I just received a copy of the Sailing World article ; Here are some teasers

(The test sailors were Chuck Allen and Matt McDonald)


"The conditions were wild and wooly, with a puffy 20 knot breeze and a nasty chop"

"... launch the boat in the shore break and then witnessed what judge Alan Andrews (BOTY) described as ;"watching a ball of spray scream across the horizon."

"Much like an A-class cat, there's no hobbiehorsing"

"BOTY judge Meade Gougeon, who owns and races an A-class cat ... and is familiar with high performance multihlls, was likewise impressed with the Blade. "The design appeared to be unusually forgiving when the leeward bow was stuffed in a wave at speed downwind," He says. "I wouldn't have believed that this boat could have survived what it did if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Twenty years ago ... would've been considered impractical for heavy air but we all saw how well the thing worked in big air and waves."


Sadly there are some errors in the article, for example our mast height grew from 28 feet to 30 feet and then to 32 feet, but overall the article is extremely positive on the Blade design.

This is one major "two thumbs up"

Thank you Sailing World !

Wouter