G'day,
Matt wrote the article without consulting us, so there were a few errors, and those questions at the end. Following is an email I sent him.
G'day,
Got it. An excellent article, thank you very much. No problem, but just so you know, the boat in the picture is Visionarry #2 on the Bellingen river in northern New South Wales, Australia. There is a picture of Blind Date on the web page and on the press release I sent you last week.
You would be welcome for a ride on Blind Date next time you are in Holland (northern side of Ijsselmeer, couple of hours drive from Amsterdam). They will not have a mast for a month or so, but do have my 90 sqm Outleader to stop them getting bored. Launched from the deck, trimmed with the sheets wrapped round the mooring cleats, lotsa fun.
#2 will be sailing very soon. I will let you know exactly when.
For future reference, the answers to your questions are:
Bad weather behaviour is unknown, but if the major cause of problems is tired, cold, scared crew, it will be better than anything else out there.
Heaving too is no problem. Let one sheet go, drop the jib (and the main if it is going to be really hairy), sheet the main at 90 degrees to the hull, lift the rudders and you have a 15m x 8.5 m raft, drawing 400 mm with a 60 sq m weathercock keeping the ww hull upwind. Quiet, stable and safer than most, I think.
Handling at close quarters under engine is a buzz. On Blind Date there is one 20 hp motor in the middle (fore and aft and athwartships) of the boat. To leave a jetty you angle both rudders about 30 degrees the same way, put it in gear and crab sideways off the jetty. With about 10 knots blowing us onto the wharf, the fenders rotated about half a turn before we were clear. The boat turns in 1.5 boat lengths at speed, and except for short periods, does not need to be steered in reverse as the rudders can be fully rotated. #2 has 2 x 25 hp outboards, so is even easier.
Nav lights are a proa drawback. Two sets are needed, mounted on short masts towards the ends of the long hull. They can be switched manually or with a simple sensor on the mast when it rotates.
Harbour masters tend to be so enthralled they give you mooring for free! That is what happened to Jan. Lelystad Marina is a sponsor.
No matter how you convince your wife to get time for a blind date, do not suggest she accompanies you. Otherwise, you may end up buying one!
If you are looking for something a bit different next year, Rudolph and I are taking Blind Date to Denmark for the Sjaelland Runt. You would be welcome to crew.
Regards,
Rob
----- Original Message -----From: RobertTo: harryproa@...Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 8:05 AMSubject: [harryproa] Re: Digest Number 331Hi Rob
Ref captioned picture in article
As a botanistI was suprised to see they had the same mangroves in the
canals of Holland as they do in North coast NSW,
Looking forward to seeing fold out cockpit on Elementarry,
Robert
--- In harryproa@..., "Rob Denney" <proa@i...> wrote:
> G'day,
>
> Thanks for the kind words.
>
> I have uploaded a copy of the article to the Files section of the
Harryproa chat group.
>
> regards,
>
> Rob
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Luke Timmermans
> To: harryproa@...
> Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2005 7:02 AM
> Subject: Re: [harryproa] Digest Number 331
>
>
> Having had a good look at John's Visionarry on the North Coast
the thing that impressed me most was that this is a boat that is big,
simple, light and looks fast standing still(and very futuristic). It
doesn't have a huge amount of room inside for its waterline length; I
would say as much as a 36-38ft cruising bridgedeck cat or a 40-42ft
performance cat; but it should outperform the latter and be way
cheaper to build than either. It is better than a cat for forward
visibility and has a great "veranda"; the tramps are an integrated
part of your living/socialising space and could be fully enclosed
(perhaps using the boom for support) while at anchor for even more
living space. The leeward hull has a suprising amount of usable room
and would be perfect for accomodating older kids; it doesn't need to
be flared and this would add weight and alot of build time. I think
the end berth in the windward hull could easily contain 2 kids bunks.
The bridgedeck had just enough headroom for
> me (I'm 6'2") and comfortable seating for 4-5 around the settee.
Nav Table and electronics are protected and very accessible.
> Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the boat is the rig,
incredible for its simplicity. It has yet to be fully tested on the
visionarry and no doubt there will be teething problems, but its been
well thought out. The option of kite sails will add a bit of
excitement.
> Access to a 20m shed is my main stumbling block at the moment!
> BTW thank you Mark for your time showing me around the boat, and
we hope to get up again soon. How's progress?
> I haven't found a copy of Yachting World. Is the article on line
and do you have a URL?
>
> Luke Timmermans
> Twiggy Tri
>
> 16 myee place
> forresters beach 2260
> 0242856387
>
>
>
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