I finally got a cat box and wheels and went to Mission Bay San Diego for the weekend to sail my new Blade.

I took a long time to get it ready because I didn't want to screw something up and have to come back to shore which would make my wife very unhappy.

I was plesantly supprised how easy it was to handle the rudders using the line setup by VWM . The boat handled well immediately. The ride was very smooth and steering was much more precise than my H20. It really seemed to plane in flat water when our weight was properly adjusted. It was very easy to control even in the puffs in the back bay. We didn't use the Spin the first day because it was to windy and I didn't want to screw it up. The boat sailed very well downwind even without the spin using the traveler on the main. The Main Sail was the best I have seen with all telltails flowing and breaking uniformly all the way up.

The boat handled fantastic in all points of sail but the most amazing thing about the boat was tacking. At least half of my tacks felt like a small dingy because it would turn and immediately start moving on the new tack. No other cat I have driven has tacked so fast. With a little practice I should be able to make all my tacks this fast. This should make for an interesting tacking dual with a Tiger.

I did get to use the trapeeze a few times and was able to drive the boat hard. With the puffs I could never dial it in and really cruise like I do in the ocean. We are used to trapeezing much sooner with our previous boats, P19/H20. This is the only drawback we have by moving to a smaller boat. This compromise was because we wanted a much lighter boat with a Spin my wife could easily handle. I am interested in the boats abililty to allow us both to trapeeze when we are in more consistent wind that allows it. We did begin to stuff the hull a little on a few runs across the bay but were chicken to push it to hard the first day because of the gusty conditions and cold water.

We went into the ocean for a few minutes to see how the boat behaved in swells and waves. It was not windy enough to judge but you could hear the hull slap. It rides very high for such a small boat. I mostly sail in the Gulf of California where the water is warm with only wind waves.

The second day we went out early to try out the Spin. After only a few practice runs we are already comfortable setting and jibing the Spin. Takedown will take more practice to get it smooth and fast. We only used the Spin in light wind but it was fun and made the beats back upwind seem to take forever compared to the down wind runs.

My wife and I are very pleased after the first two days. She was even talking about single handing it by herself with just the Main. We really like the light weight when moving it around the beach.

I plan to trick up the boat with quick release connections everywhere to make setup faster. I hope to have it in the ocean for more serious sailing in about a month.

I didn't get any pictures but hopefully will on our next next trip.

Stephen

Congratulations, Stephen, on the successful and painless 'birth' of your new baby!! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Welcome to the F16 fold!

Stephen,
Check your messages--info about the Inaugural F16 Pacific Coast Championship, our first big F16 gathering on the West Coast.

Stephen:
Congratulations on you first Blade sail.
Where is home for you?
John in OC, CA

Glad you are enjoying the Blade. The boat is quite forgiving in the gusts, so your wife should not have any problems soloing unirigged. Capsizing will be another issue.

Anyway, if your wife ever complains about the pull of the spin sheet as mine did, you may want to convert the blocks to the Ronstan "smart rachet". I replaced all 4 of mine and what a difference. You just have to remember to relax on the pull to get the benefits.

If you're out Sept 8-9 in Mission Bay and see two people waving from kayaks or the shore, good chance that will be my wife and I.

Jamie

Is it necessary to replace all four blocks or just one on each side?

Where in Mission Bay do you launch? I'll be in SD in late Sept. and would like to see the local talent and hardware.

I live in Phoenix Arizona. We launched from 'Campland On The Bay'. I don't really like Mission Bay that much but it was the closest cool place to sail this time of the year for us.

Most of our sailing is at Rocky Point Mexico, Playa Bonita Campground. We (AZ Fleet 42) holds open class regattas there during the year. I also like to race in Long Beach and love the Anacapa race in Ventura each year in July.

A small group of my friends and I usually sail to Bird Island (5 to 7 hour round trip) on the Fourth of July at Rocky Point (anywhere from 55 to 70 miles depending on the wind direction). Its about 100 to 105 during the day and long white shirts and pants are in order for the trip.

I hope to race the boat for the first time in our fall regatta in Mexico.

Stephen

Hi Stephen,

congrats on your first sail. I am totaly jealous <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />. Your report sounds like what I saw when timber Blade was launched in Sydney recently, certainly gets me excited about the prospects of OZ built Blades, soon we hope. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Regards Gary. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

... of your venue! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> Any pics from Mexico?

Go to www.azcatsailor.com for many more photos of Rocky Point Mexcio.


Rocky Point Mexico 1

Rocky Point Mexico 2

Rocky Point Mexico 3

Rocky Point Mexico 4

Wow! Wish I were there!

Thanks.

At $45 a piece, I just replaced all four (model RF42100). I didn't bother with just swapping out the free-wheeling blocks to try to save myself $90, but possibly pay for shipping a second time. The problem with the second set of blocks is that they are either free-wheeling or locked. I tended to leave them on locked and I can see some wear on the sheet.

I was told to set the crossbeam blocks at the highest setting (harder to lock) and adjust the shroud blocks to preference. I'm currently somewhere between light (easier to lock) and medium and probably need to set them higher. Granted, I'm not racing at this time, so I can not tell you if they work too well or not. But my wife is certainly happier.

Jamie