Finally it was launch day with just a week before the Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival (report to follow) I needed to get Spraoi (pronounced Spree) on the water so that she had time to take up ( For the planks to swell and tighten up). Of course it rained for the hour or two around high tide that I was launching the boat so the photos are a little overcast.

I didn’t get to go sailing that  first day but you can see how the sail might look by the outline of the boom and mast. I’ve found so far that having the mast raked back is better both going upwind and downwind. I’ve rigged it so I can adjust the mast rake as I’m sailing but after some testing it appears better raked back. Except it brings the boom lower than I would have liked. It’ll do just fine for a sail this season but I’m going to switch to a yawl rig of some sort for next year. Crab Claw Yawl? who knows. The sail performs very well for a flat piece of tarpaulin, you do need to put some shape in the sail with the topping lift in light wind. The experimental centreboard and rudder don’t perform very well so they’re being changed. I’mgoing to try a no pin centreboard with a NACA profile next. I’ll hopefully get to try it this week.

I’ve lots of results coming in on the various experimental parts of the boat. I’ll be detailing these and some of the finished boat over the coming posts and hopefully lots and lots of sailing reports. My crew and I are planning a raid on the Baltimore Pirate Festival in couple of weeks and frightening the bejaysus out of them and the Jester Challenge with our canon.

If you would like to discuss having your own wooden boat built, repaired or restored please don’t hesitate to contact me, Tiernan Roe, at +353 28 38973 or +353 86 1586937.

Roeboats, Ballydehob, Co. Cork, t:+353 (0)28 38973 m: +353 (0)86 158 69 37 e:roeboats@ymail.com

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