I finally had a chance to meet Matt McDonald and his lovely wife Gina. What a awesome couple! Specially Gina, helping me help my wife!!! I seriously hope we get to hang our together more often!

Let the photos speak. Click on thumbnail for full size images.
Here she is SOUND ASLEEP, recharging the next day.

Don't mind the bridle, Matt forgot the Blade's bridle and had to improvise with a Hobie Bridle and make it all come together and work.

Here are some stern shots. Here you can see the rudders. These were carbon rudders.

Here is a tramp shot, although YOU cannot see much, I was impressed with the simplicity.

Here you can see her under her suit of sails. Aint she a BEAUTY? who can so NO?!?!?

Here she is on her way to her dancefloor, the ocean, where she belongs.


[img]http://www.sefl3s.com/robi/blade/thumbs/_dsc01518.jpg[/img][img]http://www.sefl3s.com/robi/blade/thumbs/_dsc01519.jpg[/img][img]http://www.sefl3s.com/robi/blade/thumbs/_dsc01520.jpg[/img]

Here Matt and Gina are on their way in, after a day of racing.



Here you can see a Taipan 4.9 sailed UNI right next to the Blade. These photos were taken on their way in, this is NOT an actual race photo.

Thank you Robi for the excellent pictures ! Really good material.

With regards to hanging out together it seems that is just what F16 in Florida is just hanging on the threshold of doing. Of course 2 Taipans came out to Tradewinds and the Blade. Jennifer was sailing a Tiger F18 this time but I'm sure she will be back after the Alter cup. With the Harndens and the 5 new Blade owners to be I'm sure you guys can get something good going. It happened to the F18's in the last 2 years so there is no reason why F16 can't do the same thing.

Good luck to you all. We here in Netherlands are going to do the same thing in 2005. My orders for parts has left my mail box last week. Currently I'm hunting down a race crew for 2005, more that way I think, more fun that solo sailing.

Lets hope we can move a few more boats in to NL either Taipan F16's or Blade F16's

Best of luck to all F16 sailors in 2005.

Wouter

How did it do when the breeze was up?

This is a copy of a post made on the general forum by waterbug_wpb (Jay Roth) Source :

http://www.catsailor.com/forums/sho...view=expanded&sb=5&o=14&vc=1

This is the only portion of the private communication (post tradewinds) that I dare quote unasked on this forum :



The other parts are very positive as well and confirm pretty much all that what was said about the design in
the past and by other (test) sailors. It was a really good outcome for all involved parties. But I think the comments
from other posters like Zuhl gave that away already.

Wouter

From the results on Sunday (the windy day) it looks like they were DFL boat for boat (against Hobie 17's and a Dart 18) and then they skipped the second race. Did they break? Were they slow? Did they flip?

Because the F16's were thrown in with the little league on the (frustratingly ?) short course, the F16 skippers decided that on sunday they would sail the longer course (big boats) while the others still sailed the shorter course. This is of course a sure way to stuff up your result. Despite that, they were scored as if sailing the shorter course and came out at the placings they have. I think Matt called it a day before the last race, realizing that he had no chance of moving past a shared 2nd spot (together with Team Mack Attack) especially while sailing the longer course. He also could not drop a placing as none of the other sailors in the fleet were close enough in points. The race had been run, no need for the last heat to fix the outcome. At least that is the way it appears to me. I'm sure they had some teething problems here and there but I have no information that material failure was the cause of them pulling out off the last race on Sunday.

Maybe we should remember that Matt and Gina made a series of long nights leading up to Tradewinds to get everyhing ready and to get to the tradewinds site. They were probably running on adrenaline during the last stretch. This kind of drive has a neck of collapsing right after the absolute need to "get on" has passed (saterday?). Then it was their first time ever on the boat while coming off a Hobie 16. I think Gina was completely new to the spinnaker as well. At one point the bottom just drops out. I have great respect for her, not many sailors learn how to handle a spi in a blow and challenging chop. I don't know what the real reason is, though I'm sure time will tell.

I don't know wether Team Mack attack (Taipan 4.9 spi) had flipped in the last race or wether the sailing of the longer course caused their long elapsed time result. I do known the Blade crew never flipped.

Wouter

They had minor issues. They flipped at one point, Gina fell on the mainsheet and uncleated it. Good thing she did NOT fall through it. They were also taking on water from the port hull, specifically from the daggerboard wells. Good thing Matt did make it out, to fix these minor issues.

It was gusting really good, and Gina mentioned why even try. Enough was enough, and I would definatley agree with her. I was on the shore, and the wind gust were intense. At that point racing is no fun, and its just a matter of time before something breaks. Not worth the hassle.

They went over in a race ?

Which one ?

Wouter

I am not sure wich one, but it was on Sunday. I did not mean to say mainsheet, I meant MAINSAIL!

DUH! just noticed that error.

badabump, photos are here folks!

A few people have tried to contact "The Blade people" and had difficulties.

The primairy source for info is :

Matt McDonald at

[email]MMcDonald@(delete_this)VectorworksMarine.com[/email]

Secondairy sources are :

[email]PhillBrander@(delete_this)bigpond.com[/email]

And

[email]F16class@(delete_this)xs4all.nl[/email]


I hope this makes things easier in contacting us.

Wouter

Bringing this back to the first page!!! Cant let this one slip bye.

Robi,

I am interested in purchasing a Blade F16 and would love to see your photos,which are not accessable on the site. Especially about the boat being sailed by matt and Gina.

When did you get your F16 and what have you sailed before?

Why did you decide on an F16 and how is the build and quality of Vectorworks Blade?

Tks,
Asim

BTW We have just been located to karachi, pakistan from Weston...I noticed that you live in Pembroke Pines.....

Robi, the pics from page1 dont work:

The requested URL /robi/blade/DSC01492.JPG was not found on this server.