RE: [Paddlewise] Fasted Recorded Speeds

Peter Rattenbury wrote: -

>Thirteen knots!!!!!! Did you ask if he
>had ever been booked in a no-wash zone??

Au contraire, the Sydney Harbour Authority did stop him once, but only to
ask if they could use a photo of his boat on the front page of their annual
report!

>That guy would have to be seriously crazy

Indeed he must have been - how else could you account for him giving up
Pittaraks for some other brand of kayak?

>So, Peter, when are you going to convert your
>Pittarak into a ketch? Of course this will
>probably mean a protest to the club's compliance
>committee..

I'm already a sufficient worry to local boats (ref recent limerick post).
Sadly have to allow my highly developed sense of social responsibility to
outweigh a very understandable desire to yet again contravene the club
compliance committee.

>We would struggle to get thirteen knots out of
>our FIFTY FOOT ketch in a forty knot southerly!

Mate you kept that a secret! Didn't know you had one - does it come with
champagne, silk lined lounge chairs, gold plated taps, Beluga caviar, plum
pudding and all the other essentials? If so when should I join you in an
expedition?

>What was the waterline length of his mysteriously
>described 'non-Pittarak' kayak?

About 17 or 18 feet I think. Didn't measure it. All the hatch covers were
recessed with secondary covers to prevent the boat being slowed down by
waves deflecting onto the kayaker. This seemed an obscure reason to me but
it was an impressive construction. He also had a removable solar cell array
and an automatic timer for his electric pump, which was switched on using a
hermetically sealed pneumatic bellows operated switch and airline very
similar to the one on my boat. Claimed it hadn't failed in many years, which
is far better than any electrical pump switch I know of and as we both know
the switch is usually the weakest point in any electrical pump system. He
was also developing a remote control system so he could continue sailing the
boat during his lunch break on the beach. The kayak looked like a one off
and didn't have a brand. I think non Pittarak is a reasonable classification
and in no way reflects any personal kayak chauvinism - you know I'm not like
that:~)

>Was he on Sydney Harbour on Saturday? It would
>have been gusting around 25knots I guess.

Actually the isobar charts were quite tightly convoluted on Saturday and
Sydney Harbour was calm, no more than 15 knots, whereas I believe it was
pretty rough in your neck of the woods, Wollongong.

>How was he travelling in that? Did he really have
>a ketch rig with two masts?

I think he said the boat needed to run before the wind in about twenty to
thirty knots to achieve the thirteen knots he claimed. I remember him saying
this was achieved off the coast, not in Sydney harbour where it seldom gets
above 20knots. Yes it really was a ketch rig with headsails, main and
mizzen, plus it had a spinnaker. Does that make it a cutter rigged ketch? It
also had a number of very small sails to better direct the wind over the
mainsail. The keel was retractable and could be angled slightly so that the
approximately 50cm long and 15cm diameter cylindrical weight at its base
could be used to direct water towards or away from the keel, this acted
somewhat to control speed. Incredibly all the principal sails could be
controlled from the cockpit by an ingenious and beautifully rigged system of
sheets and miniature blocks. He really is aiming for 20 knots. In the years
he had been operating the boat he had capsized it fully rigged twice. I've
only met him once. Dennis knows him well and should be able to confirm my
description.

>Is he a mate of Larry Gray's?

Yes and he apparently used to work with Larry at QCraft (not to be confused
with the NZ Q-Craft) building the original Pittaraks before they went over
to Pittarak International. This probably explains the creativity and
attention to detail displayed in his boat and also the way in which he sails
it. I think he, Larry and Bruce must be three of a kind in the creativity
stakes.

All the best, PeterO
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