 Photo credit Dave Clement Has the boat been splashed? Yes, and the barky swims! Whoo hoo! Confetti and fireworks! Hurrah! Zygote keeps water out (mostly), and seems lively and willing on the briny main. Has the boat been pedaled? Yes.  Photo credit Dave Clement. The inflatable kayak seat is not entirely dialed in for maximum efficiency, but the pedal drive works like a charm. 3 mph, baby!  And how about sailing? Indeed she has! Her maiden voyage was accomplished with three sailors aboard: TwoBeers, Ninjee, and Moresailesaid, the original Spawnsters. The conditions were light but sailable, and on a reach, she reached 6.1Kts in a breeze of around 7. Female by nature as a boat and as a biological specimen (let me remind you that we were all female at the very start of our physical existence), Zygote is in possession of three sails: a main and roller-furling jib, and a Code X, which is a hybrid of screecher and Code Zero, which is to say a little like a spinnaker, only it too furls on a roll and should be a snap to deploy and douse.  The sails come hot off the presses from Doug Fisher Performance sails in Sarasota, and while yes, they are the same vivid FEMA blue that those of us in the hurricane splash zone recognize as tarps, the main and jib are in fact a very cutting edge blend of carbon fiber and dyneema. And if that sounds like a foreign language, imagine if you will the ceramic tiles on the outside of the space shuttle. Those exotic tiles are as far from the cozy, homelike bathroom tiles as far as these carbon fiber fabrics are from the soft, mildew-prone canvas of classic sailing yachts (oh, be still my Master and Commander heart).  For those who are interested, the headboard and clew boards are also made of carbon fiber. Very sleek, very chic, light, and very tough.  Jeff and his team of friends, including Tony "Yarddog" Pocklington, David "DSea" Clement, Jahn "Moresailesaid" Tihansky, and of course OH "Ninjee" Rodgers will continue to refine and rejigger the rigging and set-up for the next few days between practice sails. For instance, as some may remember, Spawn spent a memorable couple of hours upside down in the Gulf of Mexico in a past Everglades Challenge. (Here's the link if you like that sort of story: http://www.amysmithlinton.com/blog/spawn-race-recap-put-the-kettle-on-its-a-long-story).  Photo credit Dave Clement As Hobie Cat sailors learned in the 1970's, a float (or bob) at the top of the mast can often keep a boat from flipping all the way over. It's called turning turtle when instead of reclining at 90 degrees, a boat goes all the way over, revealing a pale belly to the sky. During their misadventures in the Gulf, even the mighty Eye of Horus, as we called the bob at the top of Spawn's mast, was unable to defy gravity. When brought back upright, the Eye had a squint, having been compressed by the 30-or-so feet of seawater. It's been a little on Ninjee's mind. So for Zygote, OH cooked up what looks like a torpedo, or maybe a rogue weather-balloon, to affix to the top of the mast. It's made of flotation-filled carbon fiber; I've been irreverently referring to it as the Knob, but the name has yet to catch on with the rest of the team. I mean, it's thematic, right? Zygote adjacent, one could say. Oh well, I'll entertain suggestions if you have 'em—=particularly if the entertainment goes beyond my 12-year-old's humor.  Now, we're off to help locate spare belts for the pedal drive. Wish us good luck!
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With less than three weeks until the start of the 300-mile unsupported Everglades Challenge adventure race, the schedule says, GET IN THE WATER, Zygote!  As ground control to Major Tom, I have been busy doing my bit, which includes acting Purser, Supply Sergeant, Commissary, Provisions Specialist, and Cheer Captain. So many boxes have arrived on our doorstep. And we have merch!
We have tees, long-sleeve cotton, and some tech shirts. Let's contribute less to the micro-plastic problem, no? Hit me up by email if you want a shirt. They cost me around $20 each to make. Muchas gracias to Cindy C. for the tee-shirt press! Meanwhile, over at the biolab, Zygote's pedal drive is still a work in progress. (pedal-to-propeller! Has potential for use in making a vat of margaritas!). As you no doubt remember, all means of human propulsion are permitted. So if he so chooses, my favorite skipper can ooch, pump, row, push, swim, pole, or gondola-wise propel the boat.  The pedal drive is a cool bit of kit, as my British friends might say. Manufactured by a Canadian firm that was—ahem—reluctant to do biz with south-of-the-border folks like little old us, the kit includes a set of foot pedals and a worm drive-ish thing leading to a two-bladed propeller that can stick out the back of the boat. Many thanks to the [names redacted] 2.4M class for conveying the device to us. Yes, it does resemble a cartoon invention.  Yes, I did buy a Lark seat at a thrift store in case the contraption might be rigged thusly. Yes, we don't know how much thigh-burning madness this will engender. Yes, I am referring to the Oysterizer setting of "super frappe" with annoying frequency.
And everyone enjoys that part of a build. Thanks for the photos, Bill! The mast is nearly all rigged, minus a few refinements like the special hook to loop the distal end of the main halyard so it doesn't slip and sag. The paint job is close enough for now. Some pinholes and more sanding await future TwoBeers.  The navigation and safety gear has been tested and dry-fitted.  custom perch for the Garmin InReach. The navigation lights are still in original packaging.
Reflective gator-tape is still on the roll. The boat logo is just waiting for a warm, dust free day to be applied. The storage bags are in a holding pattern, as himself thinks he might have plenty of storage without them. We'll see. Fingers are crossing in preparation. |
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