Talk about scale

Here's just a few shots of Dutch and me having a boattalk... In front you see the Flying Fizz, - known for it's fantastic sailing simulation. Behind us you see the VO70. And what's the connection, you might ask? Well, the VO70 is really just a scaled up version of a modern dinghy.

Little sister

The VO70 has the same sails, - main, jib and gennaker. It also has the same sailing characteristics. It planes most of the time, and if it doesn't the trimmer is thrown over board. They can do that because there's enough room to have spare trimmers on board.

The hull shapes are also essentially the same. High speed hulls made for planing. Even the materials are the same... Carbon fiber everywhere. Strong and light for maximum performance, and when it breaks it is a mess to repair...

Big sister

The only real difference is with the balance. It is handled just a little different. The little sister has no keel and one centerboard. Balance is handled (mostly) by the person in the trapeze. The bigger sister has two centerboards, though only one is used at a time. No, it is not because two is twice as good as one... It is because there is a swingkeel. Same principle: More weight to windward!

Can't wait to see this baby fly. Be back soon with more updates...


PS: New to virtual sailing? Here's more on the Flying Fizz. Here's more on the technical side of Virtual Sailing. Here's the story of it all. Finally, here's a few shots from a beautiful race.