Thanks for that information Bob. I have greased things up, my boats stay rigged in the back yard all season. I read on one of the chats about preventing wear by leaving the step pin in place if you store mast up.
During a layover in China I spent considerable time downloading/reading all the old NewSprint magazines, along with working up to page 55 of the Chats. Some very interesting reading, along with some sadness to see all to early passing of people like Nick Dewhirst.
I did come across an article regarding foot casting/ heel plate replacement in the magazine,I believe by Steve Willis, along with some discussion in the Chat Forum.
I decided to replace mine as I wasn't sure if the wear was contributing to over rotating the mast. Even up wind, it seems to want to turn 90*, which can't be the most efficient entry of wind onto the sail when close hauled. Later, I read some posts about the 15 tending to over-rotate, & the 18 using a rotator bar & line. Quite different from the same boomless design of the N5.7 & N5.0. We only use rotation for sailing deep downwind, otherwise the mast points into the apparent wind. I have much to learn about this Dart 15 in order to get the mos out of it.
My Nacra 5.7 & H18,(I know, blasphemy on these pages
) are a very close fit, & I wondered if the lateral play was a bad thing. I have actioned several other tasks from reading the Chat. Rudder lubrication & replace bumper pad in rudder A frame, replace O rings in hatch covers, check hull/rudder alignment- (all good), add dyneema safety line between hound & swivel. I will also end for end the mainsheet this winter, & tie a stopper knot where it dead ends to the torpedo block-those things are expensive, especially with our weak Canadian $.
It's a pretty small World, the Sprint 15. Through a cold call to a retired sailor of the only other Dart 15 I've laid eyes on, I was put in touch with the Canadian contact for Dart parts, Wood Hustler. He can source needed parts through Windsport, probably easier than myself, though I do get across the Pond to London a few times a year.
He also mentioned Derek Innes, (the chap George Love referred to in page 4-5) of this issue of NewSprint had come out to put his boat together when he first bought it.
https://www.sprint15.com/members/newsle ... n-2014.pdf
I believe, from reading through the Chats, your son has immigrated to Canada, & is in the Toronto area. My main residence is just north of there, in Caledon. I keep my boats fully rigged at a summer home in Orillia, on Lake Simcoe. If your son ever gets an itch to sail a Dart 15 again, he is very welcome to come up,as are you when you come over to visit. There is also a Nacra 5.0, & H18 Magnum fully rigged if he wants to sail one. The water is currently 21C, air 26C-28C, though the forecast for wind is rather pathetic for the upcoming week.
He can reach me at karen dot hilliard at rogers dot com If he is interested.
Also, from reading through the Forum, I have discovered the origins of my boat. The previous owner brought it over when he immigrated to Canada in 2011. The sail, as shown in an issue of Newsprint, is a spare he bought, "from a guy in Newcastle."
See pg 18 of this issue, just below A Mascots Nationals
https://www.sprint15.com/members/newsle ... n-2015.pdf
Until that time, I believed the boat was sail 1461. Through an old post on the Forum I saw that 1461 had been sold around Newcastle, lending credence to where the sail in the photo came from. At one point the boat was at Filey, as there is a sticker on one hull. Liam had also mentioned that 1460 was now at the Solent.
I now know that it is actually sail #1641. Through more of the Forum I found hull ID #'s, & a Registration for them, along with mast & rudder #'s. Not sure if that endeavour is still active.
In order not to conflict with the real 1460, I will attempt to delete my Database entry using that number.
I have researched old results and I cannot find any reference to 1641 (or 1642 as mentioned by Paul Roddock in the NewSprint article) so I cannot help with the correct sail number of your boat. We have been to Filey S C a number of times on our traveller events but 1641 or 1642 did not enter. This is not surprising as we attended on Filey Regatta weekend and despite the fact that Filey had about 10 Dart 15s very few took part as virtually all local club sailors were drafted in to run the regatta. You should be able to use the edit feature in change the sail number from 1461.
