Dehler 29 get-together

Next weekend (May 28th-29th) offers the second Dehler 29 get-together in the Stockholm area. Last year we gathered four boats and we hope to have at least as many this year as well. Confirmed boats so far are "Kind of Blue", "Vitesse" and "Josefin". Sign up before May 25th. We'll team up at Lökholmen just north of Sandhamn. For more information (in Swedish) please go to;

http://d29josefin.blogspot.com/2011/01/dehler-29-traff-nr-2-28-29-maj.html

Lidingö Runt - Race Report

So we've completed yet another Lidingö Runt. Very challenging today in the light wind conditions where it pretty much started off as a lottery - one minute you were in the middle of the field, the next you were in the lead just because the latest gust came your way and not on the other side of the field. And that way it continued all the way out to Askrikefjärden where we dropped the shute and began the game of tacking. I do know that some sailors are very good at finding even the smallest gusts in light conditions but today it truly felt like a guessing game.

Once we started the tacking routine the wind had picked up and was actually very even. We also did very well throughout that section of the race track and overtook several boats. Once we reached Djursholm we found ourselves in 2nd position overall (i.e. in the Express class) but then the wind died completely. And I mean c o m p l e t e l y. So we parked with everybody else and could watch our speed drop from 3 to 1,5 to 0.00 knots. Quite frustrating but that's just part of the game. After a while some shutes came up again and much to our surprise they actually filled so we obviously followed the example and hoisted our spinnaker as well.

The final section of the race track which constituted about 5% of the total track took about 30% of the entire race time (at least in a ball park) so obviously this gets to your nerves and you only want to get it over with. With the last couple of tacks we were able to gain some more ground and beat one of the competing Express boats right before the finish line. All in all 4th position of 10 in total which we were quite happy with given the amount of time we had practised together (less than 3 hours...) and also the fact that the Express class is rather competitive...

Boats on a string...

Some of the "hotter" multi-hulls started off with a crash.

One of the downsides with racing the Express is that an engine is not allowed to be mounted (and weighs too much to carry onboard) and as a result you rely on helpful competition for towing you to the starting line in light winds...

Difficult wind conditions where you didn't quite know if you'd be first or last over the next 5 minutes.

There were several Dehler yachts in the race. Here a D34 on her way home.

And there goes the wind...

Still nothin'...

Tobbe on his Dehler 29 was hoping to overtake us before the end of the race but fell short - today...

"Kind of Blue" on her way home.

Lost comment...

Hill,

Blogger was down a few days and when they got online again your comment was gone. In any event, "Josefin" has the 62" keel i.e. the mid-sized one. I have sailed the deeper racing keel as well and upwind it offers a more precise steering and somewhat better pointing. But downwind it obviously makes little difference and the only true downside with having a deeper draft is of course while mooring. That can be a bit of a problem in the shallow - and rocky - waters of Stockholm. I'm off now to the first race of the year (not on "Josefin" though...).

What is the manufacturing year of your D29? Do you know how many there are in the US?

Richard

First (and only...) practise before Lidingö Runt

This evening provided some good - and well needed - practise runs for Lidingö Runt (on Express 978). We practised a lot of tacking routines in order to maintain speed through each tack. It's obviously difficult to judge without any competition around but it seemed ok. And no, don't worry - these aren't the racing sheets, only for training...

Let's see now, how did this thing work? Left? Right?

We normally don't sail without the top batten...

The weather seemed more like July than May. Shorts, shades and T-shirt at 8pm...

The first sailing weekend of the year

With almost no other boats in sight "Josefin" headed out to Säck (north of Kanholmsfjärden) on Friday evening and the following day to Stora Nassa. Not a single cloud in sight the entire weekend but the Ebersprächer heater worked on almost full effect between 10pm and 7am. The outdoor temperature cannot have been much more than 3-4 degrees at the crack of dawn but we could enjoy 20-22 degrees inside the boat all night. The sleeping bag actually felt like overkill. Fair winds on Saturday but nothing much to hoist for on Sunday so we motored home instead. Definitely one of the most beautiful weekends this season - and it has only begun.

Sunset over Stora Nassa.

"Josefin" at Gubben for a night's rest.

Stora Nassa is definitely one of my favourite spots in the archipelago. Especially during early spring.

The new green main (Dyneema) halyard. I also sprayed the luff with Teflon this year for less friction on the slides and it actually made a huge difference. Can be recommended.

Some of the rocks at Säck seem taken from a fairy tale.

The season start does call for some celebration...

A stunning evening at Säck.

"Josefin" is in the water

During the late afternoon today (Saturday) "Josefin" broke the waterline and thus inaugurated the 2011 sailing season. A little more than an hour later the mast was in place as well so by the end of tomorrow she'll be ready for her first sailing trip for the year. No sign of "Algot" though.