I hope you have all seen by now “SHORT SALES” topic and the most observant of you will have surely recognised the “Lady Amelia’s” diminutive stature. If you look at the videos section you can also see a short movie taken during the launch and sea trials of the boat. Now all that remains is for me to explain why we made it.
There is a very simple idea behind the Lady Amelia. I felt that it was difficult for crew members to learn the basic concepts of handling large full displacement yachts. Many do get the opportunity to take the helm but many more do not have a chance. I have seen a great number of crew whose boat handling experience is limited to the week they did their 200 ton licence and driving the yacht’s tenders. This led me to make a scale model vessel with true scale handling characteristics. In order to get that feeling the boat had to be 8′ LOA and nearly 150lbs in weight.
In order to control the vessel we have made a bridge control system again exactly like one you would find on a yacht. Throttles, steering and bowthruster will all look and work like the real thing.
The intention is that we will be able offer a hands on practical boat handling opportunity that will be close to the real thing. What’s more we are going to prove it:
IYT will be holding a boathandling competitions. It is open to any teams of 3 people. There will be a number of heats leading to the finals which will take place during the FLIBS.
The competition is against the clock. And consists of a straight forward handling manoevre; leaving a dock, rounding a mark and docking at a another location. Each of a team get a go and the fastest two times are recorded. As the competition progresses there will be slightly more complex courses laid out and stricter penalties for touching the dock or infringing the rules.
There are likely to be some decent prizes depending on the level of support and so far it has generated lots of interest.
Obviously there will be a number of rules which I will take delight in enforcing but in principle we hope to bring back respect for the ancient art of handling a vessel well. We hope to remind crew that simulators and electronics can only get you so far, the wind and tide need to be felt and seen.
So if you are interested drop me a line with you email and I will add you to the list of entered teams.
Good Luck