WE WON...

[Rob Blackburn]

Went up to Bribie Island on the weekend and entered the Bribie Classic Boat weekend.

Had a fantastic time, lots of tragics like Col and myself fooling around in boats.

Cruised up Pumicestone Passage on the Saturday am and stopped for lunch and checked out the other boats.

Saturday night, dinner at the pub and a few quick presentations, then watched the footy and off to bed.

Sunday, big brekky bbq and then a public inspection. The race started at midday and our CS 20 simply drove away from the fleet. As the breeze picked up we got further ahead, particularly upwind. On the final lap we had the whole crew of 400kg or 880lb up on the rail and we just trucked up wind. This is the best bit about the boat to me. I just love the way it drives to weather if you have enough weight in a blow. No hint of needing to reef, the rig does that for you. One 24 footer lost it's rig in the wind.

Picture in the paper and much comment on how well the design worked. It was great fun. We had to keep dispensing chocolate to the young crew to combat the spray though. Need some sort of dodger but what can you do that looks OK? Maybe better wet weather gear.

Rob

http://homepage.mac.com/blackburns/Expeditions/PhotoAlbum63.html

[Travis Votaw]

Congratulations on a great sail! Enjoyed the pics very much, also. I suppose you were always too far ahead of everyone else for them to have taken any pictures of y'all blowing them away

Keep up the postings. TV

[Guest]

Great job., and a beautiful album with a lot of boat "porn" as we say in pictures of pretty boats.

[Brent]

Congratulations Rob and Crew! Nicely done. And thanks for the pics.

Was that a crew of five! Sounds like a great weekend.

[Steve Day]

Rob,

Looks like you had a good time. It's really fun to be way out front like that.

I especially enjoyed your photos. A lot of nice looking boats and (I'm sure) great people.

Thanks for the update.

Steve

[capt jake]

Congratulations!! :) And yes, very nice photos!

[Mark Gudschinsky]

Sounds like a good race. Good job and great pictures.

[lsearle]

Hi Rob, loved the pics, wish I'd been there but broken arms don't help.

The boat you named "my star of the show" is a John Wellsford 6m Whaler.

Plans are available for those interested at either www.duckworksmagazine.com/store/plans/jw/6mwhaler, or www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz.

I just noticed every reply I have posted (both of them) has mentioned a John Wellsford design. I do not have any connection with him, but boy, can he draw a sheerline.

Lawrie Searle

[Rob Blackburn]

Had a look at that Wellsford site. That is definitely it. It really was a pretty boat. The guy who built it had daughters/family that did not like it leaning over so he put a tiny rig on it. It came last by a country mile iin everything on the weekend. Very sad but the new owner is working on it. I would leave it in the shed until I had a new rig myself...

It looks heavy, and would be really good out at sea I reckon coastal passages etc in good weather but it looked sort of heavy. I would certainly have one though.

It made the CS 20 look a little plywoodish to my eye , particularly from the 3/4 aft view, but we came first and he came last.

Rob

[Richard Whitney CS#70]

Well done Rob. John Wellsford is a Kiwi designer. I have a friend who has just completed a 18ft. Nice boat but very heavy in comparison to the CS. A different type of boat. The following like goes to his web site and a story about my friend Paul's boat.

http://www.jwboatdesigns.co.nz

Well done on winning the race. I am bogged down in winter chores, kids, travel to Oz for work - so the boat progress is slow. As the weather is not great is is causing me to not be in so much of a hurry and give some attention to detail.

[Rob Blackburn]

I would love a boat like that. The other boat that I have singled out for a few years time maybe is the Baltic Lugger by Selway Fisher in UK. It is more like the Welsford designs. It is a bigger, deeper boat. I would like a 21-22 foot version I reckon with a cat ketch.

Neither would sail as well I don't think as the CS but they would be better further out to sea. I have this sort of plan/fantasy to do some bigger open boat trips up the coast. (I have read too much Shackleton and Flinders stuff for my own good) I reckon either of them would do the trick. The CS would get you there quicker but the thing I like about it now is it's low freeboard and relative lightness, good for family use and sheltered water with families would go against it in deeper water. Having said that we had some serious wind/current/tide waves in it in the Sandy Straits and it was fine. The stability is good but you are close to the water and it is not a dry boat.

This is their website.

http://www.selway-fisher.com/OtherDB.htm#BALTIC

I don't want to sound too I am ish about winning that race though. We started it like it was a Laser regatta and went at it competitively where as the instructions were to have fun. My only point really was that the design is really good and prospective owners have nothing to fear of building a wood duck.

Cheers

Rob