Dear Taipan Sailors,
Have you tried this? You should!

It was the Peel Island Marathon last Sunday, 30 kilometers around Peel Island in Morton Bay. The wind was looking like it would stay light all day and my crew had left me to play football. I had rigged the 4.9 with my spinnaker and carbon snuffer system, but at the last minute decided to get rid of the kite and sail with jib and main alone ( chickened out on the three sails with just me).

The first leg was a run of 4 km against the tide in 4 knots of breeze, the Nacra Inter18s, Hobbie Tigers, and the 5.7 with kite were too quick for the super sloop and so were the Homan boys who sailed there 4.9 around the first mark just ahead of me.

The next leg was a beam reach in 5 knots and the super sloop left the two up 4.9 and all the A class cats for dead. The upwind leg of 3klm followed in 5 to 8 knots. I was flat out with all downhaul dragged on and the boat flew, by the top mark the super sloop was 400metres ahead of all the fleet the A classes and other Taipans were 20 minutes back!

You have never seen a boat go like a 4.9 one up in light air to windward. It was twice as fast as anything on the water. Unbelievable and such a buzz!

The race continued in this manner for three hours. I was run down by Don Dull's 5.7 with kite on the last very long run but won on corrected time by 15 minutes. I was worn out because it is hard work (the crew must actually do something), but the speed and the sensation. It is a great feeling to have the boat on the trailer before the first A class or other 4.9 gets back on the beach.

This super sloop thing is the ultimate big skippers boat, I think at 100kg you would be perfect. Eat those burgers, go seconds on the cheasecake and wash it down with a [censored] load of beer, weight is great when sailing a 4.9 sloop by your self.

Dave Elliott
AUS259 "Intro Line" ,cause I got no friends.


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