Finally sailing

Hi Crew,

After what seemed like and eternity of modifications, measuring, weighing and planning, Cipango was on the water today (June 6th) for a review of sail inventory, running and standing rigging. Conditions ranged from 6 to 18 knots and made for a perfect review day. Special thanks to Lindsay and Jonathan "Jono" Killip for filing in.

For those that did not attend, here is the short story:

The large roach main is looking good with the new full #2 and #3 battens. A couple of tweeks are needed, but looking strong.

New A2 kite looks great, and the cut is just slightly wider in the shoulders that the old. Peeling to the old A2 made it perfectly clear that the new kite was a good move. We'll take it as a back up, however.

We ran the Jib Top and GS and it all looked fine. It's a powerful combo, and we do not have a smaller "blast reacher" type of sail, so reefing early may be in the cards should it go breeze-on early.

Lastly, we ran the A3 reaching kite, and while it shows some mileage in the low luff, overall shape was impressive.

The standing rigging definitely needs help from a tuning perspective, so Chris, we are going to need your help here. They may say that the rigger marked everything and put it back in the same spot, but clearly that's not the case.

Only Rob drove today, and he clams that the boat feels a bit tippier and a bit less forgiving but not crazy. It did seem that way from my humble perspective, as well. Certainly better acceleration.

The practice day before Coastal will be dedicated to instrument calibration and some practice with the full crew (less JB - I will get a suitable fill-in), and completing the to-do list. It will be a very full day.

If you have any questions or concerns, just give me a call.

Kevin