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Words by<br />
BARRY<br />
DAWSON<br />
Photographs<br />
as credited<br />
TBecause of the mishap at the beginning of the<br />
year in the Hobie Challenge, where 21 Hobies<br />
were lost at sea in typhoon weather conditions,<br />
the usual Round Taal Volcano<br />
Hobie races and regatta had<br />
to be cancelled for this year,<br />
as replacements of these craft<br />
had not yet arrived.<br />
One of the events on this<br />
weekend was the Oz Goose<br />
race, and this year it was time<br />
for the Oz Goose to shine<br />
in the Inaugural OZ Goose<br />
Nationals Regatta sponsored<br />
by Hyde Sails. The Oz Goose<br />
is a small home built craft with<br />
amazing sailing capabilities.<br />
The Taal Lake Yacht Club<br />
is probably the Philippine’s<br />
most active sailing club and<br />
has traditionally focussed on<br />
the Hobies. However Hobie<br />
16 is far too expensive for the average middle<br />
class family. So Commodore and Founder Peter<br />
Capotosto is looking at the Oz/ PD Goose to bring<br />
more people into the club, increase participation<br />
in sailing and to provide a pool of sailors, some of<br />
whom will move into more advanced sailboat types<br />
as their experience increases. The Oz Goose looks<br />
odd – so how do they sail? Top recorded speed solo<br />
sailing has crept up in the last two years. Originally<br />
The Oz Goose is a<br />
small home built<br />
craft with amazing<br />
sailing capabilities.<br />
12 knots it was raised to 12.9 (both on a tideless<br />
lake in Central Texas. And finally rose to 13.8 knots<br />
on a tideless lake in the Philippines. For fleet racing<br />
they are quite competitive<br />
sailed two up allowing learners<br />
or disabled sailors to take part<br />
in racing against the singlehanders.<br />
But how does the Oz<br />
Goose flat bow and flat bottom<br />
deal with rough water? For six<br />
month of the year the wind<br />
blows down to our lee end of<br />
Taal Lake. They get serious<br />
waves and chop with lots of<br />
reflections off the rocky shore.<br />
The goose is very powerful<br />
because of its high stability<br />
and able to carry full sail<br />
happily in 20 knots even with<br />
65kg sailors. it just smashes<br />
any taller wave tops out of the<br />
way, but a bit of heel gives a<br />
smooth ride. In light winds and<br />
leftover chop they can be quite noisy, but the 89<br />
sq. ft. of sail gives good speed and action is smooth<br />
with a little heel.<br />
The weekend of November 18 & 19 saw 17 Oz<br />
Goose craft compete on the waters of Lake Taal, in<br />
what can only be described as a fun weekend where<br />
the OZ Goose proudly showed the sailing world that<br />
sailing can be fun and inexpensive as well.<br />
Oz Goose<br />
Nationals Regatta<br />
84
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