To any
Our first regatta was first class event. No pun intended, the effort,
organization and contribution from the four corners of North America was a
perfect
start. The location rated as the number one beach on the continental shores
was outstanding. Many thanks to Bram Daly our class founder and designer for a
job well done. Lets not forget our sponsors Gourgon, Banks, Fisheries, Ronstan
and the Desoto parks dept.
As our numbers grow the sense of pride, friendly competition, and
learning from one another will only get better. We need to support and help
each
other, share any wisdom knowledge or criticism that would help to better our
building efforts, our class and our sailing skills.
As a first time builder, I've made many mistakes. I will share these after
I've finished my own swift. There were many resources to help me correct my
errors. My thanks again to Bram Roger and Greg, The wonderful construction
errata on our web and the now hundreds of photos to refer to. There is of
course
our trusty manuals and straight building forms to guide us.
Go to any gathering of swifts and your will find, craftsmanship, first
rate rigging and probably world class skiff solo seamanship. I stand in awe to
see the number one boat that started it all. The designers challenge of a VMG
built classic to match in perfection Vs my feeble attempt to smooth out my own
edges dimples and rough spots. There is the constant R and D of new systems,
blocks, tackle, sheets and calibrated tensioned mast setup. I can't wait to
tinker on my own. As an observer I noticed the constant vigilance of the
perfect
setup by tweaking this or marking that, talk about a race car on water.
I was noticing while out on rescue some sails overlapped their numbers
with the other side making them hard to tell. The white numbers didn't seem to
stand out either. Is black or red numbering OK. What's the best way to place
and space the numbers?
Good is building, better is sailing
Ken Bradon 028
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