How about some insight to the conditions in the Keys, the racing, anything new for 2010 on the F16s? Good parties? Pizza? Did it warm up?

The pizza is even better!

It was cold, so cold there was a significant fish kill. I heard one report of 60*F. water temp, another report that Miami was it's coldest since '47.

By Friday things were starting to warm up a little and most of the fleet got in a full day. I'm quessing wind was 15-20.

Saturday was blowing and I flatly do not believe the estimate of 20 knots. I'm sticking with the 20-25 forecast. All the boats went out but me and two others. Each time one limped back I felt a little more vindicated. It was a 10:00 start, by noon I felt like a genius. I'm quessing at least half the fleet cut the day short.

Sunday looked like it would be fun but I bailed and made it home by 4:00.

I had crew for the weekend so can legally blame everything on Waterbug. Lord bless him!

There was some carnage: 1 broken mast (Viper); 1 broken diamond wire (Viper)- I think both were the results of capsize under spin and involved the mainsheet but I'm not certain. 1 broken tiller bar (me), big hole in a F18 from port starboard collision, bent tiller connector (Blade), broken gudgeon I20?, broken spin pole I20 (followed closely by another I20 with "lost attitude"), various problems with H16s; noticably those with very young crews.

Most of this was on Saturday and even Seth came in, he was sailing Uni and decided it was nuts to continue.

BIG NEWS! KARL PROPOSED ON HIS KNEES, IN THE WATER, BETH ACCEPTED!

Excellent news for Karl and Beth. Best wishes and congratulations. I met them for 10 minutes in Gulfport and they seem like great cat people.

Sounds like "Tradewinds" is still a good name for this regatta - it seems to always blow hard and colder than usual.

It looks like Prentice/LaRoche got it going through the weekend. I saw Prentice in the Global Challenge results - who dat (stealing the Saints phrase)? I apologize beforehand if these peeps are rockstars and I am (as usual) clueless.

Our broken diamond wire was due to a fitting failure where it goes into the mast at the top. Nothing we could have done to prevent it. Always sucks when the first outing of a new boat ends with a failure. It's being taken care of so I don't have anything to complain about.

Hi Karl.

I had a problem with mine when it was brand new that the side stay got caught in the diamond tang at the top. I would imagine it would break the tang or even rip it off the mast if you weren't careful. Wouldn't surprise me if that is what has happend to you.

Easy fix tho. Just took the wire off the mast and bashed the fork on the end of the wire closed a bit more. No more problem.

I remember my own fitting failure on my Taipan F16.

The boat was completed in 2004 with some Aussies around and they all had a good laugh about the size of shackle I wanted to use for the hound fitting. I received comments like, they use those to anchor supercarriers. So under peer pressure I disregarded my own experience of having sailed for 7 years on the North Sea and fitted a shackle of the size they approved off.

I checked up on the shackle after a week of sailing and it was completely deformed, the pin was completely end out of shape and the sides were warped. Likely this shackle was made of some very ductile stainless steel and it hadn't broken. I did however had to saw it off my mast in several pieces.

Afterwards I fitted the originally planned shackle for the job and it is still up up without any compliants.

I guess that the F16 rig in the North Sea environment experienced higher loads then the experts initially thought. =)

Wouter

It was good seeing you Karl. Have a safe trip back.

Wouter, it was probably deformed by the shock loads from landing, coming off all the big waves you guys get up there. You were lucky it did deform and not just go SNAP! When I got my new Bimare Jav 2 some years ago, I found the shackles were very light compared to what I was used to, I had to replace many of them within 6mo. as they were starting to bend too...and I don't ever sail in big waves!

Is this something typical for the States but every regatta I hear people coming off the water to fix things (I mean this in general, so also the F18, ...).
In Europe if have the feeling this happens less often.
Maybe it's because most of the US sailors break down their boats more often?

any of the water reports? Karl, Matt? I would be able to use this report for the F16 site....

Gill

We don't usually get as big wind and waves that you guys get over in Europe, because most of the US, certainly Florida, is south of where you are, about the latitude of Spain-North Africa area. We don't see those conditions on a regular basis, especially in the -light air- summers. We aren't good about getting them ready for abuse, like you guys do. Only the Worell (by that I mean Tybee 500) guys beef up their boats enough for the open ocean, and check them over every day.

