I got an email from Stever Clutterbuck a few weeks ago with pictures from his initial forays in #141 "ARFA" - a name that makes me giggle every time I hear it. I'm never sure whether it is a Cockney accented "Arthur" or a play on "Half a Duck". He tried it out on Melbourne's mighty Yarra River in conditions that sound very challenging.
He says:"I only have a few snaps of my PD under sail and they are not the best quality.
They were taken on the first day in the water. It was blowing from zero to about 25 knots in very gusty conditions.
It handled the conditions really well until I got the tiller extension jammed against the side tank. At least I found out first hand how easy it is to right.
I also love the way the boat is so manouverable. When I returned to the jetty and rounded up into the wind I ended up about 10 feet short because it tacks so quickly."
"Hope the photos are of some use."
Thanks Steve,
Perhaps it is again worth noting that the OZ PDRacer seems to be the only boat on the water in the challenging breeze on that day. This is what happened at the Goolwa wooden boat festival in similar conditions.
The mast/sail combination appears to work quite well in gusty and variable winds and makes good use of the hull's high initial stability. The large rudder also provides excellent control when the conditions get rough.
