Wild 1 review

More Wild times

I had another go with Bob’s Wild 1 sail for the Laser this morning. Very light winds with a few good gusts and average lap time races so we all started together. I had an good start for the first race, once I’d fought my way through the gaggle of squabbling Optimists and suddenly found myself in the lead!  The sail really compensates for my weight and makes the whole experience far more enjoyable. I was a good deal quicker than my previous outing, maybe I’m getting used to it. When the wind picked up, boat speed seemed really good. On a tight reach, keeping up with and outpacing Bob in a Lark (with kite).

There was much excitment on shore as the onlookers wondered if I would know what to do when in the lead, or even remember the course. This wasn’t as harsh as it sounds; I soon found myself in tactical situations that I was unfamiliar with….Eventually…after I took a small detour to check Rachael (that’s my excuse anyway)…I let Rob slip in around a mark, much to Bob’s vocal annoyance who was just behind him. I eventually came across the line a close 3rd…6 seconds behind Mr Suggit. There is absolutely no way I would have been anywhere near those two with my full rig. This is like a new boat…even with a handicap at least I’m sailing at the front of the fleet.

I crossed the line in 3rd place for the second race as well, although a great deal further back…the wind had dropped and I deffinately wasn’t going as quick.  Hopefully some pictures (with me in the lead will turn up soon) in the mean time I might have to throw the contents of my garage onto Ebay to raise some cash to buy one.   Paul Cross, update to Wild 1 review, January 24th, 2010

Paul Cross sailed the Suggitt Wild 1 Laser sail on Sunday, 20th December 2009, the final day of the Frostbite series.  To the right he can be seen rigging the sail.  He has written a report on his impressions of the sail and the following is taken from Paul's blog, with his permission.  Photo's by Stuart Howe.

 "I had the good fortune to try Bob Suggits new big sail for the Laser last Sunday morning and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I am seriously heavy for the boat and have been toying with the idea of buying the Rooster 8.1 rig until Bob mentioned that he was developing his own big rig…Wild 1. Bob’s version differs from the 8.1 in a number of ways. Instead of extending the mast he has opted for a fully battened design supporting more sail area high up.

When you’re my weight, (I’m not saying ….but at least 4 stone more than Ben Ainsle) the standard Laser rig is a bit dull in light winds.

 

 

It is slow to accelerate as the breeze gets up and in marginal planing conditions I’m on the wrong side of the margin so get left behind very quickly. “Aaaah”   I hear you say “but when the wind gets up, you can hold it down and win”…. errr no…….it doesn’t seem to happen like that…. I can bully the boat flat in strong winds and it works well on a big lake or the sea but it is difficult to translate this into forward motion when the conditions are gusty as they invariably are on our small pond. result? mid fleet at best, tired and usually very wet.

 

Bob’s sail changes all this. The boat is transformed. The first thing you notice (if you’re a bit fat) is that the boat rolls predictably and smoothly like it used to when you weren’t fat. This brings back memories and makes you realise what you’ve been missing. With the standard rig, the boat is very sensitive and tippy making roll tacks tricky and gusty winds a nightmare. The larger rig, with all that high up sail area, compensates for my extra weight as it flaps through the air when the boat rolls. It feels natural and balanced. There is also more room under the boom, so moving around is easier.

Left, Paul under sail, image from the shore and cropped from a large picture hence not very clear. The best we have at present however!

Overall, I had a very enjoyable morning sail ……started a minute behind the standard rig Lasers in the pursuit race on Sunday and finished not much more than a minute after them…overtaking a couple of 4.7s and an Enterprise… not impressive at first glance but the full rig Lasers were Rob and Kelsey, in that wind, I would not have been anywhere near in a standard rig Laser.

I am now in negotiation with  domestic purchase control to see if funds are available in the near future….watch this space."          Paul Cross 22/12/09.

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