Remember, the Tradewinds is held in Florida and a lot of Northern boats come down, boats that have been sitting on trailers for months, not being inspected, and not having hardware replaced.

I think Karls was a brand new boat...? Or was it from the GC? The GC had similar winds, but not the waves, it was probably checked over there after the racing if it was a GC boat. But even that event was 2 months ago.

not knowing how it's supposed to look, Karl's diamond wire end looked like an "S" hook that had straightened out. He took the main down and got a tow in, so it didn't break or deform the mast.

As for the other Viper that had the mast in three pieces, we'll have to wait on the official word for what happened there..

This being said, I don't think the "rock stars" of the fleet had any boat issues the whole weekend. It's just the 'part timers' and those who haven't sailed their boats in a while that had failures.

Flipping spin boats in 20 kts does tend to do funny things to rigging.

As you said earlier, Pete, the actual conditions on the water felt more like 15-20 on Friday, solid 20 with pressure on Sat, and 18 dropping to 15 on Sunday. The wind direction offshore kept the water conditions from getting too choppy, so it was hard to tell from looking at the water itself what the wind was.

From an outside perspective, having 400+ lbs on the Blade didn't seem unmanageable in 15+ conditions, although I'm sure it was slower than the flyweights. On Sunday, I spent most of the time upwind trapping in front of the forward beam to keep the nose trim right. Way back on the rear beam with the spin up, and we only stuck it once in a big bit of pressure downhill

Good times, and I'm glad I petitioned so heavily for a kitchen pass to this event. I liked the 3 day format, even though I was in no shape to handle all that sailing!

Outta the box, and onto the water. She was brand spankin' new.

We didn't have any real hard capsizes. The hook was just defective, and to be honest is kind of a stupid design anyway. Why not have a fork end and another tang riveted on? Less holes in the mast for water to get in the better in my book.

5 capsizes. 1 on the way to the course. 2 on the course unintentionally. 2 intentionally. (We couldn't get the main down with the wind being what it was on Saturday so we tipped it over to unhook the it. The other Dan fell into the sail a bit and pulled it out of the track, and once again we couldn't get it unhooked) After years of hating, then learning how to use the sky-hook setup really well, I'm starting to dislike the ring..... New things are scary.

I just got home about an hour ago. 1586 miles from Clearwater to my house. Pulled it off in about 23-1/2 hrs. Works out to an average speed of 67.5mph! Not bad. We stopped for fuel and that was it.

Now to catch up on ten days of missed work

You might try getting a little sleep first, or you really will be pulling back a nub.

Thanks Pete.

Mostly office stuff, and some running. No shop work today.

(edit)- The thumb actually looks really good now. Being hyper carefull about cleaning and taking care of it, plus I heal crazy fast and I'll be able to push that baby back into the saw blade in no time.

Hello all! I've been at the Mayo Clinic for 5 days and just got home this weekend. Loved the Mayo and my brother is doing great!!!! Okay, as usual we had a terrific time at Tradewinds. Great friends and great sailing! Matt and I made some mistakes like my falling into the main and pulling it out of the track twice, but we still love the boat, racing and each other so what more could I ask. We'll certainly return next year and thank you to Rick for putting on another fun event. - G

Yep, that was the analyses back in 2001, but some builders persist in doing it their way. One reason why I designed/assembled my own mast.




Some of us hate this but I think it to be a great feature of the F16 mast. Every time I have to choose between pulling the bottom of the sail out of the mast or having a gaping hull in my mainsail I invariantly go for the first !

I typically don't fall in my sail but there have been 1 or 2 times that over the years that might have lead to a hole were it not for the bolt rope pulling out.


Wouter

The main sail sucks me in. I can't help it. I think it is partly because I don't want to get hooked on the footstraps or any lines and drown. Another insecurity I own.

I think it's the black target that your skipper put on the sail!

I have got one unfair advantage though.

I decided to make my boom from a 50 mm x 1.6 mm alu tube and not the 35 m x 2 mm that has since become standard. The larger boom can actually take my weight and I do use it regulary to guide my "descent".

The same tap with the foot would see the 35x2 mm boom end up in a nice fat permanent curve.

Wouter

Gina, I'd be happy to abuse which ever kid Matt's not abusing, it is my specialty, ask Tom, he can show you his scars!