CYGNET
I
have lived on Bribie Island for seven years and have been gunk holing around
the waters around Bribie Island and Deception Bay on the weekends for most of
that time with a brief foray into the Noosa River.
More
often than not on the weekends I am out sailing in the passage or the northern
section of Morton Bay, either just cruising or recently racing. A Sailing Club
has been formed this year and whilst it is for the moment small it has a very
active core group of sailors.
My boat is an Ultimate 16 a trailer sailer with a
swing keel which with it's swing steel plate centreboard and shallow draft make
it an ideal vessel for mucking about in the variable depth waters of the
passage.
It is somewhat of a tardis inside and the
accommodation is surprisingly big for such a small craft. Despite this it is to
my eyes at least a baby swan and not an ugly duckling as some small watercraft
can be.
With it's fairly high freeboard and wide cabin it
isn't a speed demon to windward it can however surprise other sailors with its
speed downwind especially in light airs with the spinnaker up. It is a great
boat for day sails and is especially easy to sail by yourself. I can rig the boat in less than 20 minutes
and be out on the water and sailing before some boats have raised their mast.
I plan on doing much more cruising and have set
the boat up to sleep 2 adults.
