Dockside today, the Smart was prepared for tomorrows little cruise around Table Bay. All the systems have now been commissioned that means the air-con is running, the fresh water system is all up and running and the boiling water supply will work 24X7 oh and the eclectric toilet is flushing. Wicked, she’s almost ready to take on the oceans around here.
The daggerboards were reloaded.
These are carbon structures and LARGE! Over 3m in total length, they leave 2.5m poking out the bottom of the amas. Now that things are settling down a lot more am sure we’ll get to try the Smart with the boards fully down. The dagger boards are canted in so that at 5 degrees of heel, the leeward board will be lifting generating while the windward will be in the vertical plane and maximising lateral bite.
If you look in the picture, just where the Screecher is sitting bagged on the coach roof, that’s the normal mounting place for the life raft. You can also notice the large, wide foredeck with the two skylights that give the vee berth a nice light and airy feel. This Smart has not had the full interior treatment yet. She was launched to test the platform and make sure all the systems would function as envisioned. Now that everything is working as it should No. 2 that is finished in the molds will get the full treatment with a nice interior.
The plan for the Smart is that it can be finished to what ever level the owner decides. No 1. has been kept deliberately void of niceties purely so that all the systems could be tested and then altered if need be.
Today’s weather started out rather cool but it is beautiful crisp weather so can imagine that tomorrows sailing session will be conducted in great conditions too! We also got to have a a nice chat with Uwe Jesperson who built the Smart Tri 40. Uwe is highly skilled to such a degree that when any of the around the world race boats get problems they seek Uwe out to fix them. This has included some of the Volvo Ocean Race boats as well as some of the maxi-trimarans in their worldly pursuits. We also managed a look in Uwe’s shed where there is a Gunboat 66 being finished and will be ready for sea trials in May – that is a LOT of carbon in the 66 and beautiful workmanship. Wait till you see what else we found in his shed!…
More later…
Discussion
No comments yet.