April 27, 2002

Rolling practice

It's hard for me to be completely objective, but on rolling, the new Sirocco seems a tad easier. I hit every high brace on the move on both sides today. Maybe from the extra buoyancy from the dry suit? It had been over 6 months since I've put in any time with rolling practice and I expected it to be much more difficult, but found it slightly easier.

I've always felt the Gulfstream needed just a little more skeg for real high winds, and I think the Sirocco needs it even more. The Sirocco skeg (and skeg box) are smaller than the Gulfstream, and the range of slider movement for the skeg is less. The Sirocco responds a little better to sweep strokes when held flat, and much better when edged.

My trusty Warmers polar Tec cap has been failing me the last 2 days. Water floods in to my ears at an alarming rate. Not sure why. I'll need to find ear plugs soon because the cold water on my left ear really bothers me.

The day hatch and rear hatch leaked. Not a lot, but more than I believed I should accept for the small amount of rolling I did (probably 5-6 tablespoons in ~10 rolls). Front hatch remained dry as a bone.

Plastic is more slippery than fiberglass. I dropped the boat off the side of the car when loading it. I was paying more attention to the car that had parked right behind me when it slipped off the rear saddle. No harm since I still had a firm enough grasp to slow it down as it banged to the ground.

The medium (snap dragon) sprayskirt will just not fit. Once stretched on the coaming the deck is not wide enough to wrap around the coaming on the sides. The dealer in Tokyo is mailing me a large.

This boat really turns with a bow rudder! I think it is also better heeled on edge than the Gulfstream as well. When paddling in reverse I seemed much more in control. The Gulfie wants to resist turning when paddling backwards, and once started try's to turn out of control - The Sirocco responded as well to a leaned turn when going in reverse as it does when going forward.

I feel the boat sits a tad higher in the water at the cockpit. This is probably due to the 20 lbs I've lost though. The bow on the other hand, seems to sit a bit lower. This may be because I've gotten used to the big bow of the K1. I haven't had it out in any waves to speak of yet, so it remains to be seen how well it plunges through them.

I can lean back easier in this boat. Laying back on the rear deck seems like I'm closer to the water. The rear deck may be a tad lower although the depth of both boats is listed as 14 inches. When laying on the rear deck the boat seems more stable than the Gulfie (because of the wider beam?).

The cockpit is an inch longer and I notice it is much easier for me to hop in and out. This will come in handy when launching/landing in the surf. There are 7 more gallons of volume on the Sirocco - I suspect part of that comes from the plastic not having quite the concave curve in the bow that the Gulfstream has, as well as the extra 1/4" beam.

I didn't try a static brace or a hand roll (I couldn't do either in the Gulfstream). I had to paddle out about 300 feet to get into water deep enough to roll, and I was afraid if I had to wet exit someone would call the police so I'll wait for warmer water to attempt the hand roll. The sculling brace seemed easier. My arms are quite sore from yesterday, but today I made an effort to stretch them out before rolling and this helped prevent them from getting worse.

I heeled the boat really far up on edge and held it there as I paddled it. Again, this seemed much easier than the Gulfstream but I'm not sure why. This may be because of the thigh braces giving me better support. Equally easy for me on both the left and right side.

I can't begin to speak to the amount of confidence I regained by playing in this boat today. Going out in some large swell and breaking waves will put me 100% back in the game.