From: Darryl Laurin
Sent: November-06-09 11:40 AM
To: John Curry
Subject: from Client Darryl Laurn S/Y Vimy

Hi John and Will

I apologize that it has taken me such a long time to send some feed back to you. First my Lap Top feed the fish in Barcelona and later my camera off the Ionian islands. And, I have sailed more or less solo from Gibraltar to here, Marmaris Turkey this summer. Not a lot of great wifi along the way!

In Review.My boat is a Beneteau First 47.7 or 48ft or 14.8 m. – weight only 11.3 tons – extremely fast yet with perfect sailing characteristic. I could not imagine single handing a better boat.

So the Vane is installed on the high end of performance sailing. Never was passed in over 2k and just loved to be powered up with the Vane steering swilling a beer while I passed crewed up boats working their butts off trying to keep ahead. The final blow was the big red Vane. I love it!

Installing on the 47.7 – could have used a cm or two more pipe for the upper and just made it – as you can see. MM between the drop down platform and the vane. It works but we stood off the transom lower fitting with wood. (which I epoxied to preserve)

Two of us put it together very quickly. The toughest part was being crunched up down in the transom answering the screws with bolts on the inside.

Sailing: As I have said this is high end fast sailing yacht – a Bruce Farr designed racer. I regularly sail to windward at 8.5 knots and downwind with just the main, 11kts is not difficult. I have used the Vane intensely. Indeed my so call bullet proof B & G hydraulic ram so beloved of the round the world folks crashed. I spent a month single handing the 15 m boat with just the vane. If there was a wisp of wind, I had the vane working and with this boat we could actually achieve a speed of 2kts in virtually no wind with the vane.

Sailing down the passage off  Ithaca, it was a F5. The Vane maintained a correct track hour after hour and the wind was about 120deg. That far aft did surprise me. But as I say there was lots of blow.

Personally, I dumped the lines (of the remote course setting). I stand between the V of the support struts and move the wheel with my hand. The helm is so balanced it’s not even tied off until I am sure the Vane is happy.

I try and sell your product where ever I sail. Its great.   And as an aside. I burn much less fuel and create much less Co2 as I don’t charge nearly as much as when I am on the B &G.

Thank you both for your input.

Fair winds,
Darryl Laurin
S/Y Vimy

(P.S.) having your vane is like being part of a club. Every time I see a vane its a sure thing that that crew will want to have a chat.

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