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| Savaad checks Tin Dragon is seaworthy or at least yardworthy |
Savaad fixed the leak from last year's "non-event" at Iluka and we both spent a few days sprucing up Little Dragon ready for 2012 "non-event". Sadly my co-owner and co-skipper was unable to make it on the day so had to settle for a test sail in my back yard.
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| Well what do we do now? |
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| Perhaps the rigging needs tweaking |
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| Tin Dragon is ready (well almost) |
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| This year the crew can hike out when we are on starboard |
By Saturday morning there were eight tin canoes busily erecting outriggers, tweaking rigging and checking out the opposition to see if there were any good ideas to pinch.
There was almost no wind on Saturday so test sails were very tame - no real preparation for the conditions on Sunday.
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| Will this tiller extension will work better? |
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| 8 tin canoes did final preparations on Saturday |
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More tin canoes looking ready to sail
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Pam took Tin Dragon out for a spin in very light airs on Saturday
I took Tin Dragon out for a spin in light airs on Saturday morning. All went well. The photo shows just how much I need the weight of a crew forward. I also found the tiller extension a problem. When I came ashore John suggested how to modify it and I liked his way of joining the tiller and the extension with a section cut from a bike inner tube.
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| The sea trial went well but need the weight of a crew forward |
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Sunday racing cancelled but Rob Crosbie can't resist giving it a go
Unfortunately the forecast turned out to be correct. A strong southerly coming in on Saturday night and blowing hard all Sunday and rain and wind on Monday. By 10.30 there was a strong wind (at least 24 knots). A decision was made to cancel the 10th anniversary "non-event". Observations at Yamba show that it was blowing around 27 knots most of the day and gusting up to 31 knots.
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For a while Rob gave a spectacular display
4 guys decided to give it a go anyway: Paul, Azzo, Rob and his brother Steve. They all demonstrated the skill to sail in these conditions and put on spectacular displays for the landlubbers. Some sails blew out but there was much less damage than I expected and the skippers all came ashore safe and sound. Luckily the southerly blew the canoes onto the soft muddy shore not the rock wall.
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| Then the tin canoe filled with water |
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| Rob managed to sail his submerged canoe to shore |
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| Rob's brother Steve also headed out but decided on just a jib |
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| Steve got back to shore but needed to bail |
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