Foiling in Abersoch

Quite a large proportion of the sea sailing of my (previous) youth was off Abersoch beach.  There were glorious summer holidays whilst at school when I would spend just one night at "home" in Staffordshire and the all the rest in Abersoch...  Many sea miles were had there in the early '90s in my Magnum 8, making nonsense of the singlehanded class in Abersoch Dinghy Week and keeping OOD's on their toes in club racing.
The Edwards family moved our summer playground to Llanbedrog in 2004, but I had to make the pilgrimage the four or so miles to Abersoch in Limbic Candy.  Having completed Abersoch Mirror Week, there was time to make the passage for lunch on 21/8/10...  Now, given that I hadn't really done that much beating, it was a good excuse to "learn through necessity" in a pleasant 12kn SSW breeze.  It was too nice to worry about starting from Llanbedrog in the irksome low half of the tide...

It was a good blast down, beginning to tack more predictably, although foiling tacks are a little way off!  I resisted the temptation to go through the RS Feva Open Meeting fleet, but clearly had to approach the beach on a screaming beam reach from the Islands...

Lesson 1: don't leave batteries in the Velocitek for a week or they go flat.  I must have shot well through the 20knot barrier on approaching the beach, but I'll never know...

George was desperate for a trip to the islands to see the seals, so we rigged the Mirror and went off in search - just a single curious one between Chapel and Lighthouse Islands.

Time to return to Llanbedrog - I was relishing the prospect as things had freshened to 16-18 knots or so.

Lesson 2:  Now I know why the faster cats on the beach don't bother going through the  moorings.  At 20+ knots there isn't much room for error in the tightly packed moorings, especially with powerboats not expecting a flash of yellow to speed by!  There was just enough time to practice my pigeon-Welsh expletives...

Lesson 3: However tempting it is to go and play with the Dragon fleet, keeping clear of 14m pleasure catamarans cruising along at 25 knots is to be recommended. The "Shearwater" was also out enjoying the Dragons close racing.  Crossing the near wake was fine, but 1m high wash the other side wasn't so pretty.  My first deep sphenoid sinus saline washout...

My local spies hadn't seen a foiling Moth in Abersoch until now - has anyone else been out in Abersoch?

There's been a little discussion about potential UK Nationals venues and I guess I am reasonably qualified to speak about Abersoch.  I have done many champs from SCYC and the race organisation is first class.  Neighbouring Pwllheli has attracted more big-fleet attention in recent years: they have the marina, a first class secure hard standing boat park, camping on site and sheltered launching.  However, the conditions off Pwllheli don't rival the Foiltown Playpen for their tea-tray flatness.   In contrast, Abersoch can offer sheltered waters as long as the wind stays away from the (rare) eastern  sector.  Once further out than the St Tudwal's Islands, there can be a fair swell, but good long courses can be set where it's flat.  Launching is off the sandy beach into deep water -well, deeper than Llanbedrog - and is a doddle (apart from the sand).  It's a much more pleasant spot for an evening meal and  a beer - as well as a family holiday.

Not being a south-coast sailor, I, for one, would be very keen to spread exposure of the class to the North and Abersoch would be a good venue.  If there was willing, I could easily organise a long weekend next year to allow those more experienced foilers than me the chance to make up their own minds.  Would it be a decent venue for a training weekend?

Any thoughts?

Take two...

Llanbedrog 13/8/10, 12 to 15 knots northerly

Despite George pleading with me, there was never going to be any chance of taking him with me just yet!  Still, at the age of six, he has plenty to prove before he wrestles LC from my grasp!

Name stickers now on ( a little bit of explaining required to the curious), Velocitek SC-1 fitted, elastic on the tiller.  Self-amalgamating tape on the RH adjuster - this has subsequently worked really well - it gives excellent grip and hasn't slipped or jumped out once.  I can't believe I've been the first to do that pimp, but who knows!

A bit more wind than last time, but lovely flat water and clean wind.  I faffed around too long getting out, which meant too far to drag LC out.  That's  a work-out in itself!  Dropping off a steep ramp would be a doddle in comparison.  Still, sailing in the quiet waters of Cardigan Bay is just so glorious, with all the mountains in clear sunshine as far as one could see...

