Dart 15 pulls double duty

[edchris177]

Tomorrow is July 1, AKA Canada Day here across the pond. My flagpole at the water edge was taken out by moving ice this spring, haven’t gotten around to replacing it.
Decided to attach the flag to the main halyard, with a length of line to the flag bottom.
Host til it hooks, tension & tie off the 2nd line.
Everyone here ties a National flag to the batten ends, hoist the sail, & does a glory lap around the bay on Canada Day.
The big tree, mid left of photo is actually a point. Round that & you are in the main body of a 400sq mile lake.
The empty lift across from the Dart usually holds a Nacra 5.7, or Hobie 18, but the Hobie is awaiting a new tramp, I lent the Nacra to my neighbour a few places down the shore. It’s been great sailing weather, & water is 75F, Unfortunately we don’t have the organized one class racing that that you folks take for granted.

[Jenny Ball]

Great photo! Convince your neighbour to swap the Hobie for a Sprint 15 so you can start your own fleet!

[edchris177]

It’s only the 4th one I have ever seen over here, though there is a decent fleet of Dart 18’s scattered around Ontario.
It was imported when a chap from Finley sail club immigrated to Canada. Most of my catamaran life I’ve been a Nacra sailor, with a stint on the Tornado. After I joined the North of 60 Club,(age), I began to find the bigger powerful boats a handful in stronger winds.
We do not have safety boats, most times it’s self rescue. The thrill of sailing over 20kts was being offset by the chore of righting them solo, so I gave the Nacra 5.7 to a friend down the bay. I kept the H18 Magnum because my wife likes the wings.
When the Dart 15 came up I jumped on it. Hundreds of $ worth of spares, road trailer, beach dolly, along with a nearly new extra sail.
I can go out in any conditions, & a capsize or turtle is a non event, it’s like righting a Hobie Wave. As you know they scoot right along in a decent breeze.
It doesn’t like the big waves, as to be expected from the small displacement hulls, on those days I stay inside my home bay, which has only a maximum 2.5 mile fetch.
It would be a great thing to have a fleet of them to sail against.