Some observations on the performance of the Flyer at Playa, NM last spring: 1) The Flyer with a 12m sail owned the light air, getting good speed while all other boats were stalled. 2) Evidently not all boats can do U-turns or donuts. 3) Hiking (tilting) actually seemed to slightly increase my speed relative to the other boats. 4) The sleeker boats did better in the higher winds. I particularly couldn't match their close angle into the wind.

Happened by the Georgetown Resevoir west of Denver the other day. A beautiful and challenging spot, but you'll have to get out to the flatlands to spread your wings some time.

Ive had a 9 m sail out landsailng I think occasionally there was a boat that would go in about the same wind but usually I could also go in just about the lightest wind.

And, I could use the same sail when everyone else quit sailing because of too high of wind. But as you mentioned, not the fastest boat in between (but the fastest through the pucker mounds..). I think there is nothing which has the wind range.


Regarding the hiking, Im going to play more this ice boating season with the "sloppy mast" idea. Here is something I put on the boat this summer and it allows the bottom of the mast to slide to either side. Im also probably going to put some "sheets" on this so that I can force the bottom of the mast to one side or the other - or to center. Ill do this in combo with somewhat loose side stays.


Some completely unproven- untested theory but one thing I have noticed in the past is that on these single surface sails with round masts (or even sort of foil shaped mast), there is a seperation bubble on the windward side of the sail just behind the mast. On a sail which is stood very vertical (like on the iceflyer), the tell tails just behind the mast will point directly at the mast but in the opposite direction the overall aparant wind is blowing and this shows a seperation and a circular flow.

However, as you rake the mast back, at some point, the seperatated flow almost "snaps" from the tell tails pointing "backwards" towards the mast to pointing upwards and parellel with the mast.

In either case, you are creating a vortex shed off the sail but it seems to me that there is some chance that if the tell tails just behind the mast are pointing straight up and somewhat back, this is probably lower drag than having the tell tells just behind the mast pointing directly againts the wind over the sail.

I didnt spend much time with the sloppy mast idea last winter but Im just wondering if allowing the mast to flop over the windward (just as if you are hiking), also changes the seperated air flow so that it is flowing parellel with the mast and upwards? Seems to me the boat was unusually fast the day I let the sail flop over somewhat.

I believe some people have thought the ice flyer was faster with the sail racked back a bit - possibly where the tell tails just behind the mast would be pointing parellel with the mast - but Ive never liked this as it puts the boat too far out of balance and makes it much more squirly in high winds.

FYI, some Utube of Georgetown

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4I6CCzyVdT4