Thanks for the reminder Bruce!!

Bruce's post yesterday reminded me of a few extra spares that I had laying around the shed (pushrods, tube for tiller universal etc) , so I put them all in a pile ready to go with the "original Luka wand" and the "bent Luka wand". But how to transport the wands safely by air, especially when baggage handlers are renowned for reading "fragile" as "please throw me across the Tarmac and run over me with a plane tug".

Below was the solution,
3mm ply sheet with 42mm pine sides. At 3.4kg packed, turns out to be a secure way to transport wands, we'll see if I feel the same in Sydney. About to get on the plane in 15 minutes and will be in Belmont on Monday to put the boat together.

Can't wait to get there!

Almost Belmont Time

December is always a hectic month, closing the year out at work, preparing for christmas and getting ready for what the next year will bring, but this year has been particularly busy with preparations for the Moth Worlds thrown into the Mix.


I try where I can to subscribe to the 6P's (Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance), so with that in mind I had my entry in within hours of the form being online, flights and accommodation booked in September and the campaign as I saw it planned out in Goalscape ready to check off tasks as completed.


All was going to plan until the usual last minute changes that is inevitable (and in any project its how you manage that change that is they key, regardless of the change), and new transport arrangements had to be made on short notice. John Ilett came through with the goods, but it meant that the boat had to leave about a week earlier than planned.


I have put the lost time on the water to some good use, repairing my wand from its small breakage on my last sail, and building a spare with a twist... the "Bent Luka Wand".

Just need to do the paddle for it and it should be good to go. Will try it on a few test sails before the nationals and see if it is better, worse or the same as the straight wand. With my skill level, probably won't make much of a difference!


The paddle will have to wait until this evening though. The forecast for today is for 40 degrees C in Perth, so I think the epoxy will go off in the pot too quickly, even with slow hardener!


Now less than 5 days before I get on the plane to Sydney, then taking a couple of days to make my way to Belmont. Should arrive on the 3rd and get the boat put together.


Can't wait to get there, very jealous of the guys who are already at the lake and sailing every day...


I can't sign off without making a comment on the Wing Saga. I think my e-mail response to Scott regarding the vote probably sums up my thoughts best:


"Scott:

I'm only new to the class, but have followed moths since the move to hydrofoils.

In my opinion if we ban wing sails before we can see what they can do in competition, we are doing the class, and sailing in general a disservice. Brett burvill showed what a moth on foils could do, even if the configuration wasn't quite legal.

Please accept my vote for option 1. Let them race (if it is determined that they are a legal sail with luff length and area)

Bora and George using wings won't affect my regatta as I'll be in the back of the fleet enjoying the show, but I guess others with a chance of winning will see this differently.

I hope you get the advice you need from the rest of IMCA Aus.

Rgds

Colin"

So Free The Wing and let's take Moth sailing to another level.

See you all in Belmont soon.