October 23, 2011. A recent email exchange between Doug Pease (Aspara, #153) and your webmaster, commenced with Doug sending in a short video of Aspara sailing herself, no one on the tiller, using just triming of the sails, and ended with a discussion regarding fully battened mainsails, heel angle and boat speed. This highlighted a need to collect comments such as these in a single location. Here they are (minor edits)

Oct 18, 2011. Hi Ron - I thought I'd pass along this short clip of Aspara steering herself without an autopilot. I've had many people raise their eyebrows when I tell them that the boat will maintain a steady course to weather without autopilot, so I thought I'd take a short film of it, to confirm that it's true, etc. I sheet the jib in fairly close, and crack the main off about 45 degrees; the boat 'walks' uphill all day, even in rough seas, maintaining a very steady course. Here's a link, with pretty dodgy sound quality, for those who are interested:

http://vimeo.com/29943157

Regards, Doug Pease

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Oct 19, 2011. Thanks Doug. Interesting, and valuable, addition. It seems like Aspara is going really fast? Is this a video speed consequence? Or is she really going fast

Ron

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Fri, Oct 21, 2011. Hi Ron. The video is real time. She's going pretty fast. 

I think it's the full-batten mainsail, a custom job from North.  It maintains a pretty efficient shape, and it's a dream reefed down in a blow. The vang helps.  Though the full batten is a good way to add some roach,  the usual side-effects of this extra square footage up high -- weather helm or skittishness in the tail -- don't seem to be issues on Aspara. 

If the water's relatively flat, and there's 8-10 knots of wind, she just scoots.  I don't know why. I just love the boat, though; I really do.

Doug

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Oct 21, 2011. Doug - This is also my experience. My main has long battens, not full, and a high roach. In flat water, up or down wind, not so much reaching, she is really fast. Occasionally, I race PHRF against boats with ratings as low as around 160 - Marionette has a 252 spinn rating. If the breeze is light enough so that she and the other boats are not pushing their 'hull speed limits - usually this means pretty flat water - she sails to a higher % of hull speed than the competitors do. So, in these condition, we are almost unbeatable, baring a bonehead tactical decision.

Ratings aside, she can sometimes beat these bigger boats - boat for boat - boats like C&C 30, Tartan 34, Beneteau 30 and Ranger 26. Besides good sails, especially a large main, I think her hull shape must be very efficient with only a slight or no heel.

An interesting tidbit. The Dolphin 24 fleet at Wilmette, IL went to high aspect mains years ago in an effort to get more favorable PHRF ratings in their local racing. Some have told me that they think this was a mistake - they got the lower ratings but the boat just does not 'go as fast'...

Ron

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Oct 23, 2011. Ron, I think you're on the mark regarding keeping the boat flat. I love to sail Aspara on her ear, with a tuck in the main, and the jib furled nicely. In the winter here we get here (20-25 knots). I think the boat is fantastic on these days.

I'm from the central coast and we only know days like these, so it's a lot of fun. The truth is, she really goes fast when she's flat, when the wind is ten knots, and the roach on the main gives her some lift without torquing the tail and tweaking the rudder.

Fortunately, those conditions are commonplace on Santa Monica Bay, so we go pretty fast a lot of the time, from May to September. However, I only really get that warm reverence for the boat when she's loaded up, when no one else is on the bay, and the grey thunderheads are clambering down, and the toerail is dipping, going "Scoot, Scoot...I can do more, I can do more..." As a Northern'er, that's when I love this boat...

Regards,

Doug

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Stan Secora's 140% genoa. Stan (JATO, Marscot/O'Day #7) passed away earlier this year. He was a marine achitect, and avid racer in his Dolphin that he bought new in 1960. Locally, he was a friend to many sailers and a 'technical advisor'. Here in Long Island Sound we often have light conditions until the sea breeze comes in - some times, it is a reefing breeze. He told me his favorite sail was his 140% genoa. In a building breeze he liked to progressively reef, then double reef, then drop the main entirely, sailing on the 140 alone. Here is JATO and her perfectly trimmed 140.

Stay 'tuned