NOHUHU wrote:
Jim Q. Your TI looks fantastic! I saw it in a couple videos too.
Jib, Hakas, dodger, mini splash guards and more. Really appears to be built for the job. Walkin the beach, I would have put $$ on that boat.
Would you explain the use of the railblazas for the mast shrouds?
Maybe with a few more practice runs under your belt, you'll try the EC again and prove me right.
NOHUHU, Out of all the people in the world, you are the last person that I would guess would call my AI a TI. Sometimes I wish it was a TI though.
With the current jib system I have never sailed with shrouds. However several days before the race I was nervous with all the predicted wind so I rigged up a set and had them on while sitting on the beach the night before. Just before leaving, I removed them. I don't think they are necessary and just complicate things.
The railblazers on the outer akas are handy for several purposes. When I'm in a downwind situation, I run my jib sheet through them and then the jib works wing on wing very nicely. It's weird how well it works. The main sail opens to the right and the jib automatically will jump to the other side and open ... most of the time without me having to force it to the other side. I also attach the splash guards via bungee to the outer railblazers.
The splash guards and a special front bow splash guard under the jib halyard work very well and keeps you pretty dry.
After fabricating at least 30 jib/spinnaker prototypes with several different sails, I'm satisfied with what I finally came up with. My AI is quite efficient and faster in many situations. Jib furls in seconds and the mainsail can furl independently with no problems whatsoever.
And to be honest, my competitive nature leans more toward the building/fabricating side and less in the "let's stay up all night for 6-7 days and sail in a race", so if I do it again, it will probably only be the UM.