That's what we like to see.

With me stuck in Saudi Arabia, team FarrOut seem to be doing alright for themselves. At least I can bask in the reflected glory. Good luck today everybody and will you let me onboard when I'm back next week?

Season Start

The season started well for FarrOut last sunday with a win against Saskia VII in a 2 boat windward/leeward match. The first of the WSC spring series, but a poor turnout - where is everyone? Time to get out of hibernation.

Go on Nathan and Sam!

Fireball Worlds

Magazine Review 1986

The Birth of FarrOut - on the Hamble

So I was anti-fouling the boat on friday, and a bloke came into the yard and said "Farr Out, I remember seeing her built - 30 years ago". Obviously this got my attention; it turns out that Keith was in procurement in Performance Sailcraft in Banbury, Oxfordshire in the 80's. Here's some things that he told me about FarrOut and the UK built Laser 28s.

• She was built by Hedley Bewes on the Hamble. This happened after they had issues with the first builders.
• She's always been called FarrOut.
• Flying Fish was the demonstrator.
• They were built to order. A lot of items were bespoke. This explains why our pulpit and forward bulkhead are different from other boats.
• They were built in glass fibre and not Kevlar like the Canadian boats. All resins were isopthalic.
• The hull was vac infused. The deck hand laid.
• He said that sourcing the bi-keel for that variant was really difficult. Ours is fin keel thank God!
• The spars were bought as extrusions from Alcan and rigged locally.
• He seemed to remember the new owner of Farr Out didn't like the life raft supplied and they had to change it.

We looked at the hull number together, Keith said that it wouldn't be very high - HCB868A. So presumably number 8 built in 1986.

He still has an original sales brochure and the marketing video on VHS. Hopefully I can get some copies and post them up here.

He's never been afloat in a Laser 28, so maybe we can change that for him this year.

Graphics in her Oban days.