Harry Gordon's P-15 "Manatee" in her new lateen suit.
This picture was taken in a small saltwater sailing lake in Mountain View's Shoreline Park. I hadn't sailed there before because it is rather small, but it turned out to be fun. They have a 14 ft length limit so Manatee was the big fish in the pond; I didn't have to suffer from "small boat syndrome." Any P-15 owners will have to tell the truth about their size in order to launch there. As the wind came up the extra weight was an asset and Manatee seemed to be faster than the overpowered board boats and dinghies, not including windsurfers, of course. To my surprise she seemed to point as well also.
The wrinkles radiating from the clew didn't seem to hurt performance any. It might be the nature of the beast (or of a $150 sail); I notice Lars' Aquafinn sail looked that way too. I didn't have a vang rigged; possibly that would have smoothed it out, or a little less tension on the outhaul? A Sunfish vang is just a line that pulls down on the gooseneck. I have a setup for the vang but haven't found much need for it.
I like the way the numbers and emblems look. To get the pattern for the logo I took my old sail to Kinko's copy shop and had it Xeroxed. I bought the numbers at a local sail loft and they gave me the material to make the emblem, so the total cost was $6.
It's a very flexible rig, literally; all three spars visibly bend. The mast also leans slightly since it is mounted in rubber at the cabintop. I think those features help it to stand up to gusts better. The lower aspect ratio and lighter spars certainly help also. Despite its larger area (80 sq. ft. versus 72), it's comfortable in higher winds than my unreefed gunter rig. One option if I do get overpowered: I could drop the lateen and fly a jib for a downwind run. I will probably add reefing as Larry Brown describes in "Frugal Yachting." I don't know how to heave-to with just a single sail though. Might have to use a sea anchor.
Harry Gordon
P-15 "Manatee"
13 August 1997
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