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Artemis Racing finally got to sail their new 72' Cat today, November 13, 2012. With
crisp clear air and a very gentle breeze, they confined their activities to south of the
Bay Bridge. Gentle does it..
In winds in the 3-4 knot range, the big cat glided easily in the 5-6 knot range, her Shepard of chase boat keeping a vigilant eye on would be spies from other syndicates. The light airs provided a goo opportunity to check the system without
putting too much stress on the gear..
All systems look good and with the breeze building to near 10 knots, with jib only up the big cat appeared read y to pounce. But just as it seemed like were ready to witness take off, they suddenly slowed down, and a mass gathered at the starboard
hull just aft of daggerboard. The slow inspection was on for some time and the port side was also inspected.
No need for excessive stress after recent events
The big cat was then towed at speeds in the 12-14 knot range, in what appeared to be additional load testing, and when that particular exercise was complete, she was unleased for some free sailing. Se was sailing well again toward weather, with about 8 knot of pressure and went into a bear away, when once again all fun was halted for some additional inspection... Such is life but better safe than sorry. I suspect every clunk, clang bang or groan may induce panic in the the troops until proven otherwise.
Back tracking at this stage would be very painful!
