With
the outstanding success of our first Open30, "OverProof" in
demonstrating its offshore capabilities, Piet Human of Moondance Yachts
asked me "how do we make this boat easier to handle so that it doesn't
require youth and athleticism to have it perform to its full
potential"?
Coincidently, I was talking with a potential client about a similar
boat for the San Francisco Bay area. He mentioned the growing following
of the Wylie Cat 30 and how well the boat performed as a one-design and
under the PHRF handicap system. After some discussions with Tom Wylie
and viewing some on-line video of the boat sailing, I soon came to
realize that this might be the answer to Piet's question.....simplicity
and performance all wrapped up into one package.
So what exactly are the advantages of a cat rig with a free-standing
mast?
Less
Complicated: The uni-sail has two
trimming
controls, the sheet and the choker (purchase system on the front of the
wish-bone boom that controls both foot and leech tension, not
unlike a
windsurfer). The uni-sail can be flown in breezes up to 25 knots
without being
reefed, because the unstayed mast bends of in its upper sections with a
puff,
automatically unloading…it's a no brainer. It has a conventional
reefing system
with the sail contained in lazy jacks.
Performance
Short-handed Sailing: Because
everything is so simple, there's a lot less work to do so you don't
have to be
a star athlete to sail the boat solo or double-handed. Yet, you can
still
maintain a very high level of performance. It also makes it a lot less
stressful when you take the family out for a Sunday cruise. If you want to add to the
boat's off-the-wind performance then a fractional kite can be flown
from an articulating bowsprit.
Affordability: This boat has one sail……maybe two if you want
to fly a kite. The fully battened uni-sail is not unlike a wind surfer
sail so
the cost of your sail inventory is cut
by 75%, and the deck hardware package is proportionally simpler. The
spar itself is very simple with no spreaders, rigging or chainplates to
worry about. The wishbone boom is simple and less expensive than a
conventional boom.
Additional
simplifications have been made to the boat such as replacing the water
ballast system with a less cumbersome canting keel arrangement giving
the boat a slight performance edge due to the overall increase in
righting moment. Weight, cost and drag have been reduced by eliminating
the inboard diesel engine and going with a transom-hung outboard motor.
Our second
Moondance Open30 is scheduled to be on the water in August 2009 and we
are pretty jazzed about it. It's going to be an
awesome boat for the 40 to 50 something set (old farts like
myself) who
want something affordable, not complicated to sail, geared towards
performance short-handed sailing, and
big enough and fun enough for the family.
