Mahe 36: Original FP Mahe 36 Thread

[DtM]

Well last weekend we raced in the Lock Crowther Memorial Regatta here in Sydney.

It was a "working sails only" regatta for those of us in the cruising division.

2 races per day with an arbitrary handicap system.

There were 8 boats in the division and on Saturday it blew a good steady 18 knots for the morning race and then 20 to 25 for the afternoon race. it truly blew and the rain made it most unpleasant.

There was just the Admiral, a friend of ours and me on board with the Admiral steering. She had never been racing before let alone steered during racing.

Results: Winner of race 1 and second in race 2 !!!!

There were three Seawind 1000 and other cruisers including an Oram 43 and Crowther 52.

The Seawinds were faster than us downwind but we were 5 degrees higher than them upwind and much faster. For example, in the second race we went around the last mark three boatlengths behind a Seawind and in a 1.5 mile beat we stuck 5 minutes into them.

Sunday saw a change in the weather (or at least the wind). Light and patchy breeze with lots of holes (still raining).

Results were a last and an unable to finish inside time limit.

Again the Seawinds were faster downwind. They are a lot lighter. Once they had a gap the different wind all over the course made it difficult to bridge the gap.

A great weekend and some interesting lessons learned.

You have to be able to barberhaul the headsail off the wind. It allows you to goosewing even when you are not DDW and gives a much better sail shape when reaching.

Even in the gusts on Saturday afternoon which exceeded 25 knots the boat felt stable and in control. We did not reef. the feeling I got was that upwind the leeward hull just bit in a little and gave 2gether heaps of height.

Photos, if we get any, to follow.

daniel and elaine

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

The boating season up here starts in April and ends in November which is about 7 months.

Mark

Mark,

You are a sturdier man than me! April and November are for eskimos in CT. May and October push the limits for me. BTW, where did you haul the boat? Doesn't look like Noank Shipyard from the pics, but they are the only ones with a wide enough travelift.

Mark (formally from Mystic).

[Talbot]

Had a look at a Mahe today for the first time.

I really liked some features, but others left me cold. The engine hatch access from the sugar scoops makes this one a non-starter from my viewpoint. Other features might have been trade offs, but this was a deal-breaker.

[DtM]

Interesting, why?

[Talbot]

bad weather - engine failure! too high a risk to work on the engine.

[Jef & Marin, Netherlands]

Talbot, I don't understand you. There are 2 engines. When one breaks down you use the other one to get into a harbour and fix it there.
Only risk of both engines breaking down could be if your fuel was polluted with water or bacteria, but the two engines have completely different fuel lines and filters.
Furthermore I think that at least 90 % of engine failures is due to insufficient maintenance.

In 44 knots of wind we have had breakers on the sugar scoops. I found some drops of seawater on the engines afterwards, to prevent future rust I have cleaned the engines.
Having the engine access outside keep the heat and the smell out.
Rgds,
Jef

[Talbot]

As a Cat owner for over 21 years, I do recognise the redundancy issue. I also recognise the advantage of the engine heat noise and smell kept out of the accomodation. Access such as on the Privilege 39 is acceptable, access such as on the Mahe is NOT FOR ME.

I can recognise that it is acceptable for other people, after all that is why there are different designs of boat available.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by Talbot

As a Cat owner for over 21 years, I do recognise the redundancy issue. I also recognise the advantage of the engine heat noise and smell kept out of the accomodation. Access such as on the Privilege 39 is acceptable, access such as on the Mahe is NOT FOR ME.

I can recognise that it is acceptable for other people, after all that is why there are different designs of boat available.

Besides, if it is inside one can work on the engine with the air conditioner running.

[LarryW]

Glad to see someone else is racing.

Larry

[Scott730]

And winning! Good for you Daniel.

[MKB53]

Hi Guys
I have been quiet for a while as I have been cruising the Queenslad coast and loving "doing nothing". Currently running before a 25-30Kt NW in Hervey Bay. Lazy today so I only have a headsail (furled) up and are doing a steady 7+ Kts in a bumpy sea.

We raced in the cruising division of the Abel Point YC Multihull Rendevous end August which was a lot of fun. We only had 4 boats in the cruising division but in 10Kts or less we were much quicker to windward than a Salina, a Lavezzi and a Perry 57! We also caught some of the PHS racers in cruising style boats (eg: Lightwave 38) on the initial upwind legs in spite of a 5min start dvantage but once they got out the screechers we obviously lost out. All in all I was delighted at how the little Mahe performed. Better go and tend teh sail now

[DtM]

Hi Martin,

How has your cruise been?

Are you on your way back to Pittwater?

daniel

[MKB53]

Cruise has been great. I would say more but my "office" is rocking a lot. The weather the last couple of days sucks and we are in an exposed anchorage. On a schedule so I can't just wait it out.

I am heading back and will be back by around the 26th or so.

[MKB53]

It's good to scroll through all the old discussion and catch up on the useful info.

We too have installed curtains in the cupboards, secured by hooks. They have done an excellent job of keeping the contents in is some of the "beautiful one day, perfect the next" Qld weather (seas).

I need to stop the bimini chafing as well. I was going to get the trimmer to sew plastic on but your ideas with tubing sound better.

Has anyone found a cure for the mainsheet catching on the round backrest cushion on the bimini frame?

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by MKB53

On a schedule so I can't just wait it out.

Ten simple words, that have caused so much grief over the years.