Elite Keel at San Francisco Yacht ClubMay 18 - 19
Story
Congratulations to Dianne with their win in the Elite Keel Regatta.
Here is Steve's Top Ten List that he has submitted for publication.

ELITE KEEL STORY-A LIST OF TEN THINGS THAT HELPED DIANNE

1) The crew: Jarian Westfall, Laurel Schmidt, Mike Pastrone, Jeff Fellicetti

2) Will Paxton wasn't there.

3) This crew can change head sails, the hanked kind, in less then 2.3 minutes.

4) Wilie E Coyote didn't race Sunday.

5) Sun was shining.

6) It was my birthday weekend.

7. El Raton wasn't there.

8. We went left when we could.

9. The wind was blowing.

10. This crew has 59 combined years sailing with me.
Result
PosBoatTotalRace 1Race 2Race 3Race 4Race 5
1Dianne113(3)2(5)2(7)1(8)3 (11)
2Peaches154(4)4(8)4(12)2(14)1 (15)
3Motorcycle Irene161(1)1(2)3(5)6(11)5 (16)
4Summer Palace247(7)6(13)5(18)4(22)2 (24)
5Abigail Morgan255(5)3(8)6(14)5(19)6 (25)
6Strega308(8)8(16)7(23)3(26)4 (30)
7Wile E Coyote322(2)5(7)1(8)DNS(20)DNS (32)
8Libra449(9)7(16)9(25)DNF(37)7 (44)
9Make Me Smile516(6)9(15)DNF(27)DNS(39)DNS (51)
10Moonlight5210(10)10(20)8(28)DNF(40)DNS (52)
11Elise60DNC(12)DNC(24)DNC(36)DNC(48)DNC(60)
export csv

Regatta Message Board

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Author: Brendan
Subject: Mast tuning - with pics :)
Info: (14214 views) Posted: Tuesday 9-18-12 06:23:35 PM
It's hard to see exactly what is wrong from the pictures, but I'll take a stab from what you describe.

You say the mast base has sunk 3/16". If the base is "sinking" into the deck of the boat, then the plywood core in the laminate under the base is rotten. This is a fairly common Express 27 malady. This needs to be fixed--the sooner it is fixed the less extensive the repair will be.

If this is the case then it would describe your rig tuning problems, as if the mast base is angled significantly then it could impart the inverted bend you are describing. This is no good, and could possibly lead to rig failure--more likely it will just be impossible to tune your rig well.

The core under the mast is plywood, which isn't really great at withstanding rot. Especially in the mast base area (lots of holes that invariably leak). Fresh water and freeze/thaw cycles are especially bad, but the problem is common in saltwater environments also. There is no alternative but to cut out all the rotten core and rebuild the deck in this area.

The good news is that if the interior is intact (main bulkhead, main bulkhead supports, and inner skin) then the repair is straightforward. Just cut and grind away a good sized area from above, replace the core, and then the skin on top.

I recommend a repair area at least 18" square--I've seen some small (mast base sized) repairs that "punched through" the inner skin at the edge of the repair. G-10 (multipurpose garolite) can be used as a replacement core that will never rot or crush no matter what you do to it. The hard edges of the G-10 need to be dealt with (tapered, reinforced skin) or they can cause cracking.

Unfortunately this is a repair that is worth putting on the short list. You may be able to get a couple careful sails in, but this will probably only get worse and having your mast invertered is not a good thing.

If this isn't your problem, then I can take a stab at rig tuning...

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