Thanks to Facebook and the Dinghy Cruising Association, in particular, I think I've found the first of my modifications for the New Year in the name of the Huntingford helm impeder.
Having fiddled with all manner of such devices in the past I'm keen to try this technique to see if it makes any difference. Roger Barnes, president of the aforementioned association, certainly suggests it should, describing it as 'one of the great inventions of western civilisation'.
This neatly brings me on to this season's best stocking filler for small boat sailors, namely Roger's own 'The Dinghy Cruising Companion' which is proving, without doubt, one of the most rewarding reads on sailing I can remember.
Packed with useful advice, anecdotes, excellently written and superbly presented, this must now surely be a 'must read' for any sailor. A brilliant achievement!
really enjoyed it too. And those great photos of dinghy cruising in Brittany make me dream of new rally destinations! Yann
ReplyDeleteI have also been looking for a tiller impeded solution for my Shrimper as most of my sailing is done single handed. Your post has resulted in me identifying a discontinued product offered by Salty John. It was discontinued, I understand, as the mould for the component was stolen. My Tiller Hand arrived today & looks great. Participants on the Shrimper Talk Forum have recommended the product which cost me £15.90 including postage. You may want to look into this further as I believe there is 1 Tiller Hand still available - see http://sailorssurplus.moonfruit.com/products/4587955929
ReplyDeleteDerek & Yann, many thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteDerek, I purchased the Salty John tiller hand you mention several seasons ago. For some reason, I never really got along with it, although have continued to try it from time to time. The thing I like about the Huntingford set-up is the inclusion of the elastic loop, which I'm hoping will facilitate over-riding of the helm impeder at key moments. For some reason, the SJ version, possibly because of the way I had it set up, always seemed to get in the way when I wanted to steer my way out of trouble. It still sits in the tool box, and may yet have a role to play in future!