Viper at 9017 feet (repost)

Charlie Visser · August 11, 2011, 04:52:28 PM

A quick report from the sole Viper in Colorado, #71 Icebear. We are having a fantastic first season on Lake Dillon, Colorado. Daysailing a couple times a week, two-sailing two-up in the very fickle mountain winds up here. Tuesday we had 20 minute alternations of 10 knots and 20-25 knots mixed with 20 degree shifts. We have had the boat up to the low teens boat speed two-sailing two-up. Rebecca, my son Alex and I are loving the boat!

Tony Chapman kindly skippered and I crewed #71 in two regattas in AZ last fall and winter that helped me tremendously to get to know the boat. Thanks, Tony, and congratulations on High Sierra.

The only other sport boats up here are J/80s. Everybody wants to know about the Viper.

There are small fleets of Etchells and Stars on Dillon. There is a beautiful 1959 woodie Star about to be launched for the first time post-restoration. And apparently a member of the club here owns (or maybe owned) the oldest remaining Star from 1919. I suppose it could be either marconi or gaff rigged.

I attached a few pics of the original Ijsbeers, ice yachts built by my family ancestors in Friesland for sailing on the Heegermeer (Frisian lake.)

Charlie

Charlie Visser · August 11, 2011, 04:54:32 PM

More pics

Peter Beardsley · August 11, 2011, 04:54:49 PM

This subject line is terrifying -- I thought a Viper had sunk for a second!

Charlie Visser · August 11, 2011, 05:04:13 PM

Ijsbeer #71 on Lake Dillon.
And a pic of polar bear figurehead on the original Ijsbeer.
The Vipe's not gonna have a figurehead though-- the chute would get snagged on the teeth!

Tim Carter · August 12, 2011, 01:25:08 AM

Charlie, we will figure out how to attatch some runners to the IceBear for when the lake gets firm.... :)

Dan Tucker · August 12, 2011, 07:20:43 PM

Charlie,

Great stuff! Can you email me the original full-sized photo of the boat of the boat on the dock, with the snow covered mountains in the background? Or better yet, do you have one with the mountains in the background and under sail? It needs to go on the front page!

tucker.dan at gmail dot com

Thanks!!

Dan

Drew Harper · August 13, 2011, 11:53:53 AM

Hey Charlie...how cold is the water? Kinda up near the treeline dude. Must be interesting on a windy day...feel different?

Charlie Visser · August 13, 2011, 03:29:39 PM

Hey, Drew

Water temps are in the 60s now, but early and late season the surface temperature is in the 50s. Treeline is a couple thousand feet above the lake, and the high peaks (with permanent snow fields) are at 13,000-14,000'.

Because of the lower air density at 9000', lift and drag are 84% of sea level at a given wind speed. So 20 knots "Dillon wind" is about like 17 at sea level. My son Alex (6'2, 190 lb) and I have sailed two-up, two-sail in the low twenties TWS (low teen boat speeds.) Rebecca and I have comfortably been over 10 knots boat speed.

This is only our second season on Dillon, so we are learning the wind and weather patterns, and are still encountering new stuff, like the two phase 10/25 knot cycling we have had this week. I am really glad that we discovered the 10/25 pattern in the Viper instead of the Tasar. Dinghy sailing is not for the faint of heart on Dillon because of the water temperature, spikey wind speeds, autotack wind shifts, and microbursts associated with frequent afternoon boomers.

We have practiced a quick sail drop drill in case it suddenly gusts out of our comfort zone. With the Torqeedo we can easily keep head to wind, get the sails down in a hurry, and motor home at 4 knots.

We absolutely love the Viper. OK, the Tasar was also a very fun boat-- it planed upwind, and broad reached at TWS. Yet the Viper is still one of the the fastest monohulls on the lake. There's a 1970s frog green 470 named the Incredible Hulk, and a Fireball sailed singlehanded by an intrepid sailor. The balance of the dinghy fleet here are Lasers, 420s and Fevas in the youth program that appear to stay in Dillon Bay close to the marina. My son really enjoyed passing a J/22 in about two boat lengths in 5-7 knots.

Viperers, come sail with us in Colorado! A typical summer day here is in the low 70s and sunny, with crisp nights, 360 degree views of the snowcap peaks, and a mellow mountain town atmosphere with good summer condo options.

Charlie

Drew Harper · August 14, 2011, 12:44:23 PM

Wouldn't that be nice.

Let's get some guys there to buy some boats :-D

Dan Tucker · August 14, 2011, 02:21:58 PM

Quote from: Drew Harper on August 14, 2011, 12:44:23 PM
Wouldn't that be nice.

Let's get some guys there to buy some boats :-D

That would be pretty cool!

Maybe 2016 though... I'd expect the rotation to be bring the 2015 NA's somewhere back east, but I should be an ex-prez by the time that is decided!

Justin Scott · August 24, 2011, 01:49:15 PM

Quote from: Charlie Visser on August 11, 2011, 05:04:13 PM
Ijsbeer #71 on Lake Dillon.
And a pic of polar bear figurehead on the original Ijsbeer.
The Vipe's not gonna have a figurehead though-- the chute would get snagged on the teeth!

But surely a Polar Bear image on the new Ijsbeer chute.

I nearly made it to Dillon many moons ago as crew on J24 but when I good and excited the program bailed. Its been on my bucket list ever since.

For the history buffs I think Icy beer is not the first Viper on Dillon. I believe there were two early model pre-Rondar boats out there. But with aluminum rig, and the early version of the rig geometry I think they were tough to sail in the puffs and gusts of Dillon. Carbon stick and upgrade to rig geometry has made the Vipe ideal as high altitude boat.

Charlie Visser · October 07, 2011, 05:47:43 PM

Yes, Justin, the new chute will have the bear (or beer?) on it.
Right, the Viper seems to work well as a high altitude boat. Now that I have sailed two seasons and kinda know the wind patterns (or the fractal randomness thereof) next season I can't wait to "buzz the tower" (the Dillon Yacht Club) at 15+ under spin.