A sunny Saturday provided me with the chance to test my Tri-ang yacht that I re-rigged earlier this month.
There wasn't a lot of wind, more a very gentle breeze with lots of calmness, but I didn't think the boat would like to take to the water in a gale. Not least because there is a hole on the deck that could really do with a bung in it before things get too rough.
I like the idea of setting the boat free to have its own adventures so just dropped it on the lake for a tootle around.
Given a light breeze, it set off in a pretty straight line and at a reasonable pace. It healed over a little, but the connection between sails and rudder seemed to be working to ensure good steering.
The difference between enough wind to move and enough wind to lie on its side isn't great, always a problem with the smaller vessel. Fortunatly, the hole in the deck remained just above the water so there wasn't an embarasing sinking.
I really could to to learn how to set the sails properly as I think it will be possible to improve the sailing if I can get all the tensions correct. Definitely a work in progress.
My parents had one of these stashed away for either myself or my brother but not received and presumed lost. I got great pleasure from a similar craft fashioned from light wood, a leaden keel, papier-mâché cabin with oodles of paint and canvas sails with ringlets made by my nana from old clothes and the rigging made by me, all dome under the aegis of my local scout cub pack. She sailed well until taken to Loch Gullion in Ulster on holidays. I left it (under duress) with cousins who sailed it too hard and into oblivion. Sailing yachts on a pond was fun
ReplyDelete