Gordon & John - first.
Gordon was Topper World Champion in 1990s
- has bone-on-bone ankle, and other ankle had a fracture.
- sailed a MK II, rigged by his father
- "Keep it flat, feather into the wind."
- luffed Paul to wind when Paul tried to pass him to windward
- crushing boat speed
- hadn't sailed the Kestrel or practiced.
- boat had aluminum stiffening for centerboard and for athwartships between chainplates
Boat Repairs:
- boat had a 3" x 1" fiberglass crack on the centerline, right at the position where the boat sits on the front trolley support. (Bouncing while trailering?)
- 2 gallons of water accumulated in the front tank during 2 hours of sailing. Bow heavy!
- Richard Roberts tried a fix-on-the-spot before launch, taping with blue PVC tape.
The tape shrugged off with water flow, and 2 more gallons in the front tank.
- Thanks to Steve Worf's crew, Dave, and Richard Roberts, we fixed the breach. 1 minute epoxy from B & Q hardware, held in place and shaped smoothly with gorrilla tape for 2 hours.
-After two hours, the gorilla tape was removed, and we sealed it up with "Helicopter Tape." Officially, it's 3M 8671HS Polyurethane Protective Tape. A lot of bikers use it to protect cabon fiber chips on bikes, and it's used to protect helicopter carbon fiber blades.
- Guess what! It also seals a boat hull when a crack occurs through the hull.
