D-One Blog

For those that have never done it, sailing in Hayling Bay in a South Westerly breeze is a must do thing. From 2 hours before High Water the tide in the Bay is going West, so you spend the whole time wind against tide giving a really big sea, and with 15+ Knots of breeze it never disappoints.

I have spent many an hour out there in my Finn playing in the waves, but have yet to try the D-One in those conditions.
Today looks perfect, SW Breeze, forecast to be around 15 knots with gusts. Slowing increasing to 25 knots by tea time.
Launch from Mengeham at 12.30, sail down to HISC, Kite up to check it’s all working, around the corner and out along the HISC shore to the RNLI Station. Very light and tricky along this sheltered shore. Down to the Southerly tip and a good constant breeze hits me. Very Strong tide around the corner, out through the inshore channel (Affectionally known as the swirling vortex of death) nice gentle swell rolling in. 10mins of close tacking up the shore gets me out clear of the tide, breaking waves and sand bank.
Bum over the side and away. Nice breeze now, big gusts for a South Westerly, definitely going to build. Settle down on Starboard Tack and see how we go through this chop. Bow lifts nicely through most waves, traveller down a bit to help me foot, pumping the downhaul through the bigger gusts. As they hit the boat leans a little but accelerates well. Get one wrong every now and again and get a face (and spinnaker chute) full of Solent. Good fun and a lot less work than the Finn !!!.
Now about a mile out, Tack onto port and aiming towards the Golf Club.

Gusts are getting bigger and more powerful, not sure I should be out here on my own with no rescue cover !!!!!!!
Now level with the Golf Club, That was relatively quick, impressed with the way we went through this steep chop. Sails through the waves and gusts beautifully. Now ready for a 2.5 mile run back to the Harbour.

Tack, bear away, heading out to sea. Kite up, sheet in and let’s go !!. Wow, what a rocket ship, huge speed, big bear aways in the gusts changing angles by 20 or more degrees, come up in the lulls, watch the waves. This adds another dimension. Steering the gusts and the waves is quite tricky but very rewarding. The D-One bow does a very good job of coming up over the wave, and as long as you can trim the kite quick enough to keep up with the speed changes it all works well. I settle down in to a good rhythm and the hesitation in me goes and a broad smile is on my face. A big gust hits at the same time as the bow hits a wave and we slow down, I fear the worst as the nose buries and the boat starts to heal, but I hike hard and the rig bends forward and depowers its self, I collapse the front of the kite and the nose pops back up, sheet in and away. Now I am really smiling, or is that a cheeky Grin? Half way home, ready to gybe. Get up to speed, pick a flat spot, gybe, across on the other wing, kites in and away. Perfect.

Now aiming straight into the harbour, but the corner of the sand bank and the “Swirling Vortex of Death” are right in front of me !!. Power up, Hike hard, play the waves, soak low in the gusts, this is awesome !!. My Bum is now right on the back of the wing, but i need to be carefull as the acceleration in the gusts is terrific and I am conscious of falling out the back !!, That would be very un cool.

The gusts are getting bigger, the speed is increasing, I approach the corner of the sand bank and the Surfers swell grows around me, I surf down one fully powered up. Too much speed and I hit the back of the swell in front, the nose drives in, Its going, I know it, Hike hard, Kite mostly flogging, but the rig bends forward, depowers and she comes back up !!!, Kite in and away, I don’t believe it. Another gust, catch up the swell in front, its enormous, must be the height of my second batten, its breaking on the other side, I don’t want to overtake this !!, I get a gust and go low, massive speed and I work my way down the back of it. I get around it and harden up slowly, hike hard, speed up. I can hear the wave breaking behind me and now I am accelerating away from it. Approaching the Harbour entrance. I see a Sunseaker coming out and head straight for its wake, max speed, up up !!!! Wow. Landed and away.

In the Harbour entrance, can’t believe I got away with that, its was Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. Gusts are now well over 20 knots, best stay in the harbour. Go and find Dan who’s out in his Contender and I know he wants a Burn Up !!!!.

We had two D-Ones entered for the Battle of the Classes at the London Boat Show so agreed to put a D-One on the dock for the weekend. Although the organisers were providing twenty spaces for dinghies on the dock over the weekend only three turned up. My guess is that no-one wanted to spend the Saturday soaked to the skin and freezing cold – we, like the others, packed up early as there were very few people interested in venturing outside.

Sunday dawned with blue skies and, although chilly, sunshine. Unlike the previous day, when the Ovington boats were racing in near impossible winds across the dock, there was a gentle and shifty breeze from the west straight up the dock. It was clearly never going to be the day or place for kited boats and even worse for Asymmetrics. My guess was that this would suit the traditional classes and that proved to be the case with a Graduate in 1st, Albacore 2nd and Finn 3rd.

First boat to start was a Mirror at 12.00 with the D-Ones, sailed by Adrian Brunton and Tim Garvin starting half an hour later. We were really pleased that the D-One of Tim Garvin was the 3rd asymmetric in the event, even though he stopped for half a minute or more when he managed to get in a muddle (tiller extension tangled in some shockcord which he has now removed). This little episode allowed the RS100 to catch Tim up and from then on there seemed to be a degree of tactical racing with the two boats crossing the line together and neither helm knowing who was ahead – the RS100 was given the decision in the end. My guess is that the two respective builders’ handicaps of 1005 and 971 are not a million points adrift but time will tell!

Adrian, meanwhile, had been up there with Tim and the RS100 (the other RS100 having all but disappeared in their wake) but as a big grauncher without the finesse of pond sailing was losing pace but still finished a credible 6th of the asymmetrics.

My conclusion is that The Battle of the Classes is a great place for class associations and new class builders to showcase their favoured class. The D-One was impressive in this respect and showed its pace in the difficult conditions.

All in all an excellent day for the D-One and we can’t wait to show the pace of them in more challenging conditions. Having said that can’t wait till next year!!!