FD K9

share hints, tips and experiences
corkman
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 7:13 pm

Re: FD K9

Post by corkman »

Trevor, another book that you might find useful is John Oakley's "Winning" published in 1970. John together with Laser's (or was it Performance Sailcraft then?) David Hunt were sailing successfully in FDs before Rodney P came on the scene. His book has many line drawings of fittings used in Dutchmen at that time.
roger
Posts: 3031
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 12:08 pm
Location: Frome Somerset UK

Re: FD K9

Post by roger »

corkman wrote:Trevor, another book that you might find useful is John Oakley's "Winning" published in 1970. John together with Laser's (or was it Performance Sailcraft then?) David Hunt were sailing successfully in FDs before Rodney P came on the scene. His book has many line drawings of fittings used in Dutchmen at that time.
Including the experimental FD with two chutes.

Agreed a very good read.
Hornet 191 Shoestring,
Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
Hornet 353
davidh
Posts: 3166
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:43 am
Location: Ventor Isle of Wight

Re: FD K9

Post by davidh »

"John together with Laser's (or was it Performance Sailcraft then?) David Hunt"

You have to be joking - except that David Hunt would not find that funny - knowing him as I do, I think I can assure you of that.

David was Mr Needlespar, Oakley and Hunt in 'Shadow' were a great combination back when there was class racing for FDs at Hamble. One of sailings great characters of the day, David then went on to sail Tempests with Alan Warren!

D
David H
SoggyBadger
Posts: 282
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:39 pm
Location: Staffordshire

Re: FD K9

Post by SoggyBadger »

davidh wrote:David then went on to sail Tempests with Alan Warren!

D
Who could forget DH and Big Al at the Canadian Olympics in 1976

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympi ... blaze.html

Sailing was so much more fun in those days. :)
Best wishes


SB
roger
Posts: 3031
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 12:08 pm
Location: Frome Somerset UK

Re: FD K9

Post by roger »

What a great Story, Cant see Ben doing that to Rita, think of the fumes :(
Hornet 191 Shoestring,
Hornet 595 Demon awaiting restoration
Hornet 610 Final Fling
Hornet 353
davidh
Posts: 3166
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:43 am
Location: Ventor Isle of Wight

Re: FD K9

Post by davidh »

As always, there is a story 'behind the story'. Warren and Hunt were sailing 'Gift 'orse' - fast! Then disaster struck when, in the container en route to the Olympic Regatta at Kingston, their boat got crushed.. It was patched up and sailed but was clearly not the boat it was, leaving the larger than life duo well off the pace.

As Warren would later say, "the old 'orse had gone lame and had to be put down". Looking back it is easy to laugh, but at the time there was a great deal of negative comment and no small amount of shame settled on the pair - who later agreed that this was something that they shouldn't have done!

D
David H
Bill-Conner
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2010 3:08 pm

Re: FD K9

Post by Bill-Conner »

I always thought the great Jack Knights had the last and best word on this unfortunate incident,

"In a way that neither would understand, they simply let the side down".
JimC
Posts: 1721
Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2004 10:24 pm
Location: Surrey
Contact:

Re: FD K9

Post by JimC »

Not one of Knight's best efforts I thought. Warren and Hunt never seemed to be part of the in crowd, and all the better for it too I think:-)

Its funny, David Hunt had a reputation for being a bit prickly at times, but on at least three occasions I bothered him with requests to help out with bits for stupid ideas which ended up with him taking me round the shop to hunt out bits in dark corners, and he was never anything other than 100% patient and helpful. It wasn't as if I was even a particular regular customer, and certainly not a high spending one. I retain warm memories of him as a good guy in the industry.
SoggyBadger
Posts: 282
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:39 pm
Location: Staffordshire

Re: FD K9

Post by SoggyBadger »

I think Warren and Hunt's sense of humour was lost on many in the sailing establishment.
Best wishes


SB
User avatar
Ed
Site Admin
Posts: 3486
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2004 10:11 pm
Location: Plymouth
Contact:

Re: FD K9

Post by Ed »

Should take up golf then...
"In a way that neither would understand, they simply let the side down".
One of those quotes that tells you so much more about the person who said it.....than those he was talking about.

Only ever talked to David H twice. Like with JimC, my experience was that he went way out of his way to help me. I appreciated it.

eib
Ed Bremner
CVRDA


Jollyboat J3
Firefly F2942
IC GBR314 ex S51 - 1970 Slurp
MR 638 - Please come and take it away
Phelps Scull
Bathurst Whiff - looking for someone to love it
davidh
Posts: 3166
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:43 am
Location: Ventor Isle of Wight

Re: FD K9

Post by davidh »

These days David is normally found out on a golf course somewhere! All of the comments here, in their own way, say something about David Hunt, who was always a keen innovator, sharp thinker and brilliant sailor. As Jim said, if you needed help, David would apply both his technical and 'fixer' skills to get things sorted.

However, the comment from Jack Knights really encapsulated what most were thinking at the time. Jack was often irrascible and when he wanted to be, downright rude, but he was never less that 100% objective - I just wish the sport of sailing had a few 'jack Knights' today as they'd soon prick some of the inflated egos that we seem beholden too! Yet, thinking again, in the world of today when the sailing media are unable to say 'boo' for fear of upsetting a big budget holding advertiser, maybe the lack of a 'voice' is the way it has to be!

D
David H
Nessa
Posts: 2290
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2008 3:16 pm
Location: East Angular

Re: FD K9

Post by Nessa »

I remember sailing at Hayling Island in my 470. We capsized and Alan Warren sailed right up the mainsail and wrecked it. He told us it was our fault for capsizing. Thoroughly unpleasant.
The Peril
Agamemnon
Lovely little Cadet
OK 1954
Xena Warrior Princess
Finn 469
Laser 2
Wayfarer World
Max McCarthy
Posts: 550
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:42 am
Location: West Midlands, UK
Contact:

Re: FD K9

Post by Max McCarthy »

davidh wrote:Max: Continuous trapeze systems only really found favour on the FD, where, with the high boom, crews could also 'walk through' from tack to tack. Some early Hornets, which before the new mainsail also had a high boom, also used the system. The two trapeze wires were linked by a shockcord 'runner' that passes under the boom. The crew hooks on and in effect stays hooked on, even when the boat is passing through a tack or gybe - when you want to go out on the wire you just push out and hey presto - you're hooked on already.

The system didn't work in deeper cockpited boats such as the Osprey and 505 (though people did try them) nor in fast tacking boats. You have to remember that much of this was back in the earlier days of trapezing when the techniques were nowhere near as well developed as they are today. You'd not think (for instance in a 505) of hooking on before going out on the wire - you swung out and then hooked on so as to keep the boat flat coming out of the tack. The slower tacking FD , well, this wasn't such an issue!

D
Hi David,

Thanks for explaining that, I just couldn't work out how it works, but now I know so many thanks!

Best wishes,

Max
AC 298 TimeWarp
Cherub 2627 - Sgt Murphy (nee Last Amber Dragon)
Farr 3.7 (slowly progressing build)
National 12 3337
dronskiuk
Posts: 180
Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2012 3:23 pm
Location: Where Broadland meets the sea

Re: FD K9

Post by dronskiuk »

davidh wrote:These days David is normally found out on a golf course somewhere! All of the comments here, in their own way, say something about David Hunt, who was always a keen innovator, sharp thinker and brilliant sailor. As Jim said, if you needed help, David would apply both his technical and 'fixer' skills to get things sorted.

However, the comment from Jack Knights really encapsulated what most were thinking at the time. Jack was often irrascible and when he wanted to be, downright rude, but he was never less that 100% objective - I just wish the sport of sailing had a few 'jack Knights' today as they'd soon prick some of the inflated egos that we seem beholden too! Yet, thinking again, in the world of today when the sailing media are unable to say 'boo' for fear of upsetting a big budget holding advertiser, maybe the lack of a 'voice' is the way it has to be!

D
Davidh - I concur with your comments re David Hunt although he did 'expect' a certain amount of due reverence from us Mirror fleet diminutives! I'm sure you would remember his nickname of the era?

My question is based around another of your loves...the Merlin. Do you remember 'Leonardo'? I recall that she was David's first self-helmed boat after the campaigns with John-O but this is all a long time ago. I'm sure you do but to us in the junior echelons it seemed the most radical craft on the water. We had seen Hugh Welbourne's 'Mr Jones' (do I recall Hugh working for Jack Chippendale?) walk off with the National nationals(!) and it seemed that Merlins would follow the wide, saucer like design brief...I remember from a distance of some 40 odd years that Y&Y pondered on how close she came to infringing towing regulations...I used to have a photo taken on a Brownie 127 camera but that has long since disappeared - do you have any pictures?

I do enjoy the memory-jolting that these threads produce...thanks to all participants!

Andrew
User avatar
JB9
Posts: 416
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:52 am
Location: BBSC, Kent, UK

Re: FD K9

Post by JB9 »

Some photos here of my first sail:- https://plus.google.com/photos/11388073 ... ZiFxOqZzQE

Plenty to do but an excellent sail.
Harrier 25
505 7163
Post Reply