Matt
The closest to driving a skiff will be any experience you have had in sport
boats. SJ 21s and Soverel 33s are “lead mines”. In some ways it will
handle a bit like a beach cat – assuming you were flying a hull. The
biggest difference between even a sport-boat and the Swift is that sailing
the Swift (or any skiff for that matter) is that you can sail keel boats
“reactively” and to race them at the top level you have to be anticipating
what the boat will do about 25% of the time – whereas a skiff is between
50%-70% anticipation. What this means is that at first, until you “get a
feel for the boat” as trim changes, and you “react” to the changes, your
reactions will be “late” and you will swim or spin out. But as you start to
get a feel for the boat, you will start to be able to anticipate what the
boat is about to do based on incoming waves and puffs, and you will start to
alter trim and weight before the boat begins to telegraph the changes. And
ten the Swift will start to feel like a rocketship on rails.
I strongly agree that if you don’t have a crew to sail with, a singlehanded
boat is the way to go. And I suggest that a trapeze skiff is much more
comfortable (once you get past the initial learning curve) than any hiking
dinghy.
The single biggest mistake that newbie skiff sailors make, is to go out in
too little breeze. Skiffs only gain stability when they are powered up, and
only become comfortable when you can trapeze somewhat.
The second biggest mistake newbie skiff sailors make is to sit down. Until
you are very comfortable with the boat, either stand, or kneel on one knee,
but nothing lower
The third biggest mistake is to go out in too much wind.
So the ideal wind range for a new skipper would be in the 8-10knot range.
Enough power to trapeze, but not enough that you cannot recover from
mistakes.
Having a “crash boat” and a coach is a very good thing, so going down to the
NorthAms would be ideal.
I wish I could attend – I’d love to coach and video the clinics again, but
unfortunately I don’t think my wrist will be recovered from surgery by then.
So I’m going to have to sit out these next 8 months or so (doctor says 6-8
mo recovery and surgery is in Feb).
Karl
_____
From: fireballmatt@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:fireballmatt@xxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Matt Broughton
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 8:04 AM
To: swiftsolo@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: swift noob here
My sailing and racing experience is limited to keelboats ranging from 33
feet to 21 feet. I skippered a San Juan 21, and crewed on a Soverel 33 and
several sport boats. I have sailed on several beach cats at various
vacations but they were not 'performance' boats by any means.
I'm looking at the boat from the perspective that I need something that is
manageable for one person, the learning curve I can handle, and I fully
expect to get dumped many times learning how to handle the thing.
Since I'm the only person in my group of friends that sails, I feel that if
I build something that requires at least two people I'm setting myself up
for failure simply because I will have a hard time getting people out in it
enough to be comfortable with the boat during racing or heavy air. I've got
the plans for an i550 sport boat, and it seems like a wonderful and quick
little 18 foot boat, but it does me no good if I don't have dedicated crew.
The swift eliminates that worry.
What month are the nationals this year? A trip down to Florida is an easy
thing for me as I'm right up I-95. I've read about past regattas and the
clinics preceding the racing. I love the idea of the clinics and something
like that is right up my alley.
-Matt
On Dec 3, 2007 10:39 AM, Keith Deller <HYPERLINK
"mailto:kdap@xxxxxxxxx"kdap@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hello Matt,
Pleased to see your interest in the Swift Solo...
My first question is do you have dingy racing experience?
The reason I ask is tha many larger keelboat sailers have very little dingy
experience
as they jump right into keelboast / offshore sailing.
The Swift Solo is a challenging boat to start on but once you have the
basics it is awesome.
It is a growing fleet that offers tremendous support.
Also, it is an enjoyable experience building your own Swift that will
provide tremendous pride.
If you are able, I highly recommend you attend the Swift Solo North American
Regatta
to be held at Fort Desoto, FL Spring 2008. You do not need a boat to attend.
You will get opportunity to mingle with classmembers, see tha action and
even get out in one.
Regards,
Keith Deller
CAN 063
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