In two weeks of racing at RANSA we have gone from a first place to a twelfth place due to a combination of a poor start, a flat spot in the breeze around Shark Island and a more challenging handicap. Even the twelfth place did not give any handicap repreive so we will have to be on our very best form for the next races. Agrovation and Foreign Affairs have significantly tougher handicap while the occasional starter Meridian also has a tough one but then it is line ball with Amante and from there on we have to give time to everyone.
On Scratch Foreign Affairs leads the field from Amante and then Allegro and Passion X tied for third. This good position is due to Allegro and Passion X being consistent starters and this having four drops to count. It might have been different if Allegro had not managed to get through the wind shadow of Shark Island and into the new breeze to overtake Passion X on the way home last week but them’s the breaks.
We did have a win on handicap in the West Harbour Winter Series last Sunday despite the crew being just two young men and Elaine and I. We were helped by the wind angle which did not disadvantage us too much for not setting spinnakers and we did get a favourable gust along the Hunters Hill shore on the final leg. It was one very pleasant Sunday on the water and a first on handicap was the icing on the cake.
Between sailing and yacht audits at GFS I have managed reasonable progress on Passion XI. My progress has been helped by the careful cutting of templates for the cabin sides and by a lot of care in setting up the cabin top beams. The old saying measure twice and cut once has become measure many times and double check. Only then cut a template and check again. The angle of the plywood against the sloping deck sides has been carefully prepared in the workshop and the ply panels trial fitted several times. Only then was I prepared to do the scarf join in the ply on a 8:1 angle. The joins have been clamped together on the hull with final trimming after the first sheet is fastened and the second has another trial fit.
The scarf joins have been made in the workshop after trial fitting the adjacent panels and have needed only minimal adjustment on the hull.
As of tonigt the two cabin sides are glued in place and the front clamp on the deck is glued in place waiting for final shaping. I am debating with myself pushing ahead with the cabin top or epoxy coating all the timber that will be exposed after completion. Also I have a lot of doublers to cut out while I can get an accurate measurement off the cabin beams.