Screaming around - 18.6 knots highest average and 19.4 peak.  No big issues apart from the wand flipping forward (beyond top-dead centre), needing a capsize to flip it back.  Some seem to have a line to prevent that, so I'll try it sometime...  Discretion brought me back in after an hour or so...

First Impressions - Sunday 8th August

Llanbedrog, 8 to 12 knots southerly

It had been 15 years since I sold K3942, my trusty old Magnum 8.  Despite working hard on stamina and upper body strength (thank you, Concept 2!) there was a little trepidation.  Being a runner and spending much of the day-job static in awkward positions, I am not the most supple.  In the Magnum 8 I was never any good at leaping over the wing into the boat, preferring to step around the front by the shroud.  So it was with great relief that I found that getting in wasn't a big deal! Getting to the tiller extension was more entertaining (for those on shore!), especially when it was trapped under the opposite wing.  Although Cookie said that having tiller-centralising elastic would reduce feel, it seems sensible for me to use it for a while... 

Two other issues - one amateur, one not.  I learnt very quickly that it's worth cranking on the cunnigham as soon as the mast is up, or else the cams jump off, which is very annoying (particularly when out sailing!)  The other was that the ride-height adjuster kept slipping on - and then off - the barrel, which was a little annoying.

As for first-time foiling... it was 8-12 knots, which was perfect, but there was a fair chop as it was a southerly. Once I bore off onto a reach LC just lifted slowly and took off - no dramas at all.  So, so smooth and just an unbelievable feeling. Unfortunately, it was too sheltered under the headland to fly past George in the Optimist (Idris) or Tony taking big George, Eleanor and Emily out in succession in the Laser.  Fly by's another time!

Thanks Tony, for helping me rig and getting me down to the water.  Sailing with the tide out was always going to be a complete pain...

I left Katherine and the children in Wales and had to go back to work on Sunday night.  I went to sleep swooping over the waves at 20 knots - absolute heaven...  Monday was like walking on air - a few bruises but no sore muscles.  I probably had an ear to ear grin underneath my mask.  Having a full operating list was not enough to take my mind off that wonderful first impression...

Team Ninja

Having neither the time nor inclination to build a a boat myself, it was a question of old or new.  "Old" has the advantage of a boat which may have been well pimped and be working to its potential, but with the disadvantage of being "used". Given that modern moths have reasonably bulletproof all carbon hulls, that was less of a concern.  However, being relatively geographically isolated from the south coast epicentre of Moth sailing, "aftersails" support would be important.  With Bladerider ceasing manufacture, concerns about the Assasins from New Zealand and it very difficult to justify the $20k cost of a Mach 2, it was clear that it would be a Ninja from Aardvark. The advantage of a stable builder in the UK, a reasonable prize and with a constantly developing product meant that joining Team Ninja was an easy decision.

Cookie has been flat out building this year, so I had to wait a wee while, but so it was not until 6th August that I drove to Weston Super Mare and back to pick up Limbic Candy.  The four months wait were spent trying to get as fit as possible, with running and rowing at least once each week.

My major concerns with the first sail looming were simply getting up and going, as well as being fit enough to  keep going!  Choosing the right conditions (7-12knots) would be crucial.  How would I manage my first sail?

Emotion...

There's much debate over the true function of the Limbic System in the brain - or whether it exists at all - but it seemed an apt name for my new Moth.  Emotion, reward, fear, excitment, arousal, pleasure, addiction, spatial memory... I am sure most of these are in store as I "learn to sail" again.

It's not my first time: I had five fun-packed years from 1990-1995 in my bright yellow Magnum 8 "Gooseberry Fool" K3942. This I bought from a certain Si Payne, it being his brother's boat. It was famous for having chicken wire "tramps", which didn't last long in salt water before disintegrating.  K3942 is back on sale... I'm glad to see she's still yellow!

The intervening years have brought challenges in my career and a wonderful family.  A certain birthday was coming up, so , yes, LC really is my mid-life crisis.  But, spurred on by Si Payne and AMAC's performance in Dubai - let alone the legend of Colin Newman still being there - it didn't seem too crazy to join the class again.  Being time poor, it was with a few moments of guilt that I chose Aardvark, but there are many, many good reasons to join Team Ninja...