finally getting the best of the old venue. The gossip is that RC sailing has been so well received at Newport that a regatta has tentatively been planned for October with the support of all. I can't wait.

Results courtesy of Eddie Cowell's site. Picture's I took with the help of Glen Ey and Bo Blanch.

I am thinking of selling my boat (pic). If anyone is interested contact me here. It goes better than me, that's for sure! $2100Aus +shipping.

Second was Graeme Bird in Brad Gibson's experimental design Punk. Yup, that's the name. And third was Glen Ey sailing his own design called SkiffEater. SkiffEater came on the scene about a month ago and won the regatta first time up. So either Glen is good, or the SkiffEater is good or they are both good. I sailed it and had a win. So I have included some pictures of the boat. It has a beam of 220mm (about 700mm back), very shallow rocker (45-50mm looking at it) and a knuckle at the bow.

Glen has become pretty fluent with MaxSurf software and this is his first IOM. I'm impressed and so is everyone else. Bill Clancy built the prototype and Glen will produce more if the interest (and deposits) are there.

I wish Glen every success. Pix here (or click the photos right). Or email him here

But I have taken a few pix over the last few weeks including the one above which I rather like (#64). It is a NZ Crossbreed now sailing on the sunshine coast. Also of interest is an experimental boat built and designed by Brad Gibson (very narrow approx 180mm) with loads of freeboard which make it look like the sails are redundant (#84). Graeme Bird who sailed my boat a month ago in Gladstone has bought it and he - and it - go well. Whether it is the prototype for further production I do not know. And finally #17 is Darren Searle's new Ares which uses a pot to keep life dry. Click here for pix (or the photo to the right)