So far everything has gone well, very well.
The rollover test was succesful, to my relief, allthuogh some water came in thrugh the back and for hatches and through a the VHF antenna. The antenna is now dealt with, hopefully.
Only a small amount of water, maybee 5 liter or 2 US gallons at the most, found its way inside the brave Exlex. The water was collected in the for and aft compartments. They are not sensitive to water. The boat was at lest 1 minute completly upside down before the healaing rope was released and she was allowed right herself, wich she did very quickly. During coming capsizeses in the wild Roaring Forties I estimate that Exlex will stay upside down much shorter times. Myself, I was in the aft compartment. During the forst rollover I was in the bunk. There are sevaral videos of showing that experiment, for exampel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvdjEq3K93w
Monday 21 of May 2018 at 17:00 houers departure is planned from Mekonomen Västervik, Håkan will drive me to Ireland. I will be on place already at 16:00 houers for Q and A.
Adress Mekonomen, Allen, Västervik, Sweden
Everyone with a positive interest in small boat cruising are welcome.
Exlex is an experimental craft, she is very tender she is not very suitable for the planned voyage witch will be difficult by any standard. She was built as a daysailer and the reel boat was meant to be bigger but unfortunately I run out of money becouse no publisher wanted to print a manuscrips I had hoped would pay for a bigger boat, so brave Exlex willingly volentared to take on the big oceans. I have a model of next design with me. When the sky is grey and the wind contrary I will look at the model and get courage. Next design is 7.2 meters long 1.2 meters beam 0.2 meters draft. I am soon back from NZ to start working on her. This upcoming voyage is not a record attempt, nor is it a protest. It is an experiment being done to conferm my hypothesis of how a small, cheap, seaworthy, enviromentally frendly, low energy, shallow draft, cruising boat that can be propelled by wind with a small sail area and when the wind is absent by muscle power applied to an oar, even by elderly persons, shall be designed.
Best regards Yrvind