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newcomer to multi sailing

Posted By: Excalibur

newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 12:07 PM

Hi all
I'm about to take the plunge and take delivery of a new multi dinghy and was hoping for some web addresses for sites to get some reading material from. The boat I'm getting is a challenger tri which I'll be sailing with a mouth joystick control as I'm disabled.
I've just been given a book to read which is a bit of a pain and much prefer reading stuff on my PC! I've been sailing a mono-hull for 3 years so am used to the relative ease of tacking I've been told is a totally different experience in a multi.

any suggestions for reading material on PC would be gratefully accepted!

Thanks
Keith
Posted By: FasterDamnit

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 01:01 PM

Welcome, Keith!

I think you will find your tri tacks well with a centerboard ( it does have one, right?)

Jim.
Posted By: Rolf_Nilsen

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 01:06 PM

Keith,

do you have a link to your boats manufacturer? It would be interesting to see the design. Amazing that you are going sailing!

I am not quite sure what you want to read about. Browsing these forums will supply you with a lot of information tough. When you know what you need to find out, just ask <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Posted By: Excalibur

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 01:12 PM

Hi
yeah I'm pretty sure it has a centreboard but couldn't swear to it! the more I see videos of multis sailing the More my excitement grows but unfortunately I won't be able to sail it until April when my sail ability club starts back up. OH WHAT TORTURE!

I think the best site to go to is: http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/sailchallengers/

this is the UK challenger association site for the UK disabled challenger series and gives all the info about the boat.

I guess the info I'm after involves how to maximise sail performance. The boat I've been sailing so far only has 2 controls, rudder and main sheet so don't have a clue about Cunningham, kicker and outhaul usage. I've also been told multis tack differently to monos?

Thanks
Keith
Posted By: TEAMVMG

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 01:25 PM

A guy called Geof Holt sailed a Challenger around britain this year.Quite a feat.
They are good boats. designed by the late Rod Macalpine-Downey I think and manufctured by a few different companies over the years.
Yes it has a centerboard.
Tacking a multihull is easy as long as you remember that you need to be sailing to windward properly first - don't just throw in a tack off of a reach like you can do on a mono-maran
WHERE WILL YOU BE SAILING KEITH?

paul
Posted By: Excalibur

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 01:49 PM

Paul,
Geoff is a good friend of mine and a member of my club. I've got special dispensation from my club outside of Ringwood, Dorset to sail it there. They normally don't let multis sail there but because the next nearest sail ability club with a hoist to get me in the boat is over an hour away they have let me keep it there.

I'm planning on going to a couple of clubs around Southern England to help with my training and from August I'll be joining the UK challenger race circuit as the only fully electrically controlled challenger (At the moment hopefully.)


Keith
Posted By: RickWhite

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 02:06 PM

Paul is right on about tacking -- They don't have the heavy keels to maintain speed through the turn from a reach, but tack just as fast as a monohull if you are sailing close-hauled already.
I sail on a lot of trimarans and they are very quick tacking boats. Cats are more difficult.
Rick
Posted By: Excalibur

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 02:18 PM

so when you tack in a tri you don't lose as much speed as a cat? I guess reading a book about cat sailing is a bit futile then?

so can anyone suggest a site I can learn about sail performance in simple terms?
Posted By: scooby_simon

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 02:58 PM

Keith,

We had 10 (I think) at the Grafham Grand Prix last weekend. The class association website is here and I am sure they will have contacts and advice aplenty.

Cheers

Simon
Posted By: RickWhite

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 03:18 PM

I think you are jumping to too many conclusions. Cats and tris sail very similarly, except for tacking -- the tris tack more like monohulls. Heck, they are light monohulls with training wheels! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
Both cats and tris are built to be light and fast. That lightness causes the boats to lose speed through the tack, unlike a keel boat that carries momentum through the turn.
Jibing a cat and tri are very similar.
Tacking a cat takes more technique than tacking a tri.
Rick
Posted By: Excalibur

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 03:29 PM

Simon,

Are you a challenger competitor yourself? I've been trying to get in touch with Kirsten Pollock for several months but only have the E-mail address from the old association site.
I can't seem to get the menu working on the www.sailchallengers.org.uk site. I've got white boxes where the menu buttons should be which don't link to other pages.

Keith
Posted By: scooby_simon

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 05:03 PM

Quote
Simon,

Are you a challenger competitor yourself? I've been trying to get in touch with Kirsten Pollock for several months but only have the E-mail address from the old association site.
I can't seem to get the menu working on the www.sailchallengers.org.uk site. I've got white boxes where the menu buttons should be which don't link to other pages.

Keith


Nope, I sail an F16. I just found the website for you.
Posted By: gree2056

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 05:33 PM

I think it is pretty cool that you are going to be able to sail.

You should enjoy sailing the tri!
Posted By: warbird

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/05/08 07:23 PM

Welcome and well done!
Multis are like cars and must be driven through the tack. You can't just flick the rudder. It is not that hard to work it, after all most of us can do it. : )
Posted By: erice

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/06/08 04:40 AM

try the links in this thread

http://www.catsailor.com/forums/showflat...rt=all&vc=1
Posted By: TEAMVMG

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/06/08 08:39 PM

Keith

sounds like you have got friends in high places if you are going to sail a multihull at Spinnaker Lake?
Island dodging will give you plenty of tacking practise!
Give those firefly sailors hell for us!

Paul
Posted By: Excalibur

Re: newcomer to multi sailing - 01/10/08 11:34 AM

Hi Paul!

I had to do some major sucking up to the Spinnaker committee for them to agree to this. The agreement we came to was that I could sail the challenger at spinnaker but only in sailability time and not in club racing unfortunately! I'll be racing my little bath tub in club racing (access 2.3)! It's so slow that I get lapped at least twice on my first lap lol.
Fortunately there are challengers at Reading, Oxford and Frensham pond sailability clubs so I am planning on taking regular trips to those clubs to get practice In the challenger.

Keith
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