Scumbag nearly back on the water...

[Will_Lee]

Platypus boys: Did you take any pictures?

[dave_ching]

Pictures or words?
Who cares the theory is fine but it really doesn't help when you play the odd's of theory and still loose.
It is just like a 100 to 1 shot winning the National (great if you bet on it).
It made the racing great fun and some of the closest we have had for some time.

[Greg]

No sorry, we were going to take a camera, but we had noone to take photos, as there was some oppie event, but fortunatly they had finished before we hit the water.
We need to find somebody to take some pics, but I might take some tomorrow, as she's in our car port at the moment (we're doing some work on her before next weekend).

[Dave_Fudge]

Re Scumbags : Yep, that certainly was an interesting experience on Sunday. My fault for both capsizes - no.1 didn't bring the dagger board up fast enough going over the shallows and no.2 didn't sort the kite out before raising (tangled up after the 1st dunking!).
I can see why the slick chaps in the class go for racks rather than wings. We've got so much bouancy when we go over, it needs a couple of tame sumo wrestlers on the dagger board to get her back up. Or maybe there's a special technique? The Fireball's about half the width and I can get her up on my own!!

[Greg]

That is when the mast isnt dug in...

Theres probably some secret Cherub thing that you have to go to the nationals for, but I was very surpised to find that both of us still struggled (alot) to get it righted.

Anyway, once the balancing and technique is sorted, we'll be fine! (hopefully).

[Phil Alderson]

If the Kicker is still on the sail will hold a massive ammount of water making things a struggle.

[roland_trim]

Same but even more so with the jib. The crew needs to blow the jib totally off as it will catch more water than is frankly believable. Using the RYA - hold the jib sheet whilst on the centre board - therefore simply does not work. We grab the spinni sheet either side of the bolck (ie. two ends so it is not pulling the kite out)

H can bring Born Slippy back upright (she is under 45kg) without too much drama. I can't if the jib is in (I'm +90kg)

[john_hamilton]

maybe thaat will work on cheese 2??? i weigh 70kg and had trouble getting her upright last weekend, ill try loosening the kicker next?

[Tim Noyce]

Let everything off. Jib, cunningham and kicker, definitely make sure the kite is stowed if that is up. Use the kite sheet to hang out on the board and it will come up easy. I have righted my boat from the water just by pulling down on the daggerboard before so it can't be that hard! 

[roland_trim]

Theres probably some secret Cherub thing that you have to go to the nationals for.

A week of sailing with other Cherubs does help. But the nationals is just a whole bag of fun rolled into a week.
After dunking it a few times you'll find it does get much simpler.

[john_hamilton]

maybe my dad hanging on to the centerboard castle wasnt helping then

[Greg]

Both me and my dad were hanging on it, and it made virtually no difference.

[Will_Lee]

Hmmm. I can't explain this for certain, but here are some ideas:

1) The actual weight of the sails and spars is about 20kg, usually a lot less than that, and yours are light ones.
2) The height is less than 7 metres, but the centre of mass is probably less than 3.
3) You plus your dad have got to be more than 100kg.
4) Standing on the board your lever length is probably about half a metre.
5) If you have trouble bringing the boat upright, this is down to the lever keeping the boat down exceeding the lever lifting it up.
6) Rig lever = 20*3=60kgm
7) Crew lever = 100*0.5=50kgm
Suddenly it is plain why you have to lean back a bit!
9) You said you and your dad were hanging on to the board. If you weren't standing on it, not all your weight would have been pulling down on it. Any part of you that it is in the water will be floating and not pulling down. If you don't believe me ask Archimedes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buoyancy (watch out though - this page has a mistake in it under 'compressive fluids')
10) Dynamic effects. When there is lots of water around, even quite a big force will cause v slow acceleration which may be hard to notice. This means standing on the board and waiting a long time may help.
11) Kicker and jib sheet can cause the sails to hold a lot of water. Let these right off, as Born Slippy said.
 
Keep at it - and come to the nationals for maximum exposure to all kinds of high performance sailing techniques, overlaid of course by a generous helping of sensible and responsible behaviour.

[Will_Lee]

Christophe is the best one!

[Dave_Fudge]

Thanks for the info Will, it's broadly stuff we've used with other difficult boats. Normally we've managed to bury an aluminium mast into Burghfields thick lower eco-system (weedbed) but fortunately Scummers lays flat on the water. Well I say flat; the bouancy of her lower wing floats her really high in the water creating an angle of about 5-10 degrees between mast and water which has to be overcome. Anyway, that was our first play with her and I'm sure we'll have plenty of time for practice before the Nats, especially if we try capsizing close to the shore so that Daryl can ply us with helpful comments/abuse!!! I was surprised with the number of sailors that came up to us and said "I used to sail Cherubs"; I'm not sure I believe them because having sailed a Cherub, how could you sail anything else
Whilst Daryl rather likes the name "Scumbag" (must be an Arctic Monkeys fan) other more apt names have appeared on the horizon. The most recent falls in line with a Cherub trend to utilise names from that great 70's comedy series. "Norwegian Blue" and "Spanish Inquisition" could be joined by "The Argument Clinic". Five minutes of viewing 'cockpit cam' would convince anyone why this would be a rather apt name!!!! But the jury's still out on this one.