Sailing Dinghy.

- Last weekend I was in Florida to oversee decisions to be made about a small boat dear to me.

- Six years ago, I sailed the dinghy to the point I can truthfully say that I never had so much pleasure sailing on a small scale, just being on the water comfortably, safely and with speed. But this was a while ago. I am talking about a concept that my friend T. M has been playing around for a long time.

- His job, as an airline pilot did not allow him to put it all together from a manufacturing point of view. He only sold on a piece meal basis to cruising people watching and convinced after seeing the boat sail in the Bahamas somewhere and elsewhere.

- So, with builder P-H we flew down for a meeting trying to solve some issues. The main questions have been how to attach the inflatables and still to be able to remove them easily if the need arises. How to build as light and as strong as possible, how to jazz up the sail plan and other important details. All in view to make a go with the commercialisation of this product.

- By the way, T-M owns one of my designs, the 45' Cat-Ketch Sea-Gipsy. His very first sailboat. It figures, being an airline pilot he could understand right away the benefits of wings and free standing spars.

                                              SAILING DINGHY SPECIFICATIONS

Length of Fiberglass Hull: 10 feet.

Length of Hull with tubes: 10 feet 8 inches.

Inside Beam of tubes / midpoint: 42 inches.

Outside Beam of tubes / midpoint: 62 inches.

Transom width: 40 inches.

Transom Height: 18".

Motor Vessel, M/V.114'

I just spent three weeks in the South of France. The benefit of excellent weather, makes you forget the bleakness of winter in New England, for a while anyway. It is a nice break.

The French Riviera is synonymous with really big boats and they are all over. Mega Yachts interest me, not only for the design challenge they represent but also the fact that the commission for such complex project does not happen every day. Right now, I am working on an aluminum 105' with a certain originality in concept and realisation. I also like to sell boats, my friend J-M has a central on a 114' which might be of interest to someone, especially for a handicap person. Based on a Navy hull, the boat performs well and has speed. Built in composite, the construction is strong and the vessel presents well. The originality comes from an elevator going from the owner's state room down below to all the way up to the bridge deck.  She is a niche boat and having designed a 54' sail boat for a paraplegic client, I appreciate the thought that goes through the entire project to solve the many questions and problems associated by such a situation. So if you want to be "sur la Cote d'Azur" and on the water next summer without being out of place in St-Tropez or Monaco, please get in touch.

The 105' TYD#317.

Ski-Yachting. Christmas Regatta in Nice, France.

The classic S-Y has a long history in Nice, France. So long that I remember at the age of fifteen participating in it with my twelve years old brother. Sailing on an old wooden Lippincott Star boat which had seen better days, including I believe a second place in the 1946 World's Championship in Havana, Cuba.

The regatta attracted in the winter crews from behind the Iron Curtain from the USSR, Romania, Bulgaria and naturally the cream of French, Italian and Switzerland.

Of course, the two of us had absolutely no chance against the best in a very competitive Class.

But, by extreme luck and with totally upside down sea and wind conditions, my brother and I found ourselves ahead of the fleet at the weather mark. It was not long before the Stars passed us slowly one by one, their crew standing up and applauding as they went by. Well, this was the best and the end of it, or almost.

A little side story: like I said, many boats came from the Eastern block, behind the Iron curtain. Their crew, with the escort of "commissars". One time, I went to the locker room to find to my surprise one of the crew lined up in front of their commissar. You know, Yacht Club gives small gifts, like ash trays, pens, pennants, tee shirts etc. to the visiting guests. I was dumbfounded when I was actually witnessing the commissar confiscating all the items right from the sailor's hands just before going home along with the trophies.

Do not talk to me about Communism. Scary like hell.

On another note: about one of my favorite boat and the folly of it. The super 3 times a Star; the dangerous Attila.

http://www.ina.fr/video/CPF04006507/dans-le-vent-video.html