Updates from down under and a new backstay solution

Sorry for the delay getting this out, but Margie writes us from down below with an interesting backstay solution for more control.

Hi Thomas
Hope you are well and enjoying the winter break. We are in the middle of summer here and we have been sailing in a number of regattas for mixed results. In the stronger winds ( 20 to 30 knots) we have been struggling against boats we beat in light winds. ( even with 6 on board)
We have had problems flattening the main sail and have found pulling on the back stay a real
hard task for little results. Firstly we added another block to the back stay rope (as we noticed
you and others had done) but we still found it hard to pull on the rope. We then filed back the edge of the cockpit cover as the block near the traveler was rubbing against it when you pulled on the rope. Still we had problems We have now changed the block arrangement to make a continuous rope system. Adding to two single fixed bullet blocks to the back plate and fitting an extra pivoting block has fixed the problem. The triple block does not move or rub against the cockpit cover any more. The ropes run to each side of the boat and can be pulled on by the
helm with one hand. Even though we have reduced the ratio from 24 to 1 to 20 to 1 we can
now flatten the main at the top of the sail significantly more now and
easily

Here is a picture of Margies new backstay solution. Looks quite interesting, and everything that makes boat-handling easier is worth considering.

Margie also informs us that pictures have been sent by the local dealer to the factory as a suggested change.

I have thought about a new backstay solution for Silverminken to make it even easier for shorthanded sailing. Maybe this solution is the optimal one? I'll certainly ask the Norwegian dealer what they think of it as well!

Thanks Margie!

Creating interest

....an example of how to create some interest from a few pictures....

Make your own slideshow with music at Animoto.

Stats.....

Winter is approaching, and Silverminken is now ready to meet the harsh Norwegian winter.....so now the blog should get even more attention!

Even this somewhat quiet autumn has brought a lot of visitors, and I am happy to say that we have now passed 56.000 hits on this blog. Which is really awesome, considering that it is a blog about sailing (not politics, religion or the credit crunch), and even more specific it is about ONE sailboat! Hehe!

The Norwegian distributor, Fjord Sail, is arranging two cool events next week, about "how to sail faster with your Elan sailboat". Maybe something other distributors (or owners) could get inspired to spread around the globe?

The agenda for the two afternoons is:

Day 1:

• Sailing close-hauled
• Beam reaching under genoa
• Basic sail trim
• Obtaining the right sailshape when trimming
• Choice of sails

Day 2:

• Spinnaker sailing
• Asymmetrics using the sprit and/or a pole
• Techniques for setting, dousing, gybing the spinnaker
• Trimming the spinnaker in different conditions
• Choice of sails

I'm really looking forward to it, and if I know the distributor (and I do), there will be videos and examples that I will link to from this blog so others can see what we have been through.

So I hope there are many of you that can keep on sailing through the winter, keep on sending updates for the less fortunate of us!

Another update from down under

Margie writes us again from down under:

Hope you are well and finishing off your sailing season on a good note.Our spring- summer season has just started and we are working out what events we can go in. Our boat was weighed the other weekend (see photo) 3907 kg .We have received our rating (Australian Measurement Certificate) which has usnearly the same as an A31 and 1 ton race boats.Is this similar to your ratings?On the local performance handicap we have to beat the SF 3200 and Elan 340'sOur winter series was sailed in winds below 10 knots ,where we did quite well.We are still learning how to sail the boat in winds over 20 knots.Number 3 head sail,1 reef , lots of back stay and lots of vang.Have you any suggestions?
thanksMargie

Here's a picture she sent us from the weighing.

Here Silverminken is also finishing the season - this weekend we are emptying out the boat and preparing for winter. Brrr...

We have not weighed Silverminken this year, but I am positively surprised by your numbers. We figured the boat would most likely tip over 4000, and with a couple hundred more kilograms for the regular kit. Nice. We might weigh Silverminken next spring because we are considering getting a measurement for endorsed IRC.

Our Norwegian "LYS" (like PHRF) rating rates us a bit slower than the A31 (2/100) and the 340 (4/100). The SF3200 here is rated as the fastest. Based on rough estimates I would say the A31 is a bit faster in lighter winds, but it is quite a load to handle in rougher weather, where it needs lots of weight on the rail to live up to its rating.

The SF3200 has about 5/100 higher rating than the 310 here in Norway. In Sweden it has 8/100 higher(!).

In winds over 15-16 knots we use the number 3 jib, and if the winds are stronger we flatten everything. The backstay we use to avoid being over-powered, but are very careful as to not lose speed. I am considering a smarter arrangement of the backstay to have it more accessible to the helmsman. 18 knots usually means considering a reef in the mainsail, and we might also open up the sheeting angle a bit on the jib so as to have a bit wider "track" to steer up and down in puffs without losing speed. Backstay is everything, and it is very important that you have enough to tighten. Doublecheck that when the backstay is completely loose that it is not "flapping". I needed to adjust my backstay quite a bit so that I am certain that each centimeter actually does something to the mast rake and forestay tension. This I did just by untying the knot  which attaches the backstay to the boat and tightening it until it was just about to begin "biting". Really, if you are sailing in heavy weather, the backstay shouldn't be able to flap too much when completely loose, since that just means the available space for the under-deck purchase isn't optimal.

Finally a new post

It has been a while since I posted last, been a lot to do, regrettably.

But Silverminken is now on show at the "Båter i sjøen" tradeshow, an on-the-water boatshow which is the largest of its kind in the Nordics. It is displayed alongside the 210 and 350.

We also had a brief testsail with a couple of guys that were interested in the 310. Hopefully we'll see some more 310's on the water next season.

I'll post some more stuff from this season soon!

Transform from racing to cruising...

As the summer vacation is approaching, Silverminken needs to transform from racing mode to cruising mode. Here are some of the to-do issues:

Repair log:

• Change cockpit "hatches" (the two small hatches on either side, the hinges were broken due to a wrong installation, warranty) (Done - turned out great)
• Get the spinnaker halyard back - it blew out during a broach under the Twostar regatta (or, if we are being diplomatic: it blew out during our very well-timed "drop")
• Get the tackline back, which also blew out (Done, but I am considering a longer tackline so I can drop the kite without tripping the tackline from the deck - which is a very dangerous maneuver in extreme conditions)
• Change the lower part of the furlex - the "eye" which the jib is attached to broke straight off during Twostar (Done, but I will send the parts to Selden to ask them for an explanation!)
• Change the tiller extension since it got bent under Twostar, also change to one that is one size longer (starting at 75cm instead of 60). This is important especially in heavy, shorthanded conditions where you need that reach without being afraid of falling down, which we did a couple of times in the extreme waves and ended up bending it...
• Find out what hozes I forgot to reattach after laying up last autumn, causing the water tanks to leak. :)
• Change battery since it wouldn't take any charge (Done - did it before Twostar, under warranty)
• Tape some minor damage on the spinnaker (Done). Will have to send in the spinnaker after this season for some minor repairs.

Cruising gear:

• Remove stickers and flags from regattas
• Remove the battens from the 3DL, pack it up and take it home (Done)
• Remove the horizontal battens from the no 4 jib, change to vertical battens and mount on the furler (Done)
• Remove some of the excess (actually, not much) security gear from Category 3 racing (Done)
• Duvets, pillows, bedlinen (Done)
• Pots and pans, cutlery etc (semi-done)
• Cockpit cushions, cockpit table (we have a separate aluminium folding table which goes in the big locker) (semi-done)
• Attach the sprayhood (Done)
• Strap for the spinnaker boom
• Boom awning (Done) (We use a Gaastra non-inflatable awning)
• Clean water tanks
• Inflate and bring dinghy
• Fill diesel- and watertanks
• Bring instruction manuals and more tooling for spare time
• Bring cleaning gear - rubbing, polish, wax to get Silverminken shining, which also gives the kids some tasks, fender cleaning is a favourite believe it or not
• Change propane tank
• etc